Category: Frontier Markets

Don’t Write Off Cambodia…This Place is Remarkable!

With the Mongolian meet up now over, one of the countries we are going to hone in on is Cambodia. It’s a sleepy SE Asian “powerhouse-to-be” in our opinion. Unfortunately, the place gets a bad rep due to its past. Too many people hear Cambodia and think land mines and

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Laos – Good News and The Good News!

Firstly the good news…I contained myself from throttling a mindless bureaucrat at the Thai embassy in Vientiane…just! 7 hours of queues (yeah you read that right, 7 freaking hours)…with kids in tow! I relish this with the same enthusiasm I typically reserve for chronic constipation. Combine the already tedious, non-sensical,

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Mongolia – It’s a Wrap!

Well, that was exciting! Mark and I just spent an amazing month on the ground, networking and digging in with some of Mongolia’s best and brightest. A few days ago we concluded our first Frontier Markets Meet Up in Ulanbaataar, the capital city. To say that it was a success

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Predatory Capitalism and Market Perception

Mark and I are heading into our second week on the ground here in Mongolia, enjoying the beautiful summer weather. In the last few days we’ve met with a young American who recently launched a forex operation, travelled out to the countryside to do preliminary due diligence on a small

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The Risks of (Not) Investing in Frontier Markets – Central Asia

Today we’ll conclude our conversation about Central Asia with Clemente Cappello from Sturgeon Capital. Corporate governance, transparency and management are three things you need to focus on when doing your due diligence, but that’s just the beginning. ——– Chris: Corporate governance is always an issue in frontier markets. How do

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A Beginner’s Guide to the “Stans”

This is part two of our discussion with Clemente Cappello from Sturgeon Capital… We’re discussing Central Asia. Yesterday Clemente shared the 3 Things you Need to Know About Central Asian Frontier Markets with us. Today we’ll talk more about banking, business and liquidity flows in Frontier Markets, like Kazakhstan. ——–

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3 Things you Need to Know About Central Asian Frontier Markets

Some time back I had the fortune of meeting with some interesting guys who are involved in Central Asia. Like some of you, I have read the stories of stupendous, life-changing growth and opportunities. I’ve even met a good number of investors who have placed what amounted to a grubstake

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