Bitcoin cryptocurrency has been receiving some bad press in Asia recently because of the lack of a central regulating authority for transactions. While Southeast Asian governments’ have their reservations about Bitcoin, they are remarkably interested in the underlying technology called blockchain.Breaking down the blockchainAt its most basic level, a blockchain is just a data structure combining different technologies into one, depending on an operator’s choice of configuration.

Myanmar is set to raise the minimum wage to around $3.60 a day, state media announced Wednesday, as Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government struggles to project economic progress after almost two years in power.The new daily figure of 4,800 kyats represents a 33 percent increase on Myanmar's first-ever minimum wage introduced in 2015 by the previous army-backed administration."The new minimum wage will be applied across all regions and states to all businesses with 10 or more wo

2017 was a rollercoaster of a year and Southeast Asia was not spared from the ride. To commemorate the year as it draws to a close, The ASEAN Post would like to take readers on a journey to revisit key events and happenings in this region throughout 2017.JANUARYJanuary was not all about Trump's inauguration.

Southeast Asia’s internet economy, spanning online travel to ride-hailing, will reach $50 billion this year, putting it on a solid trajectory to grow fourfold by 2025, according to a joint research report by Google and Temasek Holdings Pte.As more consumers buy airline tickets and book hotels through smartphones, the region’s online travel market expanded from $19.1 billion in 2015 to $26.6 billion in 2017, according to a report the two companies released Tuesday.

Southeast Asia has shown itself to be one of the most rapidly advancing regions in the world.With a booming population of 644 million (and rising), half of whom are internet and social media users, you would expect that most people around the region would have access to most of the basic necessities required by a modern life. You may find it surprising, then, that some estimates point out that barely a quarter of the region’s population have a bank account.

As the Southeast Asian region develops rapidly, its future lies in sustainable development. The combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) members stands at 2.4 trillion dollars. As a singular economic bloc, ASEAN is the seventh largest economy in the world and is poised to be the fourth largest by 2050. The annual average projected growth from 2016 to 2020 is approximately 5.2 percent.

On 23 September, the Islamic State (IS) Al-Hayat media wing released a three-minute propaganda video featuring radicalised Singaporean, Megat Shahdan Abdul Samad. In the video, he urged Muslims to wage religious war – or jihad – in East Asia and bring upon “black days” on “crusaders” here.

The two titans of ride-sharing, home-grown Grab and American import Uber, have been doing battle for a few years. They have become fierce rivals and though Grab has taken a lead in Southeast Asia, Uber will likely not go down without a fight.There’s a good reason to stay and fight. The ride-sharing market in Southeast Asia is projected to be worth 13.1 billion dollars by 2025.

An economic boom that’s reverberated across Southeast Asia has finally crossed over to Thailand.The economy, which has lagged its neighbours this decade, is projected to have grown at the fastest pace in more than four years last quarter even as the baht surged.

From rivulets to regionwide river channels, the Southeast Asian region hosts dozens of rivers. The most known river in Southeast Asia is the Mekong River – spanning five countries in the region itself. The Mekong, which is also the 12th longest river in the world is known to be a major water source for drinking, fishing and agricultural needs for millions of people.