Vietnam Secures Fuel Supply Through April as Middle East Crisis Surpasses 1970s Oil Shocks
Vietnam announced that its domestic fuel stocks will meet demand through the end of April 2026, despite heightened global oil market turbulence caused by the escalating Middle East conflict. The government activated a long‑term fuel‑supply scenario, boosting refinery output and importing 3.2 million m³ of fuel in March to augment inventories of 1.6‑1.8 million m³. Officials also outlined measures to stabilise prices, expand storage and promote E10 biofuel. Parallelly, electricity generation is set to increase 7.9% in 2026, with peak‑season demand expected to rise 14%.
GDP Rises 7.83% in Q1, Highest in 16 Years
Vietnam’s economy expanded 7.83% year‑on‑year in Q1 2026, the strongest pace in 16 years. Services drove growth, contributing 50.32% of added value, while industry‑construction posted a 9.01% rise and manufacturing surged 9.73%. Trade activity reached $249.5 billion, up 23%, and 96,000...
Companies Turn to Remote Work in Response to Surging Fuel Prices
Rising fuel prices in Vietnam, driven by the Middle East conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have prompted a wave of remote‑work initiatives across tech, media, and manufacturing firms. Companies such as Thanh Giong Computer, Sacombank, and...
Malaysian Billionaire Jeffrey Cheah Urges IJM’s Shareholders to Assess Sunway’s $2.7B Takeover Bid Objectively
Sunway Group, led by billionaire Jeffrey Cheah, has lodged a RM11 billion (≈US$2.7 billion) cash‑and‑share offer to acquire builder IJM. The proposal values each IJM share at RM3.15 (≈US$0.68), with 10% paid in cash and the remainder in newly issued Sunway shares. So...
Malaysia’s Food Prices May Spike 50% Amid Fuel Surge
Malaysia’s food prices could surge as much as 50% after an energy shock tied to the Iran war drives fuel costs higher. Traders report raw ingredient prices already up 20‑30% before the fuel jump, forcing hawkers and restaurants to consider...
Watson-Marlow Highlights Hygienic Pumping Solutions for Brewing Industry
Watson‑Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions showcased its peristaltic and sinusoidal pump portfolio at Drinktech Vietnam, emphasizing hygienic handling for the brewing sector. The Certa Sine line can slash power consumption by up to 50% when moving viscous fluids, while the Certa Compact range...
WB Approves $1B Loan to Support Philippine Agriculture
The World Bank approved a $1 billion loan for the Philippines Sustainable Agricultural Transformation Project, targeting productivity and climate resilience. The financing will support sector‑wide reforms, modernize practices, and introduce a digital voucher system to deliver inputs efficiently. It aims to...
Vietnam Becomes Southeast Asia’s 2nd-Largest Importer of European Poultry
Vietnam imported over 56,500 tonnes of European poultry in 2025, becoming Southeast Asia’s second‑largest buyer after the Philippines. Poland dominated the supply chain, delivering more than 37,300 tonnes, while France, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands contributed the remainder. Imports have...
Philippine Billionaire Family Gokongwei to Buy Out Supermarket Operator Robinsons Retail at $850M Valuation
The Gokongwei family, through JE Holdings, has proposed a tender offer to acquire the remaining shares of Robinsons Retail, valuing the supermarket chain at PHP 51.7 billion (about $850 million). The offer price of PHP 48.30 per share represents a 32.2% premium over the...
Vietnam Pitches International Financial Center to San Francisco Investors
Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh urged San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie to back the Vietnam International Financial Center (VIFC), seeking U.S. investors for the flagship project in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. The initiative aligns with Vietnam’s goal of becoming...
OnPoint, Byte Media Sign Partnership to Expand TikTok Shop Services
OnPoint and Byte Media have signed an MoU to jointly expand TikTok Shop services, focusing on livestream, affiliate networks, and AI‑driven content production. The partnership will deliver automated media‑buying solutions for small‑ and medium‑sized businesses, aiming to boost cost efficiency...
Gold Prices Bounce Back After Morning Drop
Vietnam's Saigon Jewelry Company saw its gold‑bar price rebound 0.59% to VND 171.6 million (≈$6,517) per tael after a morning dip, while gold‑ring prices also edged higher. Globally, spot gold surged 2% to $4,466 per ounce, driven by a softer U.S. dollar...
Hong Kong Home Prices Jump to Near 2-Year Peak
Hong Kong’s second‑hand home price index rose 1.6% in February, reaching a 22‑month peak and extending an 11‑month streak of gains. The rally comes amid tightening supply, with private residential completions projected to fall 35% from the 2024 peak by...
6 Asia-Pacific Financial Centers Rank Among World's Top 10, with Singapore Leading Southeast Asia
The 39th Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) placed six Asia‑Pacific locations among the world’s top ten, with Hong Kong at third and Singapore at fourth, the only Southeast Asian city in the elite group. Shanghai and Shenzhen secured ninth and...
Malaysia’s Durian Tourism on the Rise, Fueled by Social Media and Chinese Demand
Malaysia's durian tourism is accelerating as Chinese visitors and other international travelers plan trips to coincide with peak harvests, a trend amplified by social‑media platforms like Douyin. The BMI report notes that while Malaysia shipped only $37.2 million of durian last...
From ‘Nepo Baby’ Doubts to Leadership: 3rd-Generation Yeoh Pei Xien’s Journey to Manage Malaysia’s Hospitality Giant YTL Hotels
Yeoh Pei Xien, the youngest grandchild of YTL Group founder Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay, has become vice‑president of transformation and strategy at YTL Hotels, overseeing a portfolio of 38 properties worldwide. After two years in consulting, she returned to...
'Buy Now, Pay Later' Traps More Young Malaysians in Debt Cycle
Buy‑Now‑Pay‑Later (BNPL) services are rapidly expanding in Malaysia, with users jumping from 2.6 million in 2023 to 7.5 million in 2024. Young consumers, especially those under 30, account for roughly 40 % of BNPL transactions and many allocate over 60 % of their monthly...
Malaysian Construction Firm IJM’s Leaders Urge Rejection of $2.8B Takeover Bid From Billionaire Jeffrey Cheah’s Sunway
Malaysian construction giant IJM Corp. has urged shareholders to reject Sunway Group’s MYR 11 billion ($2.8 billion) takeover proposal. An independent adviser valued IJM shares at a 46‑51% premium, deeming Sunway’s MYR 3.15 per share offer substantially undervalued. IJM’s board highlighted the...
Hong Kong Billionaire Clan Keswick Bet on Singapore Property Boom with $422M Stake Acquisition
Hongkong Land Holdings, controlled by the Keswick family, purchased a 10.8% stake in Singapore’s Suntec REIT for SGD 541 million (US $422 million). The acquisition aims to diversify Hongkong Land’s earnings by adding prime office and retail assets in Singapore’s central business district. It...
Gov't Leader Orders Sufficient Energy Supplies for Production, Business, Consumption
Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ordered comprehensive measures to guarantee sufficient energy supplies for production, business and consumption amid a regional fuel crisis. The government activated the petrol‑price stabilisation fund, adjusted taxes, and directed ministries to monitor markets, replenish...
Cambodia Boosts Fuel Imports From Singapore, Malaysia
Cambodia is ramping up fuel imports from Singapore and Malaysia to offset shortages triggered by the ongoing Middle‑East conflict. After a peak where roughly one‑third of its 6,300 stations temporarily closed, closures have fallen to 5.77 %. Imports of gasoline and...
2C2P, M-Pay Partner for Sun PhuQuoc Airways' Payment Experience Across Asia
2C2P and M‑Pay have teamed up to launch the Payment Air Controller (PACO), a payment‑orchestration platform for Sun PhuQuoc Airways (SPA). The solution aggregates cards, digital wallets, QR codes and direct‑debit options through a single API, enabling smart‑retry routing across multiple...
How Offshore Engineering Teams Accelerate AI Adoption
Enterprises often stall digital transformation because execution capability, not strategy, is lacking. AI projects frequently remain in proof‑of‑concept phases due to legacy systems, talent shortages, and limited engineering bandwidth. Offshore engineering firms such as Kaopiz address this gap by supplying...
Chinese Livestream Sellers Turn South Korean Streets Into Online Shops for ‘Authentic’ Goods
Chinese livestream sellers are turning Seoul’s bustling shopping districts into on‑street studios, using Douyin to showcase fashion items as authentic Korean goods. The number of street‑based livestreams has surged three‑ to fourfold in the past six months, with vendors like...
PropertyLimBrothers Tightens Corporate Rules After Co-Founder Melvin Lim’s Alleged Cheating Scandal
PropertyLimBrothers (PLB) announced a tightened governance framework after co‑founder and former CEO Melvin Lim resigned amid allegations of an extramarital affair with a senior executive. The firm will roll out a formal code of conduct covering workplace relationships, professional behaviour...
From School Dropout to China’s 'Steamed Bun King': Entrepreneur Builds a $580M Empire
Liu Huiping, a former school dropout from Anhui, built Babi Steamed Bun into a $580 million empire after a series of early setbacks and a 2001 rebrand. By emphasizing hand‑chopped pork fillings and a Western‑sounding name, he turned a modest Shanghai...
Vietnam Ranks 4th Globally in Branded Residences
Vietnam has climbed to fourth place globally in branded residences, with more than 50 projects backed by 34 international brands, according to Savills' 2025‑2026 report. The market, previously dominated by coastal resort units, is now shifting toward high‑end apartments in...
Hong Kong’s Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Group Unveils $115,000 Gold AirPods Case for China’s Ultra-Rich
Hong Kong‑based Chow Tai Fook Jewelry Group launched a gold‑embedded accessories line in mainland China, headlined by a diamond‑studded AirPods case weighing 350 g and priced at CNY 788,800 ($115,000). The collection also features gold‑inlaid hair clips containing 0.42 g of gold each....
Italian Firms Showcase Packaging Technologies at ProPak Vietnam 2026
Italian firms are showcasing advanced food‑processing and packaging machinery at ProPak Vietnam 2026, with 15 leading companies occupying booths AL1‑5, AL7‑16 and AL19 in Hall A2. The Italian packaging sector posted a record €10 billion revenue in 2024, exporting roughly 80 %...
Vietnam Building 27 Mega Real Estate Projects Worth over $115B: Report
Vietnam is undertaking 27 mega‑real‑estate projects valued at over $115 billion, according to a S&I Ratings report. The developments, spanning more than 30,000 hectares, are concentrated in the north, central and southern regions, with Vingroup and Sun Group accounting for the...
Vantive Executive Discusses Reframing Vietnam's Dialysis Challenge
Vantive executive Paul Uthaichalanond highlighted Vietnam's dialysis bottleneck, noting only 5‑10% of roughly 800,000 ESRD patients receive therapy and that 80% of treatments rely on overcrowded hemodialysis centers. He contrasted this with Thailand’s successful “PD‑first” approach, which reduced costs and...
Chinese Billionaire Zhang Bo Sees Wealth Surpassing $48B as Aluminum Prices Jump
Chinese billionaire Zhang Bo’s net worth has topped $48 billion as aluminum prices surged over 25 % in the past year. Shares of his China Hongqiao Group jumped 585 % since he took control in 2019, making him Asia’s richest metals magnate. The price...
Rising Mortgage Interest Rates Cause Selloff in Apartment Market
Rising mortgage rates in Vietnam have surged to 13‑15 % and even 15‑16 % for floating loans, doubling many borrowers' monthly payments and prompting a wave of forced apartment sales. Sellers are slashing prices by 10‑15 % as buyer inquiries fell 20‑28 % month‑on‑month,...
From Neglected Child to $36M-a-Year Business Owner: The Story of Chinese Woman Huang Xuanni
Huang Xuanni, a former rural migrant and divorcee, founded the fashion label Mix Selection after a failed Taobao venture that left her in 5 million yuan debt. By leveraging online courses, brand management reading, and a niche focus on small‑frame women’s clothing,...
Stocks Post Largest Dip in History
Vietnam’s benchmark VN‑Index closed 115 points lower on March 9, marking the steepest one‑day decline in its history. The plunge, driven by margin calls and panic selling, saw all 30 VN‑30 constituents fall, with 24 hitting floor prices. Foreign investors exited...
Bac Ninh Consolidates Position at Top of Vietnam's FDI Landscape
Bac Ninh Province recorded over US$18.6 billion in registered foreign direct investment in 2025, placing it among Vietnam’s top two FDI destinations. Major infrastructure projects—including the accelerated Ring Road 4 corridor and a new National Highway 3 overpass—have dramatically improved connectivity to Hanoi,...
Vietnam Emerges as Global Economic Growth Leader: Harvard, S&P Research
Vietnam is projected to outpace all economies in GDP growth over the next decade, according to Harvard’s Growth Lab and S&P Global research. Manufacturing activity accelerated in February, with the PMI rising to 54.3, marking eight months of expansion and...
Vietnamese Exporters Face Rising Costs, Delays as Middle East Tensions Disrupt Red Sea
Vietnamese exporters are confronting higher logistics, insurance and raw‑material costs as Middle‑East tensions disrupt Red Sea shipping lanes. Companies such as Dony Garment and Cat Van Loi report potential 15‑20‑day delays that could jeopardise peak‑season deliveries and project timelines. Panic‑buying...
Hong Kong’s 2nd Richest Man Li Ka-Shing to Sell UK Electricity Operator for $14B
Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka‑shing's CK Infrastructure Group agreed to sell UK Power Networks to French utility Engie for £10.5 billion (about $14.2 billion). The deal, slated for mid‑2026, is part of a sweeping portfolio overhaul that includes potential divestments of ports and...
Who Are Australia’s Top 5 Billionaires in 2026?
Australia’s wealthiest individuals added $11 billion in 2026, lifting the top‑five’s combined net worth to $94 billion – a 14 percent rise despite global uncertainty. Gina Rinehart stayed at the summit but saw her fortune dip 15 percent to $24.6 billion amid weaker iron‑ore prices....
Dollar Rises Against Dong on Black Market
The Vietnamese dollar rose 0.5% on the black market to VND 26,547 per U.S. dollar, while the official Vietcombank rate stayed at VND 26,160. The State Bank of Vietnam trimmed its reference rate marginally to VND 25,049. Globally, the greenback is set for...
Singaporeans to Get Nearly $400 in Vouchers, up to $316 in Cash as Cost-of-Living Support
Singapore's 2026 budget introduces a Cost‑of‑Living Special Payment, granting eligible adults up to S$400 cash and providing every household with S$500 in Community Development Council vouchers. The cash payout targets citizens earning up to S$100,000 and owning no more than...
