China macro policy 2026 will become more proactive as Beijing seeks to support long-term growth following a late-2025 slowdown, President Xi Jinping said. Under the China macro policy 2026 push, authorities expect the economy to meet the 2025 growth target of around 5%, with output reaching about RMB140tr (USD20tr). Officials have leaned on fiscal support, including RMB62.5bn for consumer trade-in subsidies and early 2026 investment plans totalling RMB295bn, as part of effort

Japan China business ties showed further strain after around 200 Japanese executives postponed their annual Beijing visit, signalling cooling commercial relations amid geopolitical tensions over Taiwan. The Japan China business ties setback came after the Japan-China Economic Association struggled to secure meetings with Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. China’s foreign ministry reiterated criticism of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s rema

Taiwan stock market performance has outpaced Japan and South Korea over the past four years as an artificial intelligence hardware boom lifted the island’s tech-heavy economy, Taiwan’s central bank said. The Taiwan stock market performance saw the TAIEX index rise about 120% from a 2022 low to 27,867 by mid-December, beating gains in Japan’s Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s KOSPI. Strong AI chip exports, ample global liquidity and Taiwan’s dominance in AI server assembly have sup

Family office crypto allocations increased in 2025 as global family offices expanded exposure to digital assets, with some investing in cryptocurrencies for the first time as market infrastructure, custody services and internal risk frameworks matured, advisers said. Family office crypto allocations were typically modest, but the shift marked a move away from experimental trades toward structured mandates covering bitcoin, ethereum and managed digital-asset funds, and in some

South Korea business law overhaul plans will scrap prison terms for most non-malicious corporate violations and significantly raise fines for serious misconduct, under reforms covering 331 economic statutes, the government said. The South Korea business law overhaul shifts enforcement away from a punishment-first model toward corrective orders and financial sanctions to speed up resolution. Under proposed changes, the Fair Trade Act’s cap on fixed fines for abuse of market do

Philippines tax audit reform is drawing support from business groups after the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry endorsed moves to tighten Bureau of Internal Revenue audit controls. The Philippines tax audit reform includes limiting which BIR offices can issue Letters of Authority and building a central digital platform to verify their authenticity, following a November suspension of field audits. FFCCCII president Victor Lim said the changes se

Korea banks AI strategy is taking centre stage as senior executives from the country’s major financial groups prepare to attend CES 2026 to scout artificial intelligence applications beyond traditional banking. Under the Korea banks AI strategy, KakaoBank said its chief executive Yun Ho-young will join AI and strategy teams to track developments including AI agents, blockchain-based fintech and AI-driven security. State-owned Industrial Bank of Korea will operate an exhibitio

Family office dealmaking 2025 slowed sharply in the first half as economic and geopolitical uncertainty weighed on risk appetite, PwC said in its Global Family Office Deals Study 2025. The report tracked more than 20,000 entities and found deal activity fell to about 7,199 transactions worth USD439.6bn, the lowest volume in a decade, after a brief rebound in late 2024. Exits declined in number, though proceeds rose for a second straight half-year, signalling selective cashing

Hong Kong family office tax reforms are expected to spur new fund launches and attract additional single-family offices once legislation takes effect next year, analysts said. Single-family offices are projected to rise from about 2,900 this year to as many as 3,500 by 2028. The government is widening eligible vehicles for incentives, including pension and endowment funds, and removing rules that treated bond interest as incidental income that could jeopardise exemptions. Ken

Asia dealmaking 2025 rebounded strongly as transaction volumes across the region reached about USD1.3tr, up 21% year on year, according to Bloomberg-compiled data cited by bankers. Advisers said renewed momentum in China and record activity in Japan are setting the stage for a robust start to 2026, led by consumer, healthcare, TMT and sponsor-driven transactions. Citigroup’s Jan Metzger said the M&A pipeline is among the strongest he has seen. In China, multinationals are in

Hong Kong accounting firms hiring plans are set to continue into 2026 as major firms expand headcount while accelerating the use of artificial intelligence. KPMG China’s Andrew Wong said the firm has not cut recruitment and sees AI as complementary to staff, improving audit quality and enabling new roles. Deloitte China said it plans to hire about 1,000 people in Hong Kong and invest HKD500m (USD64m) over four years in fintech, capital-markets operations and AI capabilities.

Singapore SFO tax incentive reforms are likely to move ahead as the Monetary Authority of Singapore seeks to keep the city competitive as a global wealth hub despite heightened scrutiny, industry observers said. Singapore has strengthened its reputation through swift and transparent handling of a SGD3bn (USD2.2bn) money-laundering case in 2023 and scrutiny linked to Cambodia’s Prince Group, reinforcing confidence in governance standards. MAS has proposed streamlining document

Taiwan family office services are expanding after Uni-President Asset Management became the first local manager licensed to provide investment, succession and financial planning to family offices and wealthy clients. The licence, granted by the Financial Supervisory Commission on Dec 23, forms part of a strategy to more than double Taiwan’s asset-management industry to NTD60tr (USD1.9tr) by 2030. Uni-President said tax planning and wealth sustainability have become priorities

Hong Kong offshore renminbi funding capacity has increased after the Hong Kong Monetary Authority doubled the quota of its yuan business facility to CNY100bn (USD14bn) and expanded participation to 40 banks. Phase two of the scheme, launched on Dec 1, allows banks to draw yuan funding within assigned quotas to lend to local and overseas corporates, with allocations based on existing business pipelines and overseas networks. HKMA chief executive Eddie Yue said authorities, wit

South Korea corporate reform is entering what the Korea Enterprises Federation chairman Sohn Kyung-shik described as a “golden time” for economic transformation, as he urged policymakers to push structural changes to revive innovation and risk-taking. In a New Year address, Sohn called for easing rigid labour regulations, arguing that inflexible rules undermine productivity and slow adaptation to industrial change. He said labour-market reform could also help address debates

Singapore fintech expansion Asia is accelerating as Fingular opened a new operations hub in Kuala Lumpur to support its growth across Southeast Asia. The company said the Malaysia office will function as a shared workspace for local staff and rotating teams from other markets, combining remote work with in-person collaboration. Chief executive Maxim Chernushchenko said the hub is part of a broader strategy to keep teams connected while establishing a physical presence in key

Singapore family office private equity activity is in focus after Far East Capital, the family office of Far East Organization, acquired preference shares in oat-milk maker Oatside in a late-November secondary transaction, according to people familiar with the deal. The stake was bought from early backer Mugi Capital, which has supported Oatside since 2021 and has transferred more than half its holdings to existing shareholders. Based on DealStreetAsia’s August 2025 valuation

Hong Kong economic outlook 2025 has strengthened after Financial Secretary Paul Chan raised the city’s growth forecast to 3.2%, saying momentum should carry into 2026 even as risks from global uncertainty persist. Writing in a blog post, Chan cited resilient exports, solid fixed-asset investment and a recovery in consumption, adding that expected US rate cuts would also support activity. He said Hong Kong’s stock and property markets have improved, with the Hang Seng Index up

Southeast Asia equity inflows picked up in December as global funds bought about USD337m of regional stocks, marking the largest monthly inflow since September 2024, according to Bloomberg-compiled data cited by local media. Indonesia and Thailand led the rebound, though net outflows for 2025 still total around USD15bn. Strategists said the region’s relatively low exposure to artificial intelligence-linked stocks has weighed on performance but also makes Southeast Asia an alt

Hong Kong insolvency surge 2025 risks are expected to intensify, with the city forecast to post the world’s largest year-on-year increase in business failures, rising 44%, according to an Allianz Trade outlook. The report said elevated insolvency levels remain widespread, with its headline indicator showing global insolvencies up 6% year to date in the third quarter of 2025. Around two-thirds of countries, representing about 70% of global GDP, are expected to see failures ris