Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important source of investment research, but affluent investors continue to rely on professional advisers when making major financial decisions, according to HSBC Hong Kong. The AI investment advice survey highlights growing adoption of digital tools while reinforcing the enduring value of human expertise. The study, covering nearly 10,000 investors across 10 markets, found that more than three-quarters of Hong Kong responde

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

Hong Kong’s Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises has secured commitments from 124 companies across six batches, with total planned investment reaching HKD73bn (USD9.3bn) and the potential creation of 25,000 jobs. The Hong Kong strategic enterprises programme has become a key pillar of the city’s efforts to attract high-value industries, technology firms and innovation-driven businesses. Bryan Peng, executive director of OASES, said the first five batches had already ex

The Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies has called for further reforms to help attract technology firms and founders to the city’s stock market, arguing that current proposals may still be too restrictive. The Hong Kong innovative companies debate centres on HKEX proposals to revise listing requirements for firms seeking weighted voting rights structures. Chairman Chan Ka-keung said the proposed “novelty test” could exclude high-quality businesses whose technologies or oper

DBS Group will make tokenised physical gold available to retail customers in Singapore during the second half of 2026, expanding access to digital asset-backed precious-metal investments. The tokenised physical gold offering will be delivered through the DBS digibank application and is designed to simplify ownership, trading and redemption of gold. Each DBS Physical Gold Token will be backed by one gram of tokenised physical gold stored in a dedicated DBS vault in Singapore.

Credit Bureau Singapore and Experian Malaysia have signed an agreement to develop a two-way cross-border credit reports framework designed to improve access to financial services for consumers and businesses operating in both countries. The initiative aims to create a more seamless credit-assessment process across the Singapore-Malaysia corridor. Under the proposed system, individuals with financial histories in both jurisdictions will be able to share cross-border credit rep

ASEAN should focus on building a fully integrated regional financial-technology network rather than simply connecting individual markets if it wants to become a leading digital-finance hub, according to Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang. Speaking at the ASEAN Future Forum 2026, he said an ASEAN fintech ecosystem would be critical to supporting economic growth, innovation and financial inclusion. Thang called for closer collaboration among governments, regulato

Singapore businesses lose an estimated USD7bn annually because of inefficiencies in traditional international payment systems, according to research by Airwallex and the Centre for Economics and Business Research. The Singapore cross-border payments study found that payment failures, foreign-exchange spreads, correspondent banking fees and settlement delays continue to impose significant costs on companies. The report described these inefficiencies as a “Global Growth Tariff”

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission has urged licensed financial institutions to strengthen defences against AI-enabled cyber threats, warning that brokers and virtual asset trading platforms face growing risks from phishing, social engineering and deepfake attacks. The regulator said rapidly advancing artificial intelligence tools are making it easier for cybercriminals to launch large-scale attacks and misappropriate client assets. The warning comes after reported

Family offices are increasingly turning to external specialists to strengthen cyber defences as digital threats become more sophisticated, according to new research from Ocorian. The family office cybersecurity outsourcing study surveyed 200 family office executives and family members overseeing a combined USD119.4bn in wealth and found that 43% had experienced a cyberattack during the past two years. Despite rising risks, significant gaps remain. Around 18% of respondents sa

Singapore must strengthen its position not only as a global financial centre but also as a trusted AI finance hub, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said at the launch of DBS Group Research’s report, The Trusted AI Financial Hub. He argued that future financial centres will increasingly be judged by their ability to deploy artificial intelligence responsibly while maintaining trust, security and strong governance. The report ranked Singapore among the world’s leading AI-read

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has upgraded its South Korea growth forecast for 2026 to 2.6% from 1.7%, citing robust semiconductor exports driven by the global artificial intelligence boom. The revised South Korea growth forecast reflects expectations that strong chip demand will continue supporting exports, investment and broader economic activity. The OECD noted that South Korea’s exports surged 53% year on year to a monthly record of USD87.8bn

Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026 will return from Nov. 2 to 6 and is expected to attract more than 45,000 participants from over 120 economies, reinforcing the city’s position as a leading global financial technology centre. The Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026 programme will feature its main conference at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Nov. 2 and 3. Organisers said the event will bring together more than 1,000 speakers, 800 sponsors, exhibitors and start-ups, as wel

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission will undertake a comprehensive review of rules governing online investment commentators and content creators as digital platforms increasingly influence investment decisions. The Hong Kong financial influencers review was confirmed by Eric Yip Chee-hang, executive director of the SFC’s intermediaries division. Yip told lawmakers that the regulator began engaging with industry participants last year to assess whether changes to lic

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

Companies across Southeast Asia plan to allocate 81% of capital expenditure within Asia over the next three years, led primarily by ASEAN markets, according to The Business Times Insights: ASEAN Intelligence 2026 survey. The ASEAN intra-Asia investment findings were based on responses from more than 500 business leaders across the ASEAN-6 economies. All respondents said they planned additional capital deployment within Asia, with 90% focused on ASEAN markets, 77% targeting do

Taiwan’s business sentiment improved across manufacturing, services and construction last month as resilient artificial intelligence demand helped offset geopolitical uncertainty linked to the Middle East, according to the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. The Taiwan business sentiment indicators showed broad-based improvement across key sectors. TIER’s manufacturing climate gauge rose 0.93 points to 97.14, while the services index increased 0.54 points to 96.73. The con

Singapore’s economy grew 6% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, beating an earlier official estimate of 4.6%, supported by wholesale trade, manufacturing and finance as artificial intelligence-related demand boosted exports. The Singapore Q1 GDP figures also showed the economy expanded 1% quarter on quarter on a seasonally adjusted basis, reversing an advance estimate of a 0.3% contraction. The Ministry of Trade and Industry maintained its 2026 growth forecast at betwe

Financial institutions across Asia Pacific accounted for 52% of global Layer 7 DDoS incidents targeting financial services in 2025, making the region the leading target for application-layer attacks for a fourth consecutive year, according to Akamai Technologies. The APAC cyber attacks finance report highlighted growing vulnerabilities as banks, fintech companies and payment providers expand digital banking and API-driven services. Within Asia Pacific, banks represented 44% o

Morgan Stanley has instructed its Hong Kong-based bankers to carry separate iPhones and iPads for business trips to mainland China as global financial institutions strengthen controls over cross-border data security. The Morgan Stanley China travel policy was introduced in recent months and applies specifically to travel involving mainland China, according to reports citing a source familiar with the matter. The Wall Street bank declined to comment publicly on the policy. The