Electricity prices surge in Laos amid rising demand and weakened kip
On social media, many Lao citizens have shared photos of their monthly electricity bills, expressing shock at how much the costs have risen.
Finance
When is foreign too foreign? Korea’s takeover tensions
An updated regulation, set to take effect on July 22, does not apply "foreign investment" provisions to Korean-registered private equity firms, even if they are effectively…
Korean crypto CEO to join US President Trump’s inner circle of ‘meme coin’ millionaires
Oh Sang-rok is the CEO of Hyperithm, a Seoul- and Tokyo-based firm which manages digital assets for institutional investors in Asia.
South Korea’s per capita GDP set to fall below 2022 levels: IMF
Asia's fourth-largest economy on track to be surpassed by Taiwan next year.
Sales and Service Tax expansion postponed, says Malaysian Finance Ministry
Budget 2025 revealed the expansion of service tax from the current 6% to 8%, covering new taxable services, including business-to-business commercial transactions.
More scam victims in Singapore in debt; rise in cases seen by credit counselling agencies
Scam victims in Singapore lost a record $1.1 billion in 2024.
IMF projects Asia-Pacific to grow by 3.9% this year amid trade tensions
The projected growth for 2025 represents a significant slowdown compared to 2024, when Asia and the Pacific recorded a growth rate of 4.6 percent.
Wealthy Koreans shift focus from real estate to gold, bonds and crypto
'Young rich' under 50 show strong appetite for virtual assets, overseas stocks.
Hackers take over accounts at Japan securities firms, make illicit stock trades in apparent bid to raise prices
Some individual investors have lost millions of yen through the scams. Criminal groups are also believed to have stolen clients’ authentication information by guiding them to…
Indonesia’s retail sales barely grow despite Idul Fitri boost
Respondents to the survey said they were more optimistic about the outlook for the next three to six months, as they expect sales to increase in May and August thanks to…