The Digital Money Revolution: How a trillion-dollar transformation unfolded in Southeast Asia without much notice

Thailand Business News - Sep 29, 2026

The region’s 680 million people largely skipped the credit card era and went straight to mobile-first payments and, in the process, accelerated the buildout of digital payment infrastructure at scale.

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Oil spikes after Trump rejects Iran peace proposal

Sep 28, 2026

Oil spikes after Trump rejects Iran peace proposal

Wall Street's main indexes fell after Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to end the war, leading to a spike in crude prices that revived inflation worries and drove Treasury yields higher.

VW, Gotion ramp up battery production in Europe, Morocco amid rising EV demand

Sep 28, 2026

VW, Gotion ramp up battery production in Europe, Morocco amid rising EV demand

Volkswagen Group and its Chinese partner Gotion High-tech have stepped up a gear in tapping global demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries with plans to invest a combined €3.22 billion (US$3.66 billion) to set up three production lines in Europe and North Africa. The factories, to be jointly owned by the German marque and China’s fourth-largest EV battery maker, would be capable of delivering 37.5 gigawatt hours (GWh) of lithium-ion battery capacity and 100,000 metric tons of cathode...

Fuel surcharge for domestic, international flights rises to Level 17 on October 1-15, 2026

Sep 28, 2026

Fuel surcharge for domestic, international flights rises to Level 17 on October 1-15, 2026

The fuel surcharge for the first half of October will rise to Level 17, three notches higher than the current Level 14, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said Monday.

China is no longer just the world’s factory. It’s the HQ

Sep 28, 2026

China is no longer just the world’s factory. It’s the HQ

The global electronics industry is entering a structural transition. For over two decades, China served as the dominant manufacturing centre, with an unmatched concentration of suppliers, skilled labour, infrastructure, logistics and engineering capabilities. That concentration is being diluted. But interpreting this as the decline of Chinese manufacturing would be a mistake. China is exporting parts of its manufacturing process while retaining the industrial capabilities that matter...

AIIB plans to double financing by 2030. Can it bridge Asia’s infrastructure gap?

Sep 28, 2026

AIIB plans to double financing by 2030. Can it bridge Asia’s infrastructure gap?

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) plans to double its annual financing to about US$20 billion by 2030 as the Beijing-headquartered multilateral lender enters its second decade, its president said on Monday. Announcing the target at the opening of the bank’s 11th annual meeting in Doha, Qatar, AIIB President Zou Jiayi said member economies had voiced a “remarkably consistent” need for greater project funding. “They need more infrastructure and more financing to build it,” Zou told...

Hong Kong office expansion lags hiring push as tenants optimise current space: Colliers

Sep 28, 2026

Hong Kong office expansion lags hiring push as tenants optimise current space: Colliers

More than a third of Hong Kong’s office tenants are expecting to increase headcounts over the next 12 months, but only a fifth are likely to expand their real estate footprint, according to a survey by Colliers. The results of the fourth annual Hong Kong occupier survey by the property consultancy pointed to a “growing disconnect between hiring intentions and office expansion plans, as many occupiers continue to absorb growth within their existing premises through more efficient space...

Chinese chip foundry CanSemi’s IPO oversubscribed 2,360 times as investors chase AI boom

Sep 28, 2026

Chinese chip foundry CanSemi’s IPO oversubscribed 2,360 times as investors chase AI boom

Chinese chip foundry CanSemi Technology’s Shenzhen initial public offering (IPO) is emerging as one of mainland China’s most sought-after tech listings this year, as investors bet on its push into silicon photonics and its role in domestic artificial intelligence infrastructure. The Guangzhou-based company’s retail tranche was oversubscribed by more than 2,300 times after clawback, according to a stock exchange filing late on Sunday, as investors scrambled for a piece of the domestic...

Hong Kong finds gold-trading leader in former exchange executive Bryan Chan

Sep 28, 2026

Hong Kong finds gold-trading leader in former exchange executive Bryan Chan

The Hong Kong government has appointed Bryan Chan Ping-keung, a former executive at bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), as CEO to lead the development and operation of the city’s new central clearing and settlement system for gold. Chan will head Hong Kong Precious Metals Central Clearing (HKPMCC), a wholly government-owned entity established in January to run the clearing system for precious metals. His appointment would take effect on October 2 for a three-year term,...

LTFRB: Fare rollback possible if fuel prices drop, stabilize

Sep 28, 2026

LTFRB: Fare rollback possible if fuel prices drop, stabilize

A rollback in public utility vehicle (PUV) fares is possible if fuel prices drop or stabilize in the coming months and a petition is filed, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Acting Chairman Greg Pua Jr. said Monday.

Peso slides, stocks fall as Trump rejects Middle East peace deal

Sep 28, 2026

Peso slides, stocks fall as Trump rejects Middle East peace deal

Philippine financial markets opened the week on a weak note, dragged down by rising global crude oil prices as the conflict in the Middle East remains unresolved.

DOJ, NBI, BOC sign MOA to combat economic sabotage in agriculture sector

Sep 28, 2026

DOJ, NBI, BOC sign MOA to combat economic sabotage in agriculture sector

The Department of Justice (DOJ), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Monday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) against economic sabotage.

‘Accomplices’ in espionage: Beijing’s stance on cryptocurrencies hardens

Sep 28, 2026

‘Accomplices’ in espionage: Beijing’s stance on cryptocurrencies hardens

China’s top intelligence and security agency on Monday issued a stark new warning on the risks of cryptocurrencies, highlighting their role in crime and stressing that transactions are not anonymous. Here are three things to know about the fresh warning from the Ministry of State Security (MSS) and China’s latest stance on virtual assets. What did the ministry say about cryptocurrencies? Virtual currencies facilitated money laundering activities and cyberattacks, and served as “accomplices” in...

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