Members of the ASEAN Bankers Association (ABA) have agreed to join hands to overcome the world economic crisis to develop and contribute to building an active, competitive ASEAN Community of cooperation and development by 2015.

At the 41 st ASEAN Banking Council Meeting held in Vientiane on Nov. 17--18, 200 delegates from banks from ASEAN countries also agreed to speed up the harmonisation of standards for financial institutions to operate more effectively.

They will boost cooperation in developing human resource to assist regional banks in applying new technology to facilitate international payment in the context of increasing trans-regional cooperation.

Participants to the meeting expressed their pleasure at the stability and high growth of ASEAN member economies despite the global economic crisis.

They said that those achievements were attributable to sound macro policies of governments and central banks of member countries, as well as expanding cooperation and economic integration, to which the financial and banking sector has made great contributions ./.