The APEC CEO Summit 2025 opened in South Korea, with global business and political leaders urging stronger multilateral cooperation and supply-chain resilience amid geopolitical and technological challenges. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry-hosted event gathered over 1,700 participants, including leaders from the US, South Korea, and OECD. President Lee Jae Myung pledged to prioritise coordination as APEC chair, calling supply-chain collaboration “the core of solida

Asia M&A 2025 activity fell 19% to USD284bn in the first nine months, marking the region’s weakest performance in a decade, according to Boston Consulting Group. In contrast, global M&A rose 10% to USD1.94tr, its second consecutive annual increase. North American dealmaking surged 25% to USD1.2tr, while Europe slipped 5% to USD375bn. Technology, media, and telecoms dominated global activity at USD536bn, followed by financials and real estate at USD357bn and industrials at USD

ASEAN-China FTA upgrade 2025 was signed in Malaysia, expanding the pact with new chapters on the digital and green economy and modern industries. ASEAN remains China’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade hitting USD771bn in 2024. The enhanced “3.0” agreement follows negotiations that began in 2022 and concluded in May, building on the original 2010 framework. The upgraded free-trade agreement is expected to boost cooperation in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and tech

Hong Kong finance summit 2025 will feature China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng delivering a virtual keynote at the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit next week, the HKMA said. Running Monday to Wednesday, the fourth summit will gather top global finance executives to discuss navigating today’s volatile economy. Chief Executive John Lee will also address delegates, while Financial Secretary Paul Chan will deliver closing remarks and lead a Dialogue with International Inves

ASEAN-US ties 2025 were underscored by Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the 13th ASEAN-US Summit, who said stability in Southeast Asia underpins regional growth and creates opportunities for US businesses. He cited trade and investment links supporting over 600,000 American jobs across a market of 700 million people. Wong emphasised that continued US engagement is vital for peace and prosperity and flagged openings for US firms in the digital economy and the ASEAN Po

Vietnam VAT refunds 2025 are at the centre of calls for reform as the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) urged the government to amend rules under the new VAT Law No. 48/2024/QH15. VCCI said complex refund procedures and delays are hurting cash flow and export competitiveness, especially for commodities with low margins such as coffee, pepper, and seafood. Firms must “pay first, refund later,” with coffee exporters advancing VND10tr (USD392m) a year and pepper pr

Hong Kong finance summit 2025 will convene 300 top financial executives—including 100 group chairmen and CEOs—at the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit on 3–5 November, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced. Themed “Trekking through Shifting Terrain,” the event reflects both Hong Kong’s hiking culture and its evolving geoeconomic landscape. The three-day programme includes a welcome dinner, plenary sessions on macroeconomics, trade and digitalisation, and

China crypto crackdown 2025 will intensify as the People’s Bank of China maintains restrictions on domestic cryptocurrency activity while monitoring offshore developments, Governor Pan Gongsheng said. Speaking at a Beijing conference, Pan noted that virtual assets—particularly stablecoins—remain immature and fail to meet key standards for customer verification and anti-money-laundering compliance. He warned that the growth of stablecoins increases vulnerabilities in global fi

Fitch Ratings Philippines forecast puts GDP growth at 5.6% in 2025, aligning with the government’s 5.5%–6.5% target, underpinned by infrastructure investment, services exports, and remittance-driven consumption. The projection assumes easing inflation and interest rates after the BSP cut policy rates by 25 basis points (bps) to 4.75%. Fitch cautioned that global trade frictions and political uncertainty—following weaker midterm results for President Marcos Jr.’s allies and a

China billionaires 2025 numbers hit a record high, with 340 new names joining Hurun’s China Rich List, lifting the total to 1,434 individuals worth at least RMB5bn (USD702m). Combined wealth surged 42% to RMB30tr as stock-market gains in “new economy” sectors boosted valuations. Bottled-water magnate Zhong Shanshan reclaimed the top spot with RMB530bn, up 56%, while ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming ranked second at RMB470bn. Hong Kong’s richest, Li Ka-shing and Victor Li, saw w

HKEX IPO pipeline 2025 has grown sharply, with Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing CEO Bonnie Chan reporting about 300 listing applications, up 36.4% from 220 at end-July. IPO fundraising reached HKD182.9bn (USD23.5bn) as of September, more than double the previous year’s total. Chan said international long-term funds from Europe, the US, the Middle East, and emerging markets are actively subscribing to Hong Kong IPOs, particularly in technology and innovation. Post-listing refi

Singapore property investment preferences dominate wealth strategies, with 64% of Singaporeans preferring real estate over equities, deposits, bonds, and crypto, according to ERA’s 2025 My Dream Home Survey conducted with Ngee Ann Polytechnic. The poll found 41% eyeing Housing & Development Board flats and 39% private condominiums, with budgets rising—over half of buyers plan to spend SGD1m–SGD2m (USD738,000–USD1.48m) and 20% SGD2m–SGD3m. Transport connectivity ranked top pri

Sovereign wealth funds M&A 2025 has propelled global dealmaking to over USD3.5tr, up 34% year to date, as state investors ramp direct and co-investments. Singapore’s GIC and Abu Dhabi’s ADIA took minority stakes in Blackstone and TPG’s up to USD18.3bn buyout of Hologic, while BlackRock and Abu Dhabi’s MGX agreed a USD40bn deal for Aligned Data Centers. Carlyle and Qatar Investment Authority are acquiring BASF’s coatings arm in a EUR7.7bn (USD8.3bn) transaction, and Saudi PIF

Vietnam GDP 2026–2030 growth target has been set at 10% annually as policymakers pursue institutional reforms, major public investment, and rising FDI to launch a new expansion phase, speakers said at the 2026 Business Forum. Huỳnh Minh Tuan of FIDT/APG Securities projected average 10% growth following 8% in 2022 and 7.1% in 2024, with 2025 seen at 8.5%. Analysts cited green credit, private-sector empowerment, and startup incentives as key drivers in manufacturing, infrastruc

Thailand Deputy Finance Minister resignation has rocked the government after Vorapak Tanyawong announced he would quit amid accusations connecting him and his wife to Southeast Asian scam networks. The former Krung Thai Bank executive denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated, and said he will file a defamation case. His decision came a day after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul demanded a written response. Vorapak, recently tapped by Finance Minister Eknit

Hong Kong and Singapore family offices are increasingly acting as dual bases for Asia expansion, focusing on real estate and private direct investments for long-term growth, according to Julius Baer’s 2025 Family Barometer. Surveying 2,500 family-office experts across four regions, the bank found Hong Kong now hosts about 2,700 single-family offices and Singapore over 2,000, helped by tax incentives and migration programmes. Hong Kong’s eight new measures, including the Capit

Hong Kong multifamily offices are the focus of the city’s second-phase family-office strategy running 2026–2028, targeting 220 additional single and multifamily offices from Europe, the Middle East and Asia, according to InvestHK. The plan builds on the ecosystem developed through eight measures — including tax concessions and an investment-migration route — and extends a 2023–2025 goal that brought in 200 offices. Branded Family Office 2.0, the initiative aims to broaden bey

APEC finance ministers 2025 began a three-day meeting in Incheon to shape policy priorities on innovation, finance and structural reform ahead of the leaders’ summit in Gyeongju on 31 October – 1 November. Under the theme “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow,” officials will finalise the “Incheon Plan,” a five-year roadmap succeeding the Cebu Action Plan, focusing on AI governance and the digital economy. The meeting — the final ministerial before the summit — is held jointly wit

Taiwan Stock Exchange reform will ease listing and investment rules to lure foreign startups as part of its “Asian Nasdaq” initiative. Initial outreach targets Southeast Asia and Silicon Valley. Taiwan’s main and OTC markets were valued at NTD90tr (USD2.77tr) at end-September, ranking eighth globally, with semiconductors making up 48% of market capitalisation. Foreign issuers with a major shareholder owning over 30% and no China, Hong Kong or Macau capital will be exempt from

Invest Hong Kong unveiled the joint 10th-anniversary Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK Festival 2025 from 3–7 November, for the city’s largest fintech gathering to date. Invest Hong Kong said the event will attract more than 37,000 attendees, 800 speakers and 700 exhibitors from over 100 economies. Organised with the HKMA, SFC and Insurance Authority under the theme “Curating the New Fintech Era,” the main conference will run 3–4 November at the Convention and Exhibition C