China

Vietnam International bank has just announced the first quarter 2020 result
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China

Vietnam International bank has just announced the first quarter 2020 result

Stable business growth Total revenue of VIB in quarter I (Q.I) was VND2.260 billion, of which service revenue reached VND411 billion, accounting for 18%. Operating expenses (OPEX) reached VND1.029 billion. The bank saw a rise in cost to income ratio (CIR) to 46%. Profit before tax (PBT) was VND1.075 billion. From the beginning of the year, VIB has promptly taken actions on cost-cutting and actively participated in a programme to prevent Covid-19, set up by the State bank of Vietnam (SBV) and the Government. The bank’s leader has proactively reduced salaries to support customers. Maintain a strong balance sheet in the context of market volatility As of March 31, 2020, total assets of the bank reached VND193 trillion, while outstanding credit balance reached VND135 trillion, up 4% compared t...
Read More
South-east Asia’s growth forecast to be 1% in 2020: ADB
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore

South-east Asia’s growth forecast to be 1% in 2020: ADB

WITH the Covid-19 outbreak, South-east Asia's gross domestic product growth is expected to slow sharply to just 1 per cent in 2020, before rebounding to 4.7 per cent in 2021, according to an Asian Development Bank report on April 3. This is down from 2019's full-year growth rate of 4.4 per cent. The report, Asian Development Outlook 2020, forecasts that for developing Asia as a whole, growth will slow to 2.2 per cent in 2020, before rebounding to 6.2 per cent in 2021. All Asean economies will see a growth slowdown because of Covid-19 and a consequent global slump, especially given their strong trade and investment ties with a slowing China, said the report. Thailand is expected to perform the worst with a 4.8 per cent contraction, "continuing a steady slide in recent years"."Growth in the ...
Read More
Coronavirus: Millions of jobs at stake in South-east Asia
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore

Coronavirus: Millions of jobs at stake in South-east Asia

BANGKOK - Millions of jobs could be lost in South-east Asia as economies grind to a halt amid efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic, wreaking havoc particularly in countries with weak social protection systems. A report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escap) says regional governments should - and still have ample policy space - to both save jobs as well as support minimum living standards for households. In the policy paper on the Asia Pacific region issued last week (March 26), Escap noted that while exact data on the impact of the pandemic on employment remained unavailable, "the impact is likely to be substantial as services and labour-intensive manufacturing comprise over 80 per cent of the region's informal sector and small and medi...
Read More
SE Asia Stocks-Vietnam leads plunge as region battered by oil rout
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore

SE Asia Stocks-Vietnam leads plunge as region battered by oil rout

* Vietnam marks worst day since March 30    * Malaysia's worst session in over four weeks Southeast Asia markets closed lower ledby Vietnam stocks on Tuesday, rattled by a historic crash inU.S. oil prices that laid bare the disruption caused by thecoronavirus pandemic.     The plunge, which pressured global markets, was a result ofa storage squeeze which turned holders of U.S. crude contractsexpiring later on Tuesday to forced sellers. This amid a lack ofdemand for oil as countries around the world observe lockdownsto curb the spread of the coronavirus.    "The impact of negative oil means different things fordifferent Asian economies - but if you have to generalize, itisn't great news," Robert Carnell, regional head of research,Asia-Pacific at ING, wrote in a note.    Such a big negative ...
Read More
Facebook, three Indonesian firms in early talks for mobile payment approval: sources
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore

Facebook, three Indonesian firms in early talks for mobile payment approval: sources

Facebook Inc is preparing to apply for regulatory approval in Indonesia to launch mobile payments in partnership with three local digital fintech firms, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The plan, if approved, could be among the first such services under the unified payment service Facebook Pay it, which the social media platform unveiled in November. It allows users across its various platforms including WhatsApp and Instagram to make payments without exiting the app. The move comes amid early partnership talks between the social network and ride-hailing and payments firm Gojek. Four sources said Facebook wants to capitalize on the Indonesian market and is preparing for regulatory approval in the country. The three e-wallet operators are Indonesian ride hailing firm Gojek’s Go...
Read More
Rationale behind issuance of Indonesia’s ‘pandemic bond’
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China

Rationale behind issuance of Indonesia’s ‘pandemic bond’

Earlier this month, the Indonesian government issued a series of three sovereign US dollar-denominated bonds totaling US$4.3 billion. The three bonds are the RI1030, worth $1.65 billion with a tenor of 10.5 years, the 30.5-year RI1030 worth $1.65 billion, and the 50-year RI0470 worth $1 billion. The last has the longest tenor among dollar-denominated bonds issued in Asia. Indonesia is also the first country in the region to issue global bonds as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The issuance of the "pandemic bond" series is one of the most visionary measures stipulated in regulation in Regulation in lieu of Law (Perppu) No. 1/2020 on state finance and financial system stability, in addition to the fiscal stimulus deployment, the budget deficit cap adjustment to above 3 percent, and the ...
Read More
Indonesia Receives Vital Equipment From China to Ramp Up Covid-19 Testing
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments
China

Indonesia Receives Vital Equipment From China to Ramp Up Covid-19 Testing

Jakarta. The Indonesian government’s Covid-19 Task Force received shipment of sophisticated laboratory equipment for coronavirus infection diagnostic testing from China on Saturday to help achieve a minimum testing number of 10,000 per day. The country reported 8,607 confirmed cases on Saturday, including 729 deaths. Many believe the actual number of infections and mortality rate are much higher than the official data from the government, due to lacks of testing and medical equipment such as ventilators. The equipment included three main types namely viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) isolation kit, multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing kit and viral transport medium kit, task force’s director of communication Agus Wibowo said in a statement.  “The three type...
Read More
India’s new FDI rules may open new flashpoint with China
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments
Asia, China

India’s new FDI rules may open new flashpoint with China

On Saturday, India stepped up scrutiny of investments from companies based in neighbouring countries, in what is widely seen as a move to stave off takeovers by Chinese firms during the coronavirus outbreak. India's new rules for foreign investment violate WTO principles of non-discrimination and are against free and fair trade, a Chinese embassy spokesperson said on Monday, potentially opening a new flashpoint in their uneasy ties. On Saturday, India stepped up scrutiny of investments from companies based in neighbouring countries, in what is widely seen as a move to stave off takeovers by Chinese firms during the coronavirus outbreak. The changes to federal rules on investment were meant to curb opportunistic takeovers and acquisitions, the government said, but it did not mention China i...
Read More
Alibaba will invest $28 billion in the cloud as it challenges Microsoft and Amazon head-on
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, USA

Alibaba will invest $28 billion in the cloud as it challenges Microsoft and Amazon head-on

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. will invest 200 billion yuan ($28 billion) on cloud infrastructure such as datacenters over the next three years, a major effort to extend one of its fastest-growing businesses to more countries. That huge outlay -- equivalent to about half the revenue the entire company generated in fiscal 2019 -- underscores the importance of a division Alibaba relies on to spearhead its international expansion. The Chinese e-commerce giant now plans to build more datacenters to complement an existing network covering 21 regions globally and support the development of technologies in areas such as AI-inference chips, it said in a statement. Cloud computing has become one of Alibaba’s fastest-growing initiatives beyond the traditional e-commerce sphere. The division’s revenue ro...
Read More
China leaves top three foreign investors in Germany
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments
China

China leaves top three foreign investors in Germany

Official data has showed that China dropped out of the top three foreign investors in Germany for the first time in more than a decade as the Chinese government focuses on boosting the domestic economy.Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), a government institution, said that China is now the fourth largest contributor of foreign direct investment to Germany, behind the United States, Britain and Switzerland.GTAI managing director Robert Hermann said  the drop to an economic strategy promoted by the Chinese government that focuses on stimulating the domestic economy was related to investments in infrastructure as well as in research and development.“The Chinese government regulates capital exports,” Hermann said. “It’s increasingly focused on boosting investments domestically.” The data reveal...
Read More