Defaulted loans soar 20.7% in 2023
Defaulted loans now account for 9 percent of all outstanding loans, up from 8.16 percent a year earlier, as per the latest data from the Bangladesh Bank. The slow loan recovery…
Economic Affairs
China records nearly 5 billion domestic trips in 2023
A total of 4.89 billion domestic trips were made in China in 2023, marking a year-on-year increase of 93 percent, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Culture and…
Rice vanishes from Indonesia’s shelves amid delayed harvest
The National Food Agency, meanwhile, has said that overall rice stocks are adequate as the government has imported around 500,000 tonnes of rice this year.
Indonesia fish exports face headwind amid EU moratorium
“One of the reasons for the export moratorium to the EU is the EU’s inspection recommendation related to quality assurance and safety of fishery products,” Budi Sulistyo,…
Foreign investors rush to ‘undervalued’ stocks
Since South Korea late last month vowed to come up with new measures to tackle the "Korea discount," offshore investors are increasingly flocking to invest in firms with low…
Chinese companies bag contracts for P73-B Davao transport project
The project would involve the construction of more than 1,000 bus stops along bus corridors with shelters to protect passengers from the weather and could serve 800,000 passengers…
Thailand’s tourism Council outlines strategies to raise tourist numbers
"To attract 35-40 million tourists from around the world, we need stronger entrepreneurs to serve the tourists, as well as concrete government policies to increase inbound…
Hong Kong issues the world’s first multi-currency digital green bond
The two-year digital green bonds were offered in Hong Kong dollars, renminbi, US dollars and euros under the Government Green Bond Programme. The launch comes as part of efforts…
Bangladesh govt reduces import tariff on rice, sugar and dates to contain price spiral
The 25 per cent customs duty for rice import has been removed and regulatory duty slashed to 5 per cent from 25 per cent, according to a notification published by the authorities…
Jobs in the Philippines: Quantity over quality?
Filipinos who secured work at the tail end of last year also rated themselves as “poor” – a phenomenon that is “alarming,” according to Sonny Africa, executive director…