More companies are opting for robotic automation of their manufacturing processes to get ahead, as reported by McKinsey & Company in 2017. Mainly, two types of robots, collaborative robots and industrial robots, are permeating the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing has been a pivotal factor in ASEAN’s development story by attracting earnings in foreign currency and investments for infrastructure-building, and creating employment opportunities within the region.

A smart city is one that adopts scalable solutions so as to take advantage of ICT in order to increase efficiencies, reduce costs and enhance quality of life, according to technology conglomerate Cisco. Smart cities can help to overcome the strain on urban resources brought upon by rapid urbanisation, an aging population, and a changing energy climate. This would help ASEAN meet its long-term sustainable development goals.

Microsoft announced earlier this week that it will be buying solar power from the Sunseap Group in Singapore. The deal will be their first for renewable energy in Asia. In recent years, Microsoft has been moving towards investing in renewable energy and integrating it into their systems. In 2016, Microsoft laid out their plans to transition to clean power.

In financing long-term infrastructure projects, Singapore's government is looking at its first borrowings since the 1980s, according to analysis by The Business Times Singapore. These borrowings will be made by the country’s statutory boards and government-owned firms, finance minister Heng Swee Keat said during the recent budget announcement in February 2018.

Businesses providing digital services in Singapore, such as the streaming of entertainment content, will have to pay the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from Jan 1, 2020, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced during his Budget 2018 speech last week.Heng said he is introducing this tax on imported services to make the country’s tax system “fair and resilient” in today’s digital economy.“Today, services such as consultancy and marketing purchased from overseas suppliers are not subject to GST.

Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are now, more than ever, exposed to the risks of climate change and environmental degradation. More nations have now answered the clarion call of the Paris Agreement and are including investments for projects that help protect the environment under their respective national agendas.ASEAN cannot afford to be left behind.

Singapore announced a carbon tax in its 2018 Budget, last Monday, being the first country in Southeast Asia to do so.

In the not so distant future, cross border transfer of money can be done with a few taps on your smartphone. Cash stored in virtual wallets and accessible via a secure smartphone application would make physical currency obsolete, while paving the way for digital cryptocurrencies. Such advancements fall under the wider web of financial technology or fintech for short.The fintech sector in Southeast Asia is currently facing a boom.

After much speculation, the Singaporean government finally revealed this year’s budget for the country. In his speech, Singapore Finance Minister, Heng Swee Keat talked about three major shifts facing Singapore in the coming decade – a greater emphasis on Asia, the emerging of new technologies and an aging population. The budget that Heng Swee Keat presented featured some surprises as well as some already expected measures.

The adoption of electric vehicles (EV) by Southeast Asian policymakers has rapidly accelerated over the past few months. There is now a race between the bigger players in the region such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia to become a regional hub to deploy and manufacture electric vehicles.Currently, there are four types of EVs globally.