Thailand’s main business lobby has urged lawmakers to reconsider three draft bills on labour protection, clean air and factory operations, warning they could raise costs and erode competitiveness amid a sluggish economy. The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) said the measures, though well-intentioned, risk undermining investor confidence and should undergo a full regulatory impact assessment. Federation of Thai Industries chairman Kriengkrai

The Singapore-based Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) and US payments firm Ripple have launched a partnership to train policymakers and regulators on digital assets, beginning with over 200 central bankers and supervisors from Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, and Indonesia. The “Decoding Digital Assets” programme spans six weeks, combining an eight-hour course with fortnightly live sessions and a tabletop simulation addressing risks such as cross-

Thailand will set up a new data bureau to trace suspicious fund flows tied to online gambling, scam accounts, and other grey-money channels, Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said. The system, due by December, will integrate data across ministries, banks, and regulators under a “Connect the Dots” task force with the Bank of Thailand. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul backed the move amid questions over the baht’s firmness despite weak growth. Authorities said illicit fu

Bahrain has inaugurated the Bahrain International Commercial Court (BICC), a judicial platform designed in collaboration with the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC). The initiative establishes a framework allowing appeals from BICC cases to be reviewed by an SICC International Committee composed of SICC judges and ad hoc BICC members. The Bahrain International Commercial Court will operate in English, permit foreign counsel participation, and allow the applicatio

Hong Kong director pay 2024 data show thirty-one executives of listed firms each earning over HKD100m (USD12.8m), according to activist investor David Webb’s financial website Webb-site. Li Auto founder Li Xiang topped the ranking with nearly HKD680m, followed by JS Global Lifestyle chairman Wang Xuning and J&T Global Express founder Jet Li Jie, who each earned around HKD520m, mainly from share awards. HSBC CEO Georges Elhedery ranked 23rd with HKD130m, more than double his 2

Growing AI investment anxiety in South Korea is driving fears among investors about missing out on new technology opportunities. A Korea Press Foundation survey of 1,000 respondents revealed that 59.1% felt uneasy about lagging behind in AI investment trends, with anxiety peaking among those in their 30s at 64.5%. Around 67.2% feared not gaining AI-related work skills, while 54.9% expressed concern over the fast-rising AI education boom. Researchers said the findings highligh

Philippines bank secrecy law reform has been endorsed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which said easing strict...

Citi Thailand economic outlook 2025 remains positive for investment despite sluggish growth, according to Sue Lee, Citi’s Asia South...

Seoul’s richest households earn almost five times more than the poorest, according to a Seoul Institute study highlighting widening...

Hex Trust has expanded its custody services to Etherlink, an EVM-compatible Layer 2 network on Tezos, enabling institutional access to...

Indonesian tycoon Prajogo Pangestu has grown his net worth by over USD20bn since April, reaching USD36.2bn, according to Bloomberg data....

Finance sector unions from Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh have pledged to advance socially responsible finance and...

Scams and money mule accounts have overtaken traditional fraud as the primary threat to banks in Asia-Pacific, according to a FICO survey...

Prof. Dr. Patrick Glauner, IFF AI Committee Coordinator The International Finance Forum (IFF) has released the third edition of its...

SCB X, the parent company of Siam Commercial Bank, plans to launch its virtual bank by mid-2026 under the “AI Native Bank” model,...

Asia-Pacific sovereign credit ratings may come under pressure from rising trade frictions and geopolitical instability, S&P Global...

Woori Financial Group has officially completed the acquisition of Tongyang Life Insurance and ABL Life Insurance, celebrating the...

Singapore has retained its title as the world’s costliest city for the third consecutive year, according to the Julius Baer Global Wealth...

Hong Kong’s fintech investment ecosystem received a boost following the successful conclusion of an InvestHK seminar on 10 July. The...

HSBC has exited the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), joining a growing list of major banks reassessing climate-related commitments. The...