Singapore accounts for the majority of Southeast Asia’s most heavily funded women co-founded companies, according to a new ranking by Tracxn. The women-led startups Singapore ecosystem represented 15 of the region’s 25 highest-funded businesses, highlighting the city-state’s strength in entrepreneurship and venture capital. Collectively, the companies have raised approximately USD16.5bn in equity funding as of May 15 across sectors including fintech, enterprise software, cons

Mirae Asset Financial Group said its Mirae Asset client assets exceeded USD1tr at the end of May, reflecting strong growth across exchange-traded funds, retirement solutions and global asset-allocation strategies. The achievement marks a significant milestone for one of Asia’s largest financial-services groups. The company reported domestic client assets of approximately USD757.1bn, while overseas assets totalled USD259bn. Mirae Asset Securities accounted for around USD531.3b

Danantara Investment Management, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara, has raised USD1.5bn through its first US dollar-denominated bond issuance, attracting strong investor demand despite concerns surrounding Indonesia’s markets and economic outlook. The Danantara bond sale comprised USD750m of five-year bonds and USD750m of 10-year bonds. According to Reuters, orders peaked at approximately USD4.6bn, allowing final yields to be reduced by 35 basis poin

Hong Kong’s new cross-border yacht framework could transform luxury vessels into more liquid and practical Greater Bay Area assets for family offices and high-net-worth individuals. The Hong Kong yacht reforms follow a State Council directive issued on May 29 exempting Hong Kong and Macao-registered yachts from customs guarantees at designated mainland ports. Under the new Hong Kong yacht reforms, eligible yachts can enter ports in nine Greater Bay Area cities without cancell

HSBC chief executive Georges Elhedery and other senior executives are personally engaging with clients in Hong Kong as the bank seeks to revive its underperforming investment banking operations, according to Bloomberg. The HSBC investment banking Hong Kong initiative includes direct client outreach, personalised communications and stronger engagement with key corporate relationships across the Greater Bay Area. Elhedery has reportedly marketed projects directly to clients, se

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing said 62 companies completed listings in Hong Kong during the first five months of 2026, highlighting renewed momentum in the city’s capital markets. The HKEX new listings data also showed that approximately 500 listing applications are currently under review, indicating a substantial pipeline of prospective issuers. As of May 29, Hong Kong had 2,726 listed companies, including 2,419 on the main board and 307 on GEM. During the same period, 22

Finance professionals in Singapore are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools at work even as many remain concerned about the long-term impact on employment, according to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. The Singapore finance AI jobs survey found that 51% of respondents regularly use AI technologies, while 48% worry the technology could affect their careers. Despite those concerns, 81% said they remain confident in their ability to learn and apply

Malaysia’s Securities Commission has tightened rules for digital asset exchanges as regulators seek to speed up product approvals while strengthening investor protection, governance and operational resilience standards. The Malaysia digital asset exchanges reforms took effect on May 20 under revised Guidelines on Recognized Markets. The updated framework introduces stronger safeguards for client assets together with higher standards covering financial stability, ownership str

US-based fintech Fasset has raised USD51m in a Series B funding round to accelerate expansion of its stablecoin-powered banking and financial infrastructure platform across Asia and other emerging markets. The stablecoin banking Asia funding round included investors such as SBI Group, Investcorp, Arz Portföy and several family offices, reflecting growing institutional interest in regulated digital payments infrastructure. Fasset said it plans to expand regulated banking infra

Howden has appointed Alaric Lee as chief executive officer for Hong Kong, succeeding Alfred Sham, who will relocate to Singapore as chief strategy officer for Asia, the global insurance intermediary group said. The Howden Hong Kong CEO appointment remains subject to regulatory approval. Lee currently serves as chief commercial officer for Asia and brings extensive industry experience including more than a decade working in Hong Kong’s insurance sector. Sham led Howden’s Hong

More than 80% of surveyed enterprises plan to adopt artificial intelligence either immediately or within the next 12 months as companies accelerate the shift from pilot projects towards large-scale deployment, according to Cherrypicks. The Hong Kong AI adoption trend reflects rising demand for automation, process intelligence and human-machine collaboration across corporate operations. The Hong Kong-based technology company, a unit of NetDragon Websoft, said firms are increas

Family office crypto strategy is evolving as Chinese billionaire Li Lin shifts part of his trading operations into Hong Kong-listed Bitfire Group to scale digital asset activities and tap institutional capital. The transaction, valued at USD1.6m, will see Bitfire acquire a trading system and investment team from Avenir Group, Li’s single-family office. The deal effectively transfers part of Avenir’s in-house trading capabilities into a regulated, publicly listed platform, pro

Family office philanthropy is expanding as Raffles Family Office launches the Raffles Family Office Foundation to consolidate its charitable initiatives under a unified platform. The foundation was officially unveiled alongside the opening of the firm’s new Singapore office, marking a formal step in structuring its long-standing philanthropic work. Group CEO Chi Man Kwan said the new entity brings together years of giving focused on education, talent development and knowledge

South Korea financial groups are reshaping headquarters strategies as they seek to improve operational efficiency and strengthen capital positions. Hana Financial is set to relocate later this year to a new integrated headquarters in Cheongna, Incheon, bringing together around 2,800 employees from various affiliates currently spread across Seoul. Shinhan Financial is pursuing a similar consolidation strategy, with plans for a centralised headquarters in Seoul targeted for com

Digital asset exchange funding is gaining momentum as Malaysia-based Hata secured USD8m in a Series A round led by Bybit and supported by several global family offices. The funding follows Bybit’s participation in Hata’s USD4.2m seed round and strengthens their strategic partnership. Hata said proceeds will be used to improve platform liquidity, expand its user base and develop digital asset products. The firm reported RM1.04bn (USD263m) in transaction volume in 2025 and more

Philippines finance growth is set to accelerate as Salmon Group raised USD100m in fresh funding to expand its consumer finance business. The funding comprises USD60m in equity and USD40m in public bonds issued under its USD150m Nordic bond programme at a 13.7% yield. Investors include Spice Expeditions, Washington University Investment Management Company, Moore Strategic Ventures and FJ Labs. Salmon said the proceeds will support product expansion, distribution growth, capita

Economist Impact will hold the sixth annual Technology for Change Asia summit in Hong Kong on March 11-12, bringing together business leaders and policymakers to discuss how agentic AI, smart infrastructure and regulation are reshaping Asian enterprises and supply chains. Chaired by The Economist’s deputy editor Tom Standage, the conference at the Hopewell Hotel will focus on execution challenges including regulatory divergence, AI-driven cybersecurity risks, ownership of AI-

The Consensus Hong Kong Web3 conference will open at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with an opening address from Chief Executive John Lee, organisers said. Positioned as a deal-making hub for crypto, blockchain and AI in Asia, the event follows a sold-out debut and aims to connect investors, founders and policy voices from East and West. Organisers urged attendees to collect badges early and said press pass holders can access an opening party in Central, subj

JPMorgan Chase & Co will discontinue Aumni’s services worldwide, with the Aumni shutdown affecting operations in the Philippines where the venture-capital analytics unit represents around 1% of the bank’s roughly 25,000 employees, according to local media and a bank statement. The shutdown also covers Aumni’s operations in the US, Britain and India, although JPMorgan emphasised that the Philippines remains a critical hub for its broader activities. People familiar with the ma

South Korea economic recovery momentum is strengthening on the back of heavy fiscal spending and firmer exports, according to finance minister Koo Yun-cheol, who pledged fresh measures to spread gains beyond Seoul. He told a meeting of economic ministers that consumer demand is improving, supported by government “consumption coupon” schemes, while 26 major public institutions plan to raise investment this year to KRW69tr (USD47bn) from an original KRW66tr budgeted for infrast