India’s rapid economic development is fuelling rising energy demand in the country. A recent report by financial holding company Nomura reveals that India’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to show a 7.7 percent growth in the first quarter of the year, exceeding projections stated in other similar reports.

A new set of laws governing cryptocurrencies has been introduced in Thailand. According to the government, the new laws aren’t intended as a blanket ban on cryptocurrencies but serve to regulate such digital assets and tokens while protecting investors from the uncertainties of the cryptocurrency market. This new piece of legislation will also come down hard on the illicit use of cryptocurrency, especially in money laundering, tax evasion and unauthorised transactions.

There are many sectors within ASEAN that have propelled the region to greater heights in terms of economic development and general prosperity. One of the sectors that Southeast Asia takes great pride in is its automotive industry, which has seen an increase in interest from investors, specifically from the Asian giant that is China.Based on a report by Frost & Sullivan, no ASEAN country is in the Top 10 for global automotive sales as of Q1 2018.

Mahathir, traders' one-time foe, gets a cautious market welcomeFor a leader who once suggested outlawing currency trading, newly (re)installed prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad got a decent welcome from financial markets on Monday.In retrospect, closing the onshore markets for two days after Wednesday’s election looks like a wise move.

In December last year, Sri Lanka formally handed over its strategic port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease after failing to pay its debt to Chinese firms. The port was first developed in 2008 with the financial backing of Chinese banks. However, it soon developed a reputation as a white elephant due to mounting losses.

Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication on the Rights of Woman and Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex were ground-breaking texts that dealt with the perceptions and roles of women in a patriarchal world. Both books remain relevant today, as the struggle for gender parity is still very much an ongoing concern. In Southeast Asia, the lack of gender diversification in the workplace is still a visible problem in both, local and international companies throughout the region.

The surprise comeback of Malaysian leader Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who once imposed capital controls, is likely to halt a rally in Asia’s best-performing currency amid concerns pro-growth reforms will give way to populist campaign promises.The ringgit may initially slide to the psychological level of 4 to the US dollar, although the size of its decline will depend on the level of clarity about the new policies, according to Bank of Singapore.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Great White North go way back – 41 years back to be exact.Last year, both ASEAN and Canada marked 40 years of dialogue relations and expressed confidence in a relationship that would hopefully continue to shape “a better, safer, and more prosperous world” for its peoples.Enduring benefits of ASEAN-Canada dialogueCanada first became an ASEAN dialogue partner in 1977.

International politics are looming large over the race among global investment banks to secure coveted permits for taking majority stakes in Chinese securities joint ventures (JVs).Switzerland’s UBS Group AG and Nomura Holdings Inc. of Japan in the past week became the first to apply for permission to buy 51 percent stakes in local securities JVs.

While calling to mind a broken record, the constant extolling of the ASEAN economic framework by external parties is warranted. The establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 has opened up numerous business opportunities for the regional community with its vision of ASEAN as a single market and production hub characterised by the free flow of goods, services, and investments, as well as a more liberal movement of capital and skills.