Vietnam’s central city of Da Nang is positioning itself as a new regional finance hub after granting membership certificates to 16 organisations and financial institutions for its planned international financial centre. City authorities also issued letters of interest to three commercial banks and an international holding group, and approved investment proposals worth VND37.8tr (USD1.5bn), local media reported. The announcements were made at an investment promotion event link

Singapore is seeking to streamline cross-border listings as part of plans for a Global Listing Board linking SGX and Nasdaq, with reforms that could appeal to global issuers and long-term investors. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has proposed legal and regulatory changes that would allow companies to use a single prospectus for dual listings, speed up prospectus registration to better align IPO timelines with the United States, and introduce US-style safe harbour provisi

China is moving to tighten oversight of government investment funds as it seeks to steer capital more effectively toward national priorities such as industrial upgrading, innovation and entrepreneurship. The National Development and Reform Commission has issued a trial regulation setting stricter evaluation and management requirements for government investment fund allocations. The NDRC said the framework is intended to align capital deployment more closely with industrial po

Family office expansion in Asia and the Middle East is accelerating as rising private wealth pushes families to diversify and professionalise investment, governance and operating models, recruiters say. Singapore and Hong Kong are competing aggressively for family office mandates, with Singapore’s single-family offices climbing to about 2,000 by end-2024, according to government data cited by Reuters. In the Gulf, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are attracting established regional famili

The Complexity–Privacy Dilemma: Why the Classical Family Office Model Is Breaking A central tension in modern family office staffing is the widening gap between what families want and what the investment environment demands. On one hand, most principals still aspire to the traditional model: a small, tight-knit, highly trusted team that knows the family intimately and keeps everything in-house and under the radar. On the other hand, the opportunity set they are trying to capt

Vietnam firms face rising delisting risk as concentrated ownership squeezes out minority investors, raising governance concerns. State-controlled PV Gas said it no longer qualifies as a public company after parent PetroVietnam held 95.76% of voting shares, breaching free-float rules. Similar ownership structures exist at PetroVietNam Low Pressure Gas Distribution, Vinacomin and other large firms. Under Vietnam’s securities law, prolonged non-compliance can trigger revocation

South Korean prosecutors have sought arrest warrants for MBK Partners chairman Michael Byung-ju Kim and three other executives over alleged misconduct at supermarket chain Homeplus. Prosecutors allege the executives knew a credit-rating downgrade was likely but still pushed Homeplus to issue asset-backed bonds in February last year before the retailer entered court receivership, causing investor losses. Warrants were requested for Homeplus CEO Kim Kwang-il, MBK vice president

Chinese investment banks dominated APAC investment banking fees in 2025, supported by offshore bond issuance and a rebound in Hong Kong IPO activity, according to LSEG league tables. Citic Securities topped Asia Pacific ex-Japan fees with USD1.45bn, or 5.8% of the regional total. It was followed by China Securities, Bank of China, China International Capital and Guotai Haitong Securities, while Morgan Stanley ranked sixth. Chinese banks benefited from strong issuance of yuan-

Family offices boosted exposure to Singapore assets in 2025 as a weaker US dollar drove currency diversification, Bank of Singapore said. Allocations to Singapore assets through discretionary portfolio management mandates doubled year on year, accelerating from the usual single-digit growth pace. Assets under management in Singapore-focused mandates also expanded faster than the bank’s overall discretionary business, which grew nearly 20% in 2025. The mandates typically inves

A Singapore district judge rejected an application tied to DW Capital, a Singapore-based family office linked to alleged scam kingpin Chen Zhi, to release funds frozen amid a money-laundering probe. Court documents said the Singapore family office sought to release funds for salaries, taxes and future costs. District Judge Kok Shu-en questioned the applicant’s credibility and ruled that preserving the assets best served the interests of justice as investigations into the Sing

Asia-Pacific dealmaking is expected to remain strong in 2026, led by mergers and acquisitions in China and India, Citigroup said. The bank said Asia-Pacific dealmaking will be supported by rising capital flows from the Middle East, increased activity by financial sponsors and multinational firms seeking growth. Financing activity is expected to be dominated by AI, healthcare, technology, media and telecommunications, while companies continue to favour convertible bonds for f

UBS has made a strategic UBS APAC wealth management hire, appointing a senior investment strategist from HSBC to strengthen its Asia-Pacific advisory capabilities as global banks compete for talent amid volatile markets. The wealth management arm of UBS has named James Cheo to its chief investment office for APAC, covering Southern Asia and Australia, effective March 30, according to an internal memo. In his new role, Cheo will deliver investment content and client coverage a

Japan plans to establish by year-end a cross-ministerial body modelled on the US foreign investment watchdog CFIUS, strengthening Japan foreign investment screening to address national security risks linked to inbound capital, the government said. A bill to revise the foreign exchange law will be submitted when parliament’s ordinary session opens on Jan. 23, enabling the framework’s creation, officials said. The finance ministry will seek to double staff involved in Japan for

Hong Kong family office push momentum is set to continue into 2026 as wealthy Asian families use the city for succession planning and portfolio diversification, Bank of Singapore Hong Kong CEO Rickie Chan said. Chan cited government incentives and stronger markets, noting the OCBC banking unit met its target of 50% growth in assets under management in September 2025, a year ahead of plan. Demand is rising as Asia-Pacific families prepare for an estimated USD3.4tr intergenerat

Hong Kong financial regulation reputation will be a key draw for global investors as the city navigates uncertainty and shifting asset allocations, Financial Services and the Treasury Secretary Christopher Hui Ching-yu said. Hui said Hong Kong must upgrade infrastructure and develop new growth engines to keep investors relying on the city across market cycles. He said the government will trial a central clearing system for gold in 2026, seek cooperation with Shanghai to boost

Digital Assets Week Hong Kong will return on Feb 4, 2026, positioning itself as an executive forum for banks, asset managers, infrastructure providers and regulators as the city seeks to expand tokenisation and digital-asset activity. The event will be held at The Gala Muse in Victoria Dockside with Arta Global Markets as host partner. Under the theme Capital Markets Transformation, Digital Assets Week Hong Kong will focus on live and upcoming developments in issuance, tradin

HKMA fintech plan priorities include expanding artificial intelligence adoption and accelerating fintech development through cooperation with Hong Kong’s other financial regulators, Chief Executive Eddie Yue Wai-man said. Under the five-year Fintech 2030 strategy, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority will widen its generative AI sandbox beyond banking to other industries, aiming to improve risk management, fraud detection and customer experience. Yue said the HKMA is in discussio

Asia-Pacific real estate outlook 2026 is positive, according to German asset manager DWS, which cited a rebound in regional investment volumes, easing monetary conditions and generally firm rental growth. DWS said markets now expect policy rates in Australia and South Korea to ease a further 25–30 basis points by end-2026, while the Bank of Japan could continue normalising policy with a small hike toward 1% within six to 12 months. High construction costs are constraining new

China banks Venezuela exposure is under closer scrutiny after the country’s financial regulator asked policy banks and major lenders to disclose lending ties and strengthen monitoring of Venezuela-related credit, Bloomberg reported. The National Financial Regulatory Administration move follows the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and reflects concern that geopolitical risks could spill into China’s banking system. China has extended billions of dollars to Ven

Japan real estate fund fundraising is accelerating as Goldman Sachs seeks to raise about USD500m for a Japan-focused property vehicle, aiming to capture a rebound in the market driven by low borrowing costs and a weak yen, sources said. The value-add Japan real estate fund has been marketed to investors in recent months and plans to invest across data centres, logistics, residential and hospitality assets, targeting mid-teen returns. A first close is expected by end-March. Ja