Russian gold mining company Nordgold has expanded through many developing markets since its inception in 2007, and is looking to continue growing in regions that more established operators have tended to avoid.

The former Soviet republics that now make up the Commonwealth of Independent States have long been a fertile ground for German investors. This association is continuing to pay dividends, with German companies reaping the benefits of doing business in countries in which others in the West are more cautious about entering.

Companies setting up shop in Brazil, Russia, India and China are becoming increasingly dependent on financial outsourcing to navigate unfamiliar and often complex local legislation. While there are many advantages to outsourcing financial operations, there are myriad factors to consider before these can be realised.

Indonesia has achieved significant economic growth in the past three years and now, with the help of a new development plan, its government has set the ambitious target of transforming the country into a major economic power by 2025. Can Indonesia compete on the same stage as Asia's behemoth economies such as India and China, or will the basic issues of infrastructure and inflation continue to hold it back?

As the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – realise the decade-old prediction that they would become economic superpowers, attention now turns to the global economies that will follow them.

Across central Asia, from China to Kazakhstan, economies are set to benefit from the re-opening of trade routes along the historic Silk Road. Significant investment has already been made to improve the infrastructure along the route, but further investment, more cohesion between the central Asian countries involved and more politically stability in the region as a whole is needed if this great passageway between Asia and Europe is to return to its former glory.