The Thai government plans a pilot special regime for Khao San and Rambuttri roads to improve nightlife venue compliance, addressing outdated zoning laws and promoting legal operations in Bangkok.

Today's briefing examines Thailand's automotive tax restructuring, Japan's semiconductor industry consolidation, Hong Kong's stronger-than-expected economic growth, China's latest financial-market intervention and Grab's improving profitability across Southeast Asia.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Wednesday assured consumers that manufacturers would maintain the product quantities of 190 monitored basic necessities and prime commodities, ruling out "shrinkflation" among products covered by commitments to keep prices unchanged.

Private banking giant Julius Baer expects Asia to play a major role in its growth in the near term as investors seek diversification amid rising AI risks in the US, according to its chief executive. “The AI bubble is building and lots of people are very nervous about how much AI risk they have,” Julius Baer group CEO Stefan Bollinger said in an interview in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Investors who have long been “over-indexed” to the US dollar and US equities now face increased exposure, as...

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine factory activity contracted further in October as manufacturers grappled with weak demand at home and abroad, while unusually hot weather linked to the ongoing El Niño episode weighed on production. The country’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), a gauge of manufacturing activity, fell to 49.1 in October from 49.6 in September, according to

MANILA, Philippines — The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) expects to award soon the P14.8-billion contract to operate the water and wastewater facilities in New Clark City to the original proponents, Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Korea Water Resources Corp. (K-Water). This, after the unsolicited project received no competing bids during the Swiss challenge period,

MANILA, Philippines — Companies backed by tycoons Enrique Razon Jr. and Ramon Ang are among the nine groups on track to secure contracts through the government’s special auction for waste-to-energy (WTE) projects, the Department of Energy (DOE) said. The DOE on Tuesday identified the potential winning bidders, with the auction round logging a combined offer capacity

MANILA, Philippines — Aboitiz Power Corp. is set to boost its renewable energy business through a proposed tie-up with A Brown Co. Inc. for the development of a 191-megawatt alternating current integrated solar and battery energy facility in Bukidnon. On Tuesday, the company said its subsidiary Aboitiz Renewables Inc. (ARI) had signed a joint development and

MANILA, Philippines — Petron Corp. saw its earnings take a hit from the monthslong conflict in the Middle East, with its net income in the January to September period dropping by 44 percent. The group reported on Tuesday that its profit reached P5.4 billion in the first nine months, down sharply from P9.7 billion in the

MANILA, Philippines — Savings accounts are one of the most common ways people keep their money. They provide liquidity and convenient access to cash, which makes them useful for emergency funds and short-term financial needs. But does keeping more money in a savings account necessarily make us financially better off? While a savings account protects our

MANILA, Philippines — Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr. said on Tuesday that the economy may have begun recovering in the third quarter, but noted that interest rate cuts could still be some way off as inflation is expected to remain elevated. Remolona said gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the third

MANILA, Philippines — Tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan-led PLDT Inc. has tapped a new auditing firm to replace SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. (SGV), which resigned as the telco giant’s independent auditor after 24 years over concerns about its independence. In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Tuesday, PLDT said SGV submitted its resignation on

MANILA, Philippines — The government is considering raising the annual contribution limits for Personal Equity and Retirement Account (Pera), allowing Filipinos to save more for retirement. In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Finance (DOF) said it was looking to establish a uniform annual contribution limit to simplify the rules and promote greater equity among

MANILA, Philippines — Alternergy Holdings Corp. has activated its P6.7-billion wind farm in Quezon province, adding clean electricity to the Luzon grid. On Tuesday, the company announced that the 64-megawatt (MW) Alabat wind facility is among the first wind projects to receive energization under the government’s second green energy auction program (GEAP). READ: Alternergy profit jumps

MANILA, Philippines — Moody’s Ratings said infrastructure development and the energy transition will boost the Philippines’ sustainable bond market due to rising investor demand for stronger governance, transparency, and clear commitments on fund usage. The Philippines has the third-largest sustainable bond market in Southeast Asia, after Singapore and Thailand, with $23 billion in issuances, representing 17%

MANILA, Philippines — DigiPlus Interactive Corp.’s nine-month net income fell by about 12 percent to P8.9 billion from P10.11 billion a year earlier as the gaming company faced weaker revenues amid a softer macroeconomic environment. The gaming company said its earnings included noncash fair value gains from its investment in International Entertainment Corp.’s (IEC) convertible bonds.

An executive at US bank State Street said he expects the uses of artificial intelligence in finance to “multiply” in the coming years, but stressed that “responsible deployment” is vital as the industry confronts daunting potential security risks. The call came on the first day of the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit in Hong Kong, where executives from leading firms including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Pimco and Bridgewater shared their insights on the dawning era of AI...

As concerns over the financial health of a state-owned conglomerate rattled China’s bond market over the past week, analysts said its challenges reflected the lasting toll of the country’s prolonged property crisis, with local governments struggling to find sustainable alternatives beyond real estate to support their economies. At the centre of the storm is Zhuhai Huafa Group, the largest local government-owned enterprise in Zhuhai in southern China’s Guangdong province. While property...

Forty Thai companies are recognized in Fortune's 2026 Southeast Asia Best Companies to Work For, based on responses from 1.3 million employees.

Hong Kong’s primary and secondary private residential property sales fell in October compared to the previous month, as the expectation of an interest rate increase by year-end draws nearer, according to new market research. Conducted by Centaline Property, the research indicated that Hong Kong recorded 1,410 first-hand private residential property transactions in October, with a total transaction value of HK$18.66 billion (US$2.38 billion). This represented a respective decline of 5.8 per cent...

MANILA, Philippines — Weaker gaming revenues and softer macroeconomic conditions have reduced DigiPlus Interactive Corp.’s nine-month net income to about 12 percent to P8.9 billion from P10.11 billion last year. The Eusebio Tanco-led company said its earnings included noncash fair value gains from its investment in International Entertainment Corp.’s (IEC) convertible bonds. READ: DigiPlus Q1 earnings

Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc. (Sunlife) has been  recognized with a Golden Arrow Award for the eighth consecutive year, based on the 2025 ASEAN  Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACGS).  The recognition reflects Sunlife’s sustained commitment to strong corporate governance and responsible  business practices. More importantly, it reinforces the standards that help Sunlife protect its Clients’ interests, make sound

MANILA, Philippines — The Japanese government has conferred the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun on former Cabinet official Jose Rene Gregory Almendras in recognition of his contributions to strengthening relations between Manila and Tokyo. On Tuesday, the Japanese Embassy in Manila announced that they awarded Almendras the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver

Investors are weighing the market implications of a possible shift in control of US Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections.

A critical imbalance remains in the labor market with women still occupying less than a third of management roles, a global survey by the UN labor body showed on Tuesday.

China’s central bank governor has reaffirmed support for the country’s beleaguered stock market after a series of rescue measures failed to put a floor under plummeting share prices. Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), pledged in a work report presented to the standing committee of the National People’s Congress on Tuesday that more actions would be taken to ease financial risks in key areas, including the capital market and the property sector. “Monetary policy tools...

US artificial intelligence giant Anthropic’s initial public offering prospectus has exposed a vast profitability gap between it and rivals Z.ai and MiniMax, highlighting the challenges facing China’s AI model developers in turning technological advances into sustainable businesses. The Claude developer’s filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week revealed a significant financial advantage over its most direct Chinese counterparts, despite the latter’s continued...

Excise taxes on fully imported BEVs and REEVs will increase to 35% starting in January, closing the price gap between foreign-built vehicles and locally assembled models.

MANILA, Philippines — St. Luke’s Medical Center and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) are investigating a cybersecurity incident involving the hospital network’s mobile application that may have compromised personal information. NPC spokesperson and Deputy Privacy Commissioner Jose Belarmino II confirmed that the commission received a personal data breach notification from the hospital network on Oct. 30.

With more than 280 global executives in Hong Kong attending the 2026 Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit, the market has been paying attention to what they have to say on today’s hot topics, including artificial intelligence investments, market corrections, asset diversification and the transformation of financial industries. Here are excerpts of what some of the financial industry heavyweights said during panel sessions on the first day of the summit. Sergio P. Ermotti, UBS Group...