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People walk in a business district in Seoul. The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark rate by 0.25 percentage point to 3.0 per cent on Thursday. Photo: EPA
South Korea

South Korea prioritises financial stability with consecutive rate increases

Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-song says the pre-emptive moves aim to help ‘reduce the costs to the economy’.

The Philippines

Philippines stakes claim as Latin America’s gateway to Asean

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Indonesia

Indonesia takes on Malaysia in battle over palm oil pricing

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Singapore

Singapore PM unveils major pro-family measures amid record low fertility

The government will fully bear the bill for increasing childcare leave for Singaporean parents, instead of co-sharing it with employers.

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A mother in Singapore feeds her baby in a pram at a park. Photo: Shutterstock
A mother in Singapore feeds her baby in a pram at a park. Photo: Shutterstock
India

India joins China and South Korea in push for Arctic shipping routes

With Middle East sea lanes choked by conflict, melting polar ice offers Asia a seasonal two-week short cut to European ports.

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Singapore

Singapore’s carrots for fund managers set to sharpen competition with Hong Kong

Apart from a tax exemption for investment profits, Singapore plans to relax a visa rule for fund management professionals.

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Vietnam

Japan’s Aeon exits Thai retail to chase Vietnam’s booming middle class

Aeon is selling its MaxValu stores in Thailand to Central Retail, retreating from a market dominated by local giants.

A MaxValu supermarket in Bangkok, Thailand. Japanese retailer Aeon is selling its 30 MaxValu stores in the country to Thailand's Central Retail Corporation in September. Photo: Shutterstock
A MaxValu supermarket in Bangkok, Thailand. Japanese retailer Aeon is selling its 30 MaxValu stores in the country to Thailand's Central Retail Corporation in September. Photo: Shutterstock
Scams and swindles

Asia faces scam ‘epidemic’ threat as gangs exploit agentic AI, analyst warns

The technology could allow scam syndicates to carry out multiple tasks to cheat victims at the same time without needing human intervention.

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Singapore

Singapore’s universities race to embrace AI as job demands transform

More employers are emphasising AI literacy and are willing to pay more for graduates with the relevant skills, analysts say.

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US-Asean relations

US transshipment ‘scam’ claims put Asean exporters in a bind

Analysts say a report accusing nine Southeast Asian nations of helping China skirt tariffs conflates cheating with legitimate trade.

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A container lifter is used to organise goods containers at a port in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: AP
Indonesia

Can Indonesia build a lasting EV ‘ecosystem’ and not just a market?

Analysts say stricter local-content rules and a stronger production framework will be needed to boost Indonesia up the EV supply chain.

A charging dock at a public electric vehicle charging station in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, in November 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
A charging dock at a public electric vehicle charging station in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, in November 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
India

Russia-India rail link plan: a ‘strategic’ shift in energy transport?

Moscow is eyeing a direct rail link to India, reflecting a scramble by major powers to build trade corridors beyond Hormuz, analysts say.

South Korea

Anchors aweigh in South Korea as Trump loosens US shipbuilding grip

The president is allowing foreign shipbuilders with US investments to build up to two vessels at their parent shipyards.

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Thailand

How Cambodian worker exodus exposes Thailand’s fragile labour model

An estimated 780,000 Cambodian workers have left Thailand since last year’s border conflicts, affecting a wide range of industries.

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Cambodian migrant workers cross the border at Ban Laem Border checkpoint in Chanthaburi province, Thailand, in July last year to return to their home amid the deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Photo: Reuters
Australia

Cable ties: Australia urged to lead Indo-Pacific in protecting subsea links

Australia should treat cable resilience not only as a domestic security issue but also as a shared regional project, analysts say.

An underwater cable sits on the sea floor. Australia relies heavily on subsea cables for its data. Photo: Getty Images
An underwater cable sits on the sea floor. Australia relies heavily on subsea cables for its data. Photo: Getty Images
The Philippines

Philippines’ Marcos sees progress on China oil deal despite maritime row

The president also confirms for the first time a ‘provisional understanding’ with China over the resupply of WWII warship Sierra Madre.

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Singapore

Singapore’s provision shops struggle to keep shutters open in HDB heartlands

Owners say they face hurdles including stiff competition, rising costs and a lack of desire from their children to take over the business.

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Asean

AI threatens nearly a quarter of Southeast Asia’s workforce but not all is lost

Being most exposed to AI does not mean that jobs would be replaced – just that some could move up the value chain or evolve, analysts say.

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A man looks at a screen depicting a person made out of pixels. AI is affecting some jobs in Southeast Asia. Photo: dpa
A man looks at a screen depicting a person made out of pixels. AI is affecting some jobs in Southeast Asia. Photo: dpa
India

Trump’s tariffs plan threatens India’s ‘pharmacy of the world’ status

Analysts warn that steep tariffs on generic medicines will disrupt supply chains, squeeze investment capital from India and raise freight costs.

Vietnam

Vietnam’s To Lam eyes trade, defence boost during trip to Australia, New Zealand

China’s actions in the South China Sea will be discussed but unlikely to be explicitly condemned, observers say.

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Indonesia

Indonesia’s strong GDP data prompts ‘resilient but uneven’ growth forecasts

While manufacturing and household spending rose in Q2, growth expectations are tempered by a decline in the mining and trade sectors.

Containers being stacked at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta. Photo: AP
Vietnam

Vietnam pays the price at home for sending workers abroad

Between 130,000 and 150,000 Vietnamese go abroad to work annually, leaving seafood and garment sectors scrabbling for labourers.

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Workers stitch clothes at a garment factory in Vietnam’s Thai Nguyen province last year. Photo: AFP
Workers stitch clothes at a garment factory in Vietnam’s Thai Nguyen province last year. Photo: AFP
Myanmar

Can war-torn Myanmar finally realise its economic potential?

Myanmar’s economy has shown signs of life after years of sky-high inflation and negative growth, but experts say it is far from recovering.

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The Philippines

Beyond call centres? Philippines reopens Manila for outsourcing edge

Analysts say the move could help the Philippines compete for higher-value offshore functions and boost countryside development.

Indonesia

Reality bites for Indonesia’s Prabowo as approval rating falls

The decline reflects a disconnect between Indonesia’s still-respectable headline growth and how voters experience the economy, analysts say.

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto. Photo: AFP
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