Temasek Holdings Pte is exploring a sale of its stake in Asian drug distributor Zuellig Pharma, people familiar with the matter said.The Singapore state investment firm has been speaking with advisers about a potential sale of its 20 percent stake in Zuellig Pharma, which commands vast pharmaceutical distribution networks in about a dozen Asian markets, according to the people.

As the U.S. and Europe grow increasingly outraged over the Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar, Asian businesses are continuing to invest.Bangkok-based construction company TTCL Pcl is one of the latest examples, targeting the first half of next year to complete a funding plan and shareholder structure for a planned three billion dollar coal-fired power plant in Kayin state bordering Thailand. The U.S.

Hong Kong is eroding Singapore’s home advantage. 14 companies based in the Southeast Asian city have chosen to list on their home stock market this year, compared with 13 on the bourse operated by Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Limited, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.It’s not all bad news for the Lion City: Singapore Exchange Ltd. beats HKEX in funds raised from the initial public offerings.

It’s been a banner year for Asia’s dollar-bond market, with an unprecedented pace of sales and dozens of debut issuers. But in Singapore, one of the region’s main financial hubs, there’s a note of gloom among its fund managers.The tropical city is starting to get left out in the cold when it comes to marketing offshore dollar debt, in another sign of the increasing influence of China.

Thailand’s economic growth could once again exceed 4 percent this quarter with a subsidy for the poor boosting consumption, a senior finance official said.“They spent almost 100 percent” of the money, said Suwit Rojanavanich, director-general for the Finance Ministry’s fiscal policy office, referring to 10 million low-income earners who started receiving as much as 300 baht (9 dollars) a month in October.The program is very successful and along with state spending and investment will boost gr

Singapore raised its economic growth forecast for this year to 3 percent to 3.5 percent after third-quarter data beat projections on the back of stronger exports and manufacturing.Highlights of GDP Report Gross domestic product rose at a seasonally adjusted, annualised rate of 8.8 percent in the third quarter from the previous three months, higher than an earlier estimate of 6.3 percent Median estimate of nine economists in a Bloomberg survey was for 7.8 percent gain GDP increased 5.2 percent

Singapore will ensure its tax system is based on “solid” economic performance and the principle that higher income earners pay more, a senior government official said, after the prime minister signaled that the nation needs to prepare for tax increases.“It must be all based on solid economic activity,” Indranee Rajah, senior minister of state for law and finance, said in an interview on Tuesday.

Indonesia needs to boost government revenue to win a credit rating upgrade like India, Moody’s Investors Service said.“The challenge for Indonesia is not so much curbing spending but raising revenues,” Anushka Shah, Moody’s sovereign analyst in Singapore, said in an emailed response to questions.

A well-timed decision more than a decade ago to abandon coal in time for Thailand’s natural-gas boom is poised to make Sarath Ratanavadi the newest billionaire in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.Based on the low end of the pricing range for his Gulf Energy Development Pcl’s initial public offering this week, Sarath has a net worth of 1.9 billion dollars, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Nestle SA is losing buzz to an Indonesian coffee brand famous for brewing civet-cat feces, and L’Oreal SA is losing face to a Chinese skincare brand favored by President Xi Jinping’s wife.Asia traditionally was considered easy money for Western multinationals, with beverage makers, cigarette brands and fast-food giants capitalising on rising incomes and weak local competitors.