Housing Finance in East Asia

Abstract

Residential mortgage markets have revived since the crisis of 1997. This evolution raises opportunities but also challenges for policy makers and regulators, from the perspective of financial sector soundness and accessibility for low-income households. As part of the financial sector flagship report,1 the study focused on six countries (South Korea, China, Hong Kong (China), Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia). These markets differ in terms of scale, structure, depth, risk exposure, and accessibility. Advanced economies like Singapore, Japan, or Australia are not covered, nor are nascent markets where systems are just being created (Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos). The case of the Philippines is not studied either, short of updated data. Hence, the paper does not provide a complete picture of housing finance markets throughout the region, nor does it pay sufficient tribute to the nuances and intricacies of each country's own evolution. Other key aspects of real estate markets (commercial property, rental markets) are also not analyzed.