AI Threats Push Businesses to Rethink Cybersecurity Strategies: Kaspersky
AI is reshaping cyber threats, enabling both seasoned hackers and novices to launch sophisticated attacks with generative tools. Kaspersky warns that 72% of firms are deeply concerned as AI‑driven phishing, deepfakes, and automated malware surge. A deepfake video call cost British engineering firm Arup about $25 million in 2024, highlighting the financial stakes. The firm also touts its own AI, which processes over 460,000 malware samples daily, but stresses that human expertise remains essential.
Dollar Slips Against Dong
The U.S. dollar slipped against the Vietnamese dong on April 15, with Vietcombank selling at VND 26,358 (≈$1) and the black‑market rate slipping to VND 26,728 (≈$1.02). The State Bank of Vietnam lowered its reference rate to VND 25,103 (≈$0.96). Globally, the dollar index...
How 3 Sisters Turn Indonesian Brand Peggy Hartanto Into Global Fashion Name
Peggy Hartanto, founded in 2012 by sisters Peggy, Petty and Lydia, has grown from a Surabaya workshop into a globally recognized Indonesian fashion label. Backed early by Singapore retailers, the brand now ships to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and...
Chinese Milk Tea Brands Expand in US, South Korea as Southeast Asia Grows Crowded
Chinese milk‑tea chains are moving beyond the crowded Southeast Asian market, targeting South Korea and the United States. Over 60 brands operate more than 6,100 outlets in the region, but saturation is prompting a shift from rapid expansion to tighter...
Vietnam Cuts All Fuel Taxes to Zero Through June
Vietnam's National Assembly approved a zero‑tax regime for gasoline, diesel, kerosene, mazut and aviation fuel from April 16 through June 30, eliminating VAT, environmental protection tax and special consumption tax. The move cuts state‑budget revenues by roughly VND 7.3 trillion (about $277 million) each month...
Thailand Revises Growth Outlook with 4 Scenarios Amid Middle East Tensions
Thailand’s National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) released four growth scenarios for 2026 as the Middle East conflict threatens oil markets. In the most optimistic case, limited fighting keeps oil at $85‑95 a barrel and GDP growth at 1.4%...
Worker Wins Nearly $4,500 as Singapore Court Rejects Company’s Bid to Pay Overtime with Allowance
Singapore's High Court overturned a tribunal ruling and ordered Lim Joo Huat Enterprise to pay Indian worker Gena Hulash Ram the full overtime amount of SGD 5,711.11 (about US $4,474). The court rejected the employer’s claim that a fixed SGD 300 monthly "others"...
Why I Keep Working at Almost 70 Despite Earning Enough to Retire Early
Vietnamese executive Nguyen Thai Hung, nearly 70, has long surpassed his original retirement goal of $760 a month in passive income. After a career that began at a state‑owned firm and later shifted to private sector roles, he accumulated two...
Prudential Vietnam Reports Resilient 2025 Performance
Prudential Vietnam announced its 2025 results, posting total insurance revenue of roughly $800 million and investment revenue of $493 million. Profit before tax jumped 48% to about $202 million, while the solvency ratio stayed above 200%, underscoring robust capital strength. The insurer served...
Singapore to Give Out $155 Cash to Eligible Platform Workers, Taxi Drivers
Singapore's government will give eligible platform workers and taxi drivers a one‑time cash payment of S$200 (about US$155). To qualify, platform workers must have earned more than S$500 per month from any platform between December 2025 and February 2026, while...
Hanoi French Hospital, Viet Duc University Hospital Sign Cooperation Deal to Enhance Patient Care
Hanoi French Hospital and Viet Duc University Hospital signed a professional medical support agreement to boost patient care through joint training, consultations, and staff exchanges. The partnership highlighted Vietnam's first combined heart‑liver transplant for hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis, demonstrating coordinated diagnostics...
Car Dealers Must Raise $53M to Stay at Singapore's Biggest Used-Car Hub
All 76 unit owners of Automobile Megamart, Singapore’s largest used‑car hub, must collectively raise SGD 68 million (≈US $53 million) by May 15 to extend the land lease to 2040. The lease, originally granted in 1996 for 30 years, expires this year and a unanimous vote is...
Vietnam’s Medical Tourism Services Eye Nearly $4B in Revenue by 2033
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health aims to grow its medical‑tourism market from roughly $700 million in 2024 to nearly $4 billion by 2033, an 18% compound annual growth rate. Five cities – Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Quang Ninh and Khanh Hoa – will pilot integrated hospital‑hotel‑travel...
Taiwanese Restaurant Pushes to Reinstate Banned Stinky Tofu in Los Angeles
Golden Leaf, a Taiwanese restaurant in San Gabriel, stopped serving its signature stinky tofu after repeated odor complaints and city violations. The dish accounted for roughly 10‑20% of the eatery’s revenue, and fines exceeded $1,000. Owner David Liao is seeking public...
From Ruins to Opportunity: Why Foreigners Are Buying Japan’s Abandoned Houses
Foreign buyers from the U.S., Canada and Australia are snapping up Japan’s abandoned "akiya" homes as domestic housing costs soar. AkiyaMart, a platform founded by two early adopters, now serves over 60,000 users and has facilitated more than 150...
