Malaysia’s central bank is in a sweet spot.

When European Central Bank President Mario Draghi gives his policy update later Thursday, his words will reverberate halfway across the world in the tropical climes of Indonesia.Where once the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook was the biggest swing factor for policy makers in Jakarta, an influx of yield hungry European investors is changing all that.

While Japan had the biggest slump in its workforce in Asia over the last 10 years, Singapore has the most to fear from an aging population over the next two decades.The city state will face a double whammy: a shrinking workforce and slower progress than Asian neighbours in getting more people into the labour market.

Known for its dynamic and diverse community, ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as a whole makes for the fifth largest economy in the world and the region is expected to grow even further. Despite its accomplishments, the region still falls short in terms of gender equality in key leadership roles and the general workforce. As reported by The Straits Times, there are only 30 women per every 100 men in leadership positions on average in many ASEAN countries.

Vietnam - also famously known as the land of the “Ascending Dragon” for its geographical shape on the world map - is a land of opportunities. As Vietnam celebrates its 72nd independence today, it is remarkable to note how far the country has progressed over recent years. Moving away from a centrally planned system into a market based economy, Vietnam has advanced into the "lower middle income countries" bracket since 2009.

The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) frontier economies of Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) are becoming the centre of attraction for FDI (foreign direct investment). Aside from being the world’s fastest growing economies, these countries boast a young population with low-cost labours and natural resources. Among the potential areas for investment include textile, clothing, footwear, food and beverage, banking, services, tourism and auto electronics.

China’s one belt one road (OBOR) initiative is expected to complement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) over the long term as it would be a platform to further strengthen relationship between China and ASEAN. RCEP is anticipated to play a critical role in OBOR to promote trade and investment in ASEAN.

Indonesia’s central bank surprised most economists on Tuesday by lowering interest rates, reflecting its relative comfort with the currency and inflation outlook.The benchmark rate was cut by a quarter point to 4.5 percent, with all but six of the 28 economists surveyed by Bloomberg predicting it would stay on hold.

Interest rate cuts are once again on the table in Indonesia.With inflation and credit growth slowing, central bank Governor Agus Martowardojo has spurred speculation he may resume policy easing to give a boost to Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. Bank Indonesia has been on hold since its last reduction in October, but with the threat of capital outflows from higher U.S.