Advertisement
Advertisement
This Week in Asia /

Economics

Related Topics:
Money Matters
Banking & finance
Stocks
People walking in the streets of Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur's most prominent area for shopping. Photo: Shutterstock
Construction workers at a construction site in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

17 key takeaways from Malaysia’s 2027 budget - ‘live with dignity’

The government is projecting slower economic growth and higher inflation in 2027 as it seeks to narrow the deficit.

Malaysia

Malaysia budget: healthcare boost, Malay businesses to get more public projects

Australia

Data centre opposition is growing in Australia. Is there a middle ground?

videocam
Asean

Protect the middle? Why Southeast Asia should care about a vulnerable class

Recent shocks have exposed how the middle class can fall through the cracks of the region’s safety nets, analysts say.

videocam
People cross a road in Manila. The Asian Development Bank Institute has urged the Philippines to provide targeted support for the middle class to protect its purchasing power. Photo: EPA
People cross a road in Manila. The Asian Development Bank Institute has urged the Philippines to provide targeted support for the middle class to protect its purchasing power. Photo: EPA
Malaysia

Can ‘neutral’ Malaysia stay above the fray in the US-China tech rivalry?

Speaking at a tech event, Malaysia’s defence minister says the country is ‘non-aligned’ in ‘every domain’, including in cyberspace.

Singapore

How Singapore’s local cafes compete with Chinese coffee giant Luckin

Cheap drinks and app ordering helped Luckin expand fast, but independent cafe owners say personal connection beats pure convenience.

4
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Malaysia

‘Fight fire with fire’: Southeast Asia urged to share data in war against scams

While scam organisations are using agentic AI to expand, regional countries face unwieldy rules on cross-border data exchange, experts warn.

videocam
Artificial intelligence has enabled criminal groups to target more victims in Southeast Asia. Photo: Shutterstock
Southeast Asian nations should partner with one another to identify and disrupt scam operations before they spread and do damage. Photo: Shutterstock
Asean

‘At what cost?’ Southeast Asia starts to rethink its AI data centre boom

With Thailand pausing projects and Malaysia facing grid pressure, regulators are learning that hosting the AI boom comes with a heavy cost.

Malaysia

Malaysia’s Anwar set to unveil crowd-pleasing budget amid political pressure

Experts are predicting handouts and subsidies, increased education and healthcare spending, and measures to support lower-income Malaysians.

Japan

No more welcome mat? Japan’s tough visa rules spur foreigners to look elsewhere

Despite a surge in foreign residents leaving Japan, Tokyo is sticking to higher fees for business manager visas and permanent residency.

People walk up the hill leading to Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, Japan. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Going ‘car-lite’: why more Singaporeans are quitting driving

Rail links and cycle routes make it easier for motorists to give up their cars as running costs and road charges rise.

Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong
The Philippines

Philippines’ jeepney drivers on the brink as rising costs outpace relief

Drivers say the overdue fare increase of 1 peso ‘barely makes a dent’ as the sector battles the massive loss of livelihoods.

10
South Korea

South Korea hits back at Trump’s investment claims in ‘tit-for-tat move’

President Lee Jae Myung says further talks are needed and ‘commercial viability’ must be a prerequisite for South Korean investment in the US.

videocam
Asean

Southeast Asia faces ‘sleeper’ food crisis from Hormuz fertiliser bottleneck

The Middle East shipping gridlock risks a regional hunger crisis unless Asean resists export controls and pushes a US-Iran deal, experts say.

A digital display tracks shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz in May. The choke point carries about one-third of the world’s seaborne fertiliser trade, where ongoing conflict has driven supply bottlenecks and price surges. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan enlists royal visit, subsidies to revive tourism in quake-hit Kyushu

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to visit Kumamoto as the government rolls out travel subsidies to win back visitors following July’s quake.

videocam
The damage at Yatsushiro Shrine after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, in July. Photo: Reuters
The damage at Yatsushiro Shrine after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, in July. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Indonesia’s 3% deficit cap: guardrail or growth barrier?

As lawmakers weigh lifting the statutory deficit ceiling, economists warn of downgrades and higher borrowing costs.

The Philippines

After EU-Philippines trade breakthrough, is Asean-wide deal next?

A bloc-to-bloc free-trade agreement offers Asean real economic clout, but analysts warn there is still a ‘long way to go’.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Thailand

Thailand has had enough of foreign tourists behaving badly

Viral misbehaviour, crimes and foreign-ownership scandals are exhausting the patience of a country famous for its hospitality.

videocam
Illustration: Kevin Wong
Illustration: Kevin Wong
Indonesia

Indonesian coal deal fuels doubts over production quota approvals

The sale of a stake in Bayan came as the coal miner was facing a delay in getting approval for three subsidiaries’ production quotas.

videocam
Singapore

From Suzhou to AI: Singapore, China eye new playbook for economic ties

Both countries should explore cooperation in new areas such as AI and the green economy, says Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.

India

What can Asia, Global South learn from India’s new digital payment fee?

The roll-out is a good test of whether the system can generate enough revenue to pay for its own maintenance and expansion, experts say.

videocam
A customer makes a payment through the Unified Payments Interface at a shop in Srinagar, Indian Kashmir, on September 16. Photo: EPA
Thailand

Thailand’s solar scheme faces hurdles as low power users turned off by high cost

Even with a subsidy, the upfront installation cost still may not make up for future savings and income in poorer households.

videocam
The sun sets on floating solar panels for the Sirindhorn Dam hydro-solar farm run by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand in Ubon Ratchathani in February 2022. Photo: AFP
The sun sets on floating solar panels for the Sirindhorn Dam hydro-solar farm run by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand in Ubon Ratchathani in February 2022. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Singapore’s entry-level job market shrinks despite salary growth, data shows

Aon data published last month shows a 3.2 per cent drop in entry-level headcount in the city state, amid a rise in AI use in the workplace.

US, Israel war on Iran

Gulf tech firms turn to Hong Kong and Singapore as Iran war grinds on

Analysts point to growing adoption of a ‘dual-hub’ model, using secondary Asian bases to hedge against geopolitical risk.

videocam
The Philippines

Philippines races to realise Pax Silica dreams as political changes loom

Philippines’ Marcos is due to leave office in 2028 while Trump faces US midterm elections next year that could change control of Congress.

5
Representatives from Pax Silica signatory countries attend its first summit in Washington in December 2025. Photo: Handout
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW