A Hong Kong family office yacht investment by TGG Group will support Central Yacht’s expansion across China’s Greater Bay Area and the development of vessels tailored to Asian owners. TGG Group, the single-family office led by Barry Lau, has invested in the yacht designer, builder and operator, with Lau joining Central Yacht as a partner. The agreement combines TGG’s capital and regional commercial network with Central Yacht’s experience in owner representation, new-build sup

The Taiwan economic indicator remained at a red level in June for a seventh consecutive month as strong artificial intelligence demand continued to support exports, industrial sales and investment. The National Development Council said the composite business monitoring score increased by two points from May to 41, marking the second-longest red-level streak on record. Leading and coincident indicators also strengthened. Demand for semiconductors, chips and servers continued t

The KPay Singapore licence application has received in-principle approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, allowing the fintech company to move closer to expanding regulated payment services. Subject to satisfying MAS conditions and obtaining final approval, KPay Merchant Service Singapore will be authorised to provide merchant acquisition, domestic money transfers and cross-border transfer services under a major payment institution licence. KPay already serves more

Proposed Philippines tax reforms covering workers, small businesses and energy costs have become central to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s final legislative push. In his fifth State of the Nation Address, Marcos urged Congress to exempt employees earning up to PHP350,000 (USD5,679) annually from income tax, remove the minimum corporate income tax for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and approve a one-time tax amnesty. He also called for amendments to the Electric P

Global wealthy families are increasingly spreading assets, businesses and residency rights across multiple jurisdictions as geopolitical uncertainty and tax reforms reshape international wealth planning. The Henley Private Wealth Migration Report 2026 ranked the United Arab Emirates as the world’s most competitive destination for internationally mobile wealth with a score of 85.3. Singapore placed second, followed by New Zealand, the Cayman Islands and Cyprus. Henley & Partne

HSBC Singapore hiring will add more than 200 employees across artificial intelligence and wealth management as the lender expands two businesses central to its Asian growth strategy. HSBC plans to recruit more than 100 AI specialists and a further 100 wealth managers. A new Singapore AI centre is expected to open during the second half of 2026, with roles spanning natural language processing, data science, AI governance and human-centred design. The centre will focus on perso

RBC Wealth Management Asia has appointed six senior private bankers across Hong Kong and Singapore as competition intensifies for experienced relationship managers serving wealthy Asian clients. In Hong Kong, the firm appointed Ivy Ma as executive director, Jackson Huang as director and Malcolm Chai as associate director. Ma joins from Standard Chartered, while Huang previously worked at Bank J. Safra Sarasin, DBS, Julius Baer and Goldman Sachs. Chai arrives from UBS. In Sing

New Singapore sustainability reporting standards have been proposed by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, combining mandatory climate disclosures with voluntary reporting on broader sustainability matters. The draft Singapore Sustainability Disclosure Standards are based on the International Sustainability Standards Board’s S1 and S2 frameworks. Climate-related disclosures aligned with S2 would be compulsory, while the wider S1 sustainability requirements woul

Singapore investment tax cuts are under consideration as Hong Kong strengthens its appeal to global fund managers, private equity firms and family offices while attracting senior finance professionals back to the city. The Monetary Authority of Singapore is consulting the investment industry about possible reductions amid concern that Hong Kong’s proposed reforms could improve its competitiveness. Hong Kong plans to broaden the definition of investment funds, ease tax exempti

The Peter Lee family office is accelerating its expansion into Central Asia through planned investments exceeding USD1bn in green energy projects in Kazakhstan. Alan Chan Ying-lung, managing partner of Full Vision Capital, the family office of Henderson Land Development co-chairman and managing director Peter Lee Ka-kit, said the firm is advancing projects in Astana involving sustainable aviation fuel, smart energy storage and related clean technologies. Trial production usin

The HKMA quantum readiness programme aims to prepare Hong Kong’s banking sector fully for quantum-related cybersecurity risks by 2030 after the regulator’s first industry index revealed limited progress. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Quantum Preparedness Index scored the banking sector at just 2.3 out of 10. Around 68% of surveyed banks had reached the awareness, planning or pilot stage, while 32% had yet to begin preparing for the transition. Approximately half lacked a

Malaysia economic growth is expected to remain near the upper end of the central bank’s 4% to 5% forecast range despite higher energy costs linked to conflict in the Middle East. Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour said domestic momentum remained resilient and inflation was manageable, although global uncertainty and elevated fuel prices continued to create risks. The central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.75% in July for a sixth consecu

Sports investments Asia are accelerating as wealthy families, institutional investors and private equity firms increasingly acquire minority stakes in sports teams, leagues and sports technology businesses rather than traditional sponsorship rights. According to LSEG data, Asia-Pacific sports mergers and acquisitions reached a record USD3.69bn during the year to 13 July, more than 12 times the level recorded a year earlier, while global sports M&A remained broadly stable at U

China private funds have reached a record RMB23.66tr (USD3.5tr), supported by strong growth in private securities investment funds and renewed activity across venture capital and private equity markets. According to the Asset Management Association of China, private securities investment funds exceeded RMB8tr (USD1.2tr) for the first time at the end of June, helping the broader industry record its twelfth consecutive monthly asset record. Assets increased by RMB1.51tr during

The Asia private equity industry is confronting an acute shortage of experienced portfolio company executives, creating new challenges as fundraising accelerates and investors place greater emphasis on operational value creation. Preqin data showed that the ten largest Asia-focused private equity funds closed during the first half of 2026 raised USD45.5bn, more than double the comparable period a year earlier. However, firms are increasingly finding it difficult to recruit ch

The China Renaissance investment theme could mark the beginning of a new phase for Chinese markets, with Bank of Singapore identifying advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and the digital economy as major long-term drivers of returns. In its 2026 investment outlook, the private bank described "China Renaissance" as one of five structural investment themes expected to shape markets through 2030. It said higher-value manufacturing and North Asia's central role in glo

Chinese wealth diversification continues to support demand for overseas investments, with around half of affluent mainland Chinese investors planning to increase allocations to Hong Kong and US markets during the next 12 months, according to a DBS survey. The poll of 1,617 investors across mainland China and Hong Kong found that 51% of mainland respondents intended to increase exposure to Hong Kong, while 41% favoured US assets. Domestic markets remained important, attracting

Singapore fund managers could face increasing competitive pressure unless tax incentives are strengthened, with the Alternative Investment Management Association warning that portfolio managers and investment professionals are actively considering relocating to Hong Kong and other lower-tax jurisdictions. In a letter to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, AIMA said the trend extended beyond isolated cases, with member firms holding active discussions about relocating staff w

The Hong Kong IPO market could stage one of its strongest years on record, with BDO raising its forecast to between 180 and 200 initial public offerings capable of raising HKD400bn (USD51bn) during 2026. The accounting firm previously expected between 150 listings raising HKD300bn to HKD350bn but upgraded its outlook after approximately 100 companies had already completed flotations, generating HKD260bn. During the first two weeks of July alone, 16 companies collectively rais

Further Thailand investment reforms are needed if the country is to attract greater European investment, according to the EU-Asean Business Council, despite continued interest from international companies in expanding operations. Vice-chair Noel Clehane identified life sciences, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, low-carbon industries, financial services and consumer products as sectors with significant investment potential. A 2025 survey found that 57% of European busine