Asian markets mostly fell Friday as investors struggled to maintain the previous day's positive momentum following losses on Wall Street, with technology firms tracking a sharp fall in Apple.

The spread of mobile phones to all corners of the world offers the opportunity to deliver banking services to poor and rural areas, improving lives, the World Bank says in a report Thursday.

Access to a bank account can especially help women, who are more likely to save and to spend on healthcare and education, World Bank economist Leora Klapper told AFP.

Governments must take care, even when there are disagreements, to avoid harming trade and investment which have been key drivers of the global economic recovery, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said Thursday.

Oil surged Thursday close to 3.5-year peaks on simmering Mideast tensions and keen U.S. demand, while London stocks rose with drugmaker Shire boosted by a takeover move.

World oil prices extended Wednesday's gains on the back of data showing a drop in U.S. stockpiles -- indicating improved demand -- and expectations that a Russia-OPEC output cap deal will be kept in place.

Saudi Arabia hopes to bring Russia into the fold of an expanded club of global oil giants to sustain a stable market, leaving OPEC's role in question, analysts say.

Europe's major stock markets rose Wednesday after solid gains elsewhere, with London buoyed by the weak pound as UK inflation dived to a one-year low.

Three Belgian companies are facing prosecution for allegedly exporting a chemical that can be used to make the deadly nerve agent sarin to Syria, in breach of international sanctions, officials said Wednesday.

The International Monetary Fund urged central banks Wednesday to take a gradual and transparent approach to tightening monetary policy, warning that unexpected moves could shock the global economy.

Japan's politically sensitive trade surplus with the US edged down in March, government data showed Wednesday, as the two countries' leaders held talks over the thorny issue of bilateral trade.

The global economy is expected to grow at a solid pace through next year, boosted by faster expansion in the United States and Europe, but after that risks will build, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday.