The Top Five Credit Risks in Asia Pacific
Interest rates, FX, politics, the property market and debt in China could all hit market prospects in the second half of 2017. – July 31 / Finance Asia
Singapore Comes Second to Switzerland for Innovation
Switzerland topped an innovation ranking of 35 countries for the 26th time in 2016, ahead Singapore, Belgium, Germany and Finland. – July 31 / Bloomberg
Magnus Bocker, ex-SGX CEO, Dies of Cancer at 55
Magnus Bocker, who led the Singapore Exchange (SGX) after the global financial crisis, has died of cancer in the United States. – July 28 / The Business Times
Singapore's 50 Richest 2017: Fortunes Rise Amid Changing Times
Despite headwinds and a sluggish economy in 2016, the total net worth of Singapore's 50 richest, at $104.6 billion, is up 11 percent from a year ago, bolstered by a similar rise in the main stock index. – July 27 / Forbes Asia
Why Ponzi Schemes Are Thriving in China
The financial naivety of the public and a collective desire for unfeasibly high returns have helped fuel the proliferation of fraudulent investment schemes in China, according to an academic. – July 26 / South China Morning Post
IMF Could be Based in Beijing in a Decade-Lagarde
The International Monetary Fund could be based in Beijing in a decade if growth trends for China and other big emerging markets continue and these are reflected in the Fund's voting structure, according to Christine Lagarde. – July 25 / Nikkei Asian Review
Chinese Tycoon Wants to Build a Wealth Manager
A Hong Kong financial firm backed by Chinese property tycoon Hui Wing Mau, is poised for an acquisition spree as it seeks to build an offshore wealth-management business of at least $3 billion in assets from scratch. – July 24 / Bloomberg
Saudi Prince All Alone Near Summit of Power
Saudi Arabia has never been a democracy but for several decades it’s been governed by a loose consensus among an extended royal family. Not, it seems, anymore. – July 21 / Bloomberg
North Korea 2016 Economic Growth at 17-Year High
The robust economic growth may partly be due to the North's active nuclear and missile development program, as the manufacture of components is included when calculating GDP growth. – July 21 / Reuters
Why You Should Never Eat Food on Planes
Most people overeat because it’s a diversion, or a way to pass the time; but even the best plane food is over salted and preserved so it can be microwaved. But there is more to know. – July 20 / Bloomberg
China’s Journey Toward a Cash-Free Society
A managing director and senior advisor with Credit Suisse Private Banking shares his experiences during recent trips to China. – July 19 / ejinsight.com
China Tells Banks to Lower Returns on Wealth Products
China’s banking regulator told some lenders to lower the rates they offer on wealth-management products. – July 18 / Bloomberg Asia
What China Reveals About the Future of Shopping
The New Retail: Lessons from China for the West. – July 17 / Boston Consulting Group Publications
Winnie the Pooh Reportedly Just got Blacklisted by China
Winnie the Pooh has been censored on Chinese social media, the Financial Times reports. – July 17 / CNBC
ING is Betting That All New Cars in Europe Will Be Electric by 2035
One of the world’s biggest banks is betting that all new cars in Europe will be electric by 2035. – July 15 / Quartz
The Rise and Fall of Working From Home
The permanent telecommuter is going extinct. – July 15 / Bloomberg
Singapore Protest Calls for Inquiry Over PM's Alleged Abuse of Power
Around 400 protesters gathered at Singapore's Speakers' Corner on Saturday calling for an independent inquiry into whether Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong abused his power in a battle with his siblings over what to do with their late father's house. – July 15 / Reuters
Italian Football Legend Makes Tech Pitch in Hong Kong
There’s surely not many places that Gianluca Vialli can go without being accosted by fans. But at the Rise tech conference in Hong Kong, he’s just one of thousands of entrepreneurs and investors hoping to become or discover the next Facebook or Google. – July 14 / South China Morning Post
Apple’s New iPhone Made This 86-Year-Old a Billionaire
The chairman of the world’s largest contract chipmaker has become a billionaire thanks to demand for Apple's new iPhone. – July 13 / Bloomberg
The Asset Management Industry is Shrinking
For the first time since the financial crisis, asset managers have seen their revenues and profits decline year-over-year, according to the Boston Consulting Group. – July 12 / WealthManagement.com
Is Ferrari Planning An SUV After All?
For years, Ferrari bosses derided the idea of the firm ever building an SUV. In 2016, current boss Sergio Marchionne said «you'd have to shoot me first» when quizzed about whether we'd ever see a Ferrari 4x4. Now, the firm has U-turned. – July 11 / Motor1.com
What Does Singapore Sovereign Wealth Fund GIC Invest in?
Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC saw a dip in real returns in its latest annual review, as it warned that global economic and geopolitical uncertainty, high valuations and low economic growth rates may weigh on future returns. – July 10 / The Straits Times
Japanese Megabanks Charge Into Southeast Asia
Japan's three megabank groups are strengthening ties with Southeast Asian banks in an effort to broaden their customer base and expand the types of services offered. – July 7 / Nikkei Asian Review
Mahathir Still Hates Currency Traders 20 Years After Asia Crisis
Mahathir, now 91, hasn’t lost any of his disdain for currency traders who drove Malaysia’s economy to the brink 20 years ago. «I believe that currency trading should not be a business at all,» he said in a recent interview. – July 6 / Bloomberg
At Citi’s New Office, Staff Are Assigned Lockers, Not Desks
Welcome to Citi’s new sharing office in Hong Kong where staff don't get a desk. – July 5 / South China Morning Post
How Artificial Intelligence Could Democratise Financial Services In Asia
Microfinance has helped lift people out of poverty. Entrepreneur Ayesha Khanna believes microinsurance must go hand-in-hand with microfinance, and sees artificial intelligence as the catalyst for both in the emerging markets of Asia. – July 4 / Forbes Asia
American Dignity on the Fourth of July
Reading Frederick Douglass’s Independence Day address from 1852 may ease the despair caused by listening to the President. – July 2 / The New Yorker
It Was 20 Years Ago That The Thai Central Bank Panicked
It is the 20th anniversary of the start of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when it became clear that the region's «tiger» economies had been snagged by the tail. Thailand's monetary authorities battled speculators until the Bank of Thailand ran out of reserves. – July 2 / Nikkei Asian Review
