Asia

Malaysia’s Johor launches 7,300-acre innovation sandbox, part of new special economic zone with neighboring Singapore
10Dec mmBy Michael SmithNo Comments
Asia, Singapore

Malaysia’s Johor launches 7,300-acre innovation sandbox, part of new special economic zone with neighboring Singapore

The Malaysian state of Johor is debuting a sprawling new innovation sandbox, bolstering its plans to build a “regional champion” alongside the border with Singapore. The 7,300-acre development—named Ibrahim Technopolis (IBTEC)—is located within the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, a new strategic partnership between Singapore and Malaysia meant to create over 20,000 jobs for people on both sides of the causeway. Designed to be Asia’s largest innovation sandbox, it will concentrate high-value industries like medtech, logistics, data centers and agritech. IBTEC, formally launched on Dec. 2, will make “production smarter, supply chains more resilient and operations more efficient,” said developer JLand Group, the real estate arm of Johor Corporation, in a press statement. ...
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The Future of Banking in Asia
9Dec mmBy Michael SmithNo Comments
Asia

The Future of Banking in Asia

Decentralized finance (DeFi) is becoming a force to be reckoned with, especially in Asia. Among the leaders in this space is Mutuum Finance (MUTM), a protocol reshaping lending and borrowing as we know it. It's worth exploring how Mutuum Finance could disrupt traditional banking in Asia, with its promises of efficiency, transparency, and inclusivity. The Rise of Decentralized Finance As decentralized finance continues to rise, platforms like Mutuum Finance are quickly gaining recognition. These models utilize blockchain technology to cut out the middlemen, giving users the ability to lend, borrow, and earn interest on their crypto assets without intermediaries. This is especially crucial in Asia, where conventional banks often leave individuals and small businesses out in t...
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Boao Forum for Asia: SABIC’s CEO: We are part of the China economy
3Dec mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
Asia, China

Boao Forum for Asia: SABIC’s CEO: We are part of the China economy

The Boao Forum for Asia has wrapped up its regional meeting in Saudi Arabia. It is Riyadh's second consecutive year to host the meeting. CGTN's Adel EL Mahrouky talked to the CEO of Saudi petrochemical giant SABIC, who praised the forum's role in strengthening cooperation with China. ADEL EL MAHROUKY, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia "So how is it significant for Saudi Arabia to host it for the second consecutive year?" ABDULRAHMAN AL-FAGEEH, CEO and BFA Board Member, SABIC "Yeah. First of all, I think it's an opportunity for our Asian partners to come and to see what is in Saudi Arabia. There's a lot of opportunity that it will attract. It is one of the largest growth in terms of GDP, in addition to the opportunities that so many opportunities in all aspects: in building and constructions,...
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Understanding Financial Contagion: Spread of Economic Crises
2Dec mmBy Michael SmithNo Comments
Asia

Understanding Financial Contagion: Spread of Economic Crises

What Is Financial Contagion? Financial contagion is the spread of an economic crisis from one market or region to another and can occur at domestic and international levels. The contagion can affect goods and services, labor, and capital goods used across markets connected by monetary and financial systems. The 1997 Asian financial markets crisis was among the first examples of the term being used. The real and nominal interconnections of markets can propagate and even magnify economic shocks, likening the effect to the spread of a disease like a contagion.1 How Financial Contagion Impacts Global Markets Financial contagion is defined as a shock that initially affects a few financial institutions and spreads to the rest of the finan...
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Expanding productivity key to faster economic growth in Europe, Central Asia: World Bank
28Nov mmBy Walter ParezNo Comments
Asia

Expanding productivity key to faster economic growth in Europe, Central Asia: World Bank

'Countries in Europe and Central Asia should urgently push to make more efficient use of existing economic assets and invest in the capabilities of its firms and people to unlock faster growth,' World Bank says The World Bank said Monday that expanding productivity would increase gross domestic product (GDP) in European and Central Asian countries and create more and better job opportunities. "Countries in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) should urgently push to make more efficient use of existing economic assets and invest in the capabilities of its firms and people to unlock faster growth," the World Bank said in a statement. It said that the World Bank's new report revealed that increasing capital and labor is necessary but not sufficient to boost economic growth. The bank...
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China’s Economy is Forecast to Grow Faster Than Expected in 2026
26Nov mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China, World

China’s Economy is Forecast to Grow Faster Than Expected in 2026

China’s surprising strength in exports and its commitment to more advanced manufacturing in a new Five-Year Plan boost are raising expectations for GDP growth. Goldman Sachs Research sees 5-6% annual growth in China’s exports and raised its real GDP forecasts for 2026 and 2027 to well above consensus. The approval of the new Five-Year Plan proposal highlights the government’s determination and capability to keep advancing its manufacturing and boost its export market share. A meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in South Korea, signaling a truce on trade, has also improved the growth outlook, even while showing China’s leverage over rare earth minerals to push back on trade restrictions. The drag on economic growth caused by China’s property downturn is beginning t...
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China’s October net gold imports via Hong Kong fall about 64% from September
26Nov mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
Asia, China

China’s October net gold imports via Hong Kong fall about 64% from September

China’s net gold imports via Hong Kong in October fell about 64% from September, Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department data showed on Tuesday. As the world’s leading gold consumer, China’s purchasing activities can significantly influence global gold markets. The Hong Kong data may not provide a complete picture of Chinese purchases, as gold is also imported via Shanghai and Beijing. Net imports via Hong Kong to China for October stood at 8.02 metric tons, compared with 22.047 tons in September. China’s total gold imports via Hong Kong reached 30.08 tons in October, down 17% from 36.275 tons in September. “What we’re really seeing here is a weakness in the Chinese demand while they have been firmly strong earlier in the year,” said Ross Norman, an independent analy...
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<strong>China’s new 5-year plan: A high-stakes bet on self-reliance that won’t fix an unbalanced economy</strong>
12Nov mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
Asia, China

China’s new 5-year plan: A high-stakes bet on self-reliance that won’t fix an unbalanced economy

Every few years since 1953, the Chinese government has unveiled a new master strategy for its economy: the all-important five-year plan. For the most part, these blueprints have been geared at spurring growth and unity as the nation transformed from a rural, agrarian economy to an urbanized, developed powerhouse. The task that faced China’s leaders as they met in early October 2025 to map out their 15th such plan was, however, complicated by two main factors: sluggish domestic growth and intensifying geopolitical rivalry. Their solution? More of the same. In pledging to deliver “high-quality development” through technological self-reliance, industrial modernization and expanded domestic demand, Beijing is doubling down on a state-led model that has powered its rise in recent ...
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China’s Ant International Eyes Fintech In Saudi Arabia
11Nov mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
Asia, China

China’s Ant International Eyes Fintech In Saudi Arabia

Ant International, the digital payments division of Ant Group from Hangzhou, China, has agreed with Abdul Latif Jameel Finance from Riyadh to jointly identify fintech projects in the Kingdom. The timing is no coincidence. Ant International, a global provider of digital payment and financial technologies headquartered in Singapore, and Abdul Latif Jameel Finance, a leading provider of innovative financing solutions regulated by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The aim of the partnership is to promote the growth and competitiveness of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Saudi Arabia (population 35.3 million) through advanced digital services. According to SAMA, by the end of the second quarter of 2025, 79 percent of paymen...
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China sets ‘technological self-reliance’ as a key goal for the next 5 years
30Oct mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
Asia, China

China sets ‘technological self-reliance’ as a key goal for the next 5 years

China’s top leadership has made “technological self-reliance and self-strengthening” a key goal in a proposal for the next five-year plan, as it grapples with export controls from the West amid an intensifying global tech race. It is the first time in at least a decade that technological self-reliance has been set as a major goal for the country’s social and economic development. The goal was included in a detailed proposal for China’s 15th five-year plan from 2026 to 2030, which was released on Tuesday by the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party following its fourth plenum last week. The full plan will be unveiled in March during the annual session of the top legislature. The proposal was released following a key political meeting last week....
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