Investment

Smooth sailing for Malaysia’s Ekuinas

Malaysian state-owned private equity firm, Ekuiti Nasional (Ekuinas) has divested the entirety of its 60 percent equity interest in cross-border mobile cash transaction firm Tranglo to the Hong Kong-based TNG Fintech Group for US$27.6 million.

12 October 2018
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Electricity sector a hotbed for investment

Southeast Asia is a growing region with countries here averaging growth rates of 5.1 percent. This situation has rightly prompted a rise in energy demand within the region. Between 2000 and 2016, economic growth in the region spurred a 70 percent increase in primary energy demand.

20 September 2018
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Myanmar's waiting for the western investment that never came

Among business leaders in Myanmar, would-be investment from the United States (US) and Europe is known by the wry acronym NATO.“No Action, Talk Only,” Sean Turnell, special economic consultant to Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi, said in an interview, underscoring the country’s history of missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential.As Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economy began the transition from five decades of military rule to democracy with the swearing in of the first popularly-el

9 July 2018
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Thailand's US$26 billion pension fund shuns emerging markets

The slide in emerging markets is spooking Thailand’s US$26 billion Government Pension Fund.The fund will continue to avoid investing in developing-nation equities and bonds because of the risk of increased outflows due to global trade tensions and weakening currencies, according to its Secretary General Vitai Ratanakorn.The return on investment has been “disappointing” this year, compared with a 6.4 percent gain in 2017, as the value of domestic and foreign equities has slumped, Vitai said.

4 July 2018
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China's yuan sinks to five-month low

A selloff in China’s currency deepened after the central bank moved to free up capital for banks and as investors braced for the next round in an escalating trade dispute with the United States (US). Stocks fluctuated, while government bonds were little changed.The yuan slid as much as 0.4 percent to 6.5223 per US dollar, its weakest since 10 January, while the offshore exchange rate dropped for an eighth day.

25 June 2018
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Investing In Renewable Energy

Over the past decade, renewable energy investments in Southeast Asia have been fluctuating substantially, mainly influenced by the completion of large-scale projects and changes in the overall policy landscape. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), nearly US$27 billion was cumulatively invested in the region between 2006 and 2016. Thailand attracted the bulk of this sum, with upwards of US$10 billion, representing 40 percent of the total investment.

20 June 2018
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Invest in North Korea! Great upside, cheap labour and oh so risky

North Korea continues to stiff Sweden over a bill for 1,000 Volvo sedans shipped back in the 1970s; a Chinese mining company called its four-year venture in the isolated nation a “nightmare”; and an Egyptian telecoms giant doing business there can’t repatriate its profits.All of which explains why North Korea has a well-deserved reputation as a corporate graveyard for foreign investors.

9 June 2018
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Success and challenges within ASEAN integration

Since its inception on the 8th of August 1967, ASEAN has made tremendous strides in promoting peace and stability in the region. This is carried out through an abiding of the rule of law and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter, which allows for all member states to subscribe to its respective aims, principles, and purposes under the banner of a united regional association.

26 April 2018
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Global tech companies in Southeast Asia

Against the backdrop of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Southeast Asia is slowly but surely turning into a battleground for international tech companies to flex their financial muscles and impart their data-driven dominance. From Apple to Samsung, Alibaba to Uber, a plethora of other entities have made their mark in this highly robust region. It must be said that China’s influence in the area is second to none.

22 April 2018
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ASEAN-Italy partnership continues to grow

From ubiquitous palm oil and rubber estates in Malaysia to long beaches and pristine waters in Indonesia, Southeast Asia is home to a wide array of resources and locations of interest. Italy, a European giant in its own right, is observant of this matter and has realised the tremendous financial potential that the region has to offer.

18 April 2018
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Southeast Asia looks beyond China to fund massive project needs

Across Southeast Asia, policy makers hungry for infrastructure investment are looking beyond China.Southeast Asia’s economies will need to spend about $2.8 trillion on projects like roads, bridges, ports and railways from 2016 to 2030 in order to maintain economic growth and reduce poverty, the Asian Development Bank reckons.And while China has stepped in to fund some of those investments with its almost-$1 trillion Belt and Road Initiative, Southeast Asian governments are finding home-grown

17 April 2018
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Softbank is said to borrow US$8 billion using Alibaba shares

SoftBank Group Corp., the Japanese technology giant, used its stake in online retailer Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. as collateral for an US$8 billion loan from a group of banks in what is one of the biggest deals of its kind, according to people familiar with the matter.Morgan Stanley, Citigroup Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

9 April 2018
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