PH factory activity contracts for 2nd straight month in October

GMA Network - Nov 3, 2026

Philippine manufacturing contracted for the second straight month in October as weak demand dragged output and new orders, results of the latest S&P Global survery released on Tuesday showed.

Read full article

More News

HashKey Adopts Tokenised Deposit for Cross-Market Treasury and Liquidity Management on Standard Chartered's Blockchain Platform

Nov 3, 2026

HashKey Adopts Tokenised Deposit for Cross-Market Treasury and Liquidity Management on Standard Chartered's Blockchain Platform

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Hong Kong, November 2, 2026 — HashKey Group (3887.HK), a leading Asian digital asset company, today announced that, its is among the first institutional clients to adopt Standard Chartered’s newly launched institutional tokenised deposit solution. HashKey is using the solution to support its institutional treasury management and settlement use cases. Tokenized deposits are the digital representations of commercial bank...

Attracting tech giants to Pax Silica not enough, UP study warns

Nov 3, 2026

Attracting tech giants to Pax Silica not enough, UP study warns

MANILA, Philippines — Even if the Philippines succeeds in attracting some of the world’s biggest technology companies to its Pax Silica hub, the United States-backed project may not necessarily move the country into higher-value segments of the semiconductor industry, according to a University of the Philippines (UP) study. The government has identified Apple, Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor

DOE ready to defend asset-surrender rule in court

Nov 3, 2026

DOE ready to defend asset-surrender rule in court

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) is prepared to fight to keep the asset-surrender provision, as the Consunji Group floated the possibility of challenging the rule in court. “Yes, we are,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin told reporters recently when asked about the agency’s readiness to defend its joint administrative order with the Department of

PH eyeing to end tax break on low-cost imports

Nov 3, 2026

PH eyeing to end tax break on low-cost imports

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Finance (DOF) is studying the possible removal of the tax exemption on imported packages worth less than P10,000, known as the “de minimis” rule, as the government seeks to plug revenue losses and level the playing field for local manufacturers. Finance Undersecretary Karlo Fermin Adriano told reporters that the exemption

Indonesia’s severe drought threatens to disrupt China’s vast battery industry

Nov 3, 2026

Indonesia’s severe drought threatens to disrupt China’s vast battery industry

A severe drought in Indonesia is slowing output of a crucial material used to manufacture electric vehicle batteries, creating risks across China’s vast electric car supply chain. Indonesia is a vital link in the global electric car supply chain. The Southeast Asian nation is the world’s biggest production hub for nickel, a metal that is converted into a component used in lithium-ion batteries. But a sharp drop in rainfall in the country is causing local nickel refineries to reduce output, a...

PBOC to raise banks’ forex reserve requirements to ease appreciation pressure on yuan

Nov 3, 2026

PBOC to raise banks’ forex reserve requirements to ease appreciation pressure on yuan

The People’s Bank of China announced on Tuesday that it would raise the reserve requirement ratio on foreign exchange deposits by 2 percentage points. The ratio would be 6 per cent, effective November 15, the central bank said in a statement, calling it a move to strengthen the liquidity management of financial institutions. The policy, which would require banks to hold a larger share of their foreign currency deposits in reserve at the central bank, is expected to tighten onshore...

As sales slow, carmakers in China turn to overt marketing tactics and face controversy

Nov 3, 2026

As sales slow, carmakers in China turn to overt marketing tactics and face controversy

Chinese carmakers’ marketing tactics are under the spotlight after a controversy surrounding a comment by an Xpeng employee drew harsh criticism from middle-aged consumers. The incident comes as regulators step up quality checks on the reliability of automotive companies, according to industry officials and analysts. During a live-streamed new model launch ceremony on October 15, an Xpeng product manager used the term “Lao Deng” – a slang term referring to middle-aged people who appear to be...

Crypto industry confronts stark security challenges after US$6.4b Binance hack

Nov 2, 2026

Crypto industry confronts stark security challenges after US$6.4b Binance hack

Industry leaders at Hong Kong’s Fintech Week are searching for solutions to crypto crime in the wake of Binance’s historic hack, with over US$3 billion in stolen assets still in the hands of alleged North Korean hackers. “You have to be able to treat every end point and every server as a possible place that might be compromised and work on the principle that it might be compromised,” said Tim Way, global head of banking initiatives at digital asset infrastructure firm Fireblocks, during an...

Why Relationships Still Matter in the Digital Age of Banking

Nov 2, 2026

Why Relationships Still Matter in the Digital Age of Banking

When Sachil Dagur took charge of Habib Bank Zurich in Hong Kong in 2018, he saw a bank with valuable strengths already in place: a niche in trade finance, deep ties to the trading community and a footprint across markets important to its clients. The opportunity, he believed, was not to reinvent those strengths, but to connect them more effectively and help clients make better use of them. Dagur, CEO of Habib Bank Zurich (Hong Kong), had spent more than two decades at Axis Bank, including senior...

Southeast Asia’s AI Advancement Demands Greater Openness and Accountability

Nov 2, 2026

Southeast Asia’s AI Advancement Demands Greater Openness and Accountability

Southeast Asians are divided on AI's environmental impact. Survey data shows 47.9% view AI positively, 30.2% negatively, and 21.9% uncertain. Data centres consume growing electricity; governments should mandate transparency and green energy policies to address environmental concerns.

Peppermint Bizmoto, HaveIt team up to power digital payments across transpo, super app ecosystem

Nov 2, 2026

Peppermint Bizmoto, HaveIt team up to power digital payments across transpo, super app ecosystem

MANILA, Philippines –  Peppermint Bizmoto Inc. (“Peppermint”), a licensed electronic money issuer (EMI) in the Philippines, has entered into a strategic partnership with HaveIt, a growing digital services platform, to provide the payment infrastructure supporting its expanding ecosystem. Under the partnership, Peppermint will serve as the payment rails provider for HaveIt, enabling digital payment processing

BIZ BUZZ: Maharlika-NGCP deal fizzles out

Nov 2, 2026

BIZ BUZZ: Maharlika-NGCP deal fizzles out

MANILA, Philippines — The deal earlier struck by sovereign wealth fund Maharlika Investment Corp. to buy into National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the country’s privatized electricity superhighway, hasn’t been consummated more than a year after document signing. And most likely, President Marcos will finish his term without the state getting a foothold in this

Recommended