The present study reviews recent trends in rural finance and investment in general, and in the agricultural sector in particular, within the Asian region. The analysis of these trends aims to offer a critical perspective on some of the main constraints to achieving more inclusive rural financial systems in developing countries in the region, and to propose areas of public and private intervention that could advance this objective, based on evidence compiled from important innovations led by local rural actors in various countries within the region. The study makes a joint analysis of recent trends in both agricultural markets and rural financial markets, in order to highlight important links between them that can assist in the design of multisectoral public policies that are more effective in promoting inclusive and stable rural financial systems. Given the historical separation between, on the one hand, professional networks devoted to analysing financial markets, and, on the other hand, those analysing agricultural markets, important linkages between the current policy literature related to the two networks have not been explored well.