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Original news, analysis and market research across Southeast Asia and South Korea: business, markets, finance, technology, the digital economy, regulation, crypto and AI.
Updated November 13, 202630 new stories in the last 7 days
F&N may raise prices by 3 to 4% in Malaysia and Thailand as sugar, tin and energy costs climb: what it means for your drinks and canned milk
Fraser & Neave Holdings is weighing 3 to 4 percent price increases on selected products in Malaysia and Thailand as commodity costs rise. Its annual profit fell 14 percent to RM437 million on lower Indochina sales.
Also new
Siargao's tourism boom is pricing out the locals: studio rents hit 35,000 pesos and visitors outnumber residents almost four to one
Ho Chi Minh City pulled in $19.1 billion of foreign investment in 10 months, 4.2 times last year: the megaport, an AI data centre and 10 new logistics hubs
Is Singapore still Southeast Asia's headquarters capital? H&M left for Kuala Lumpur, Gardenia and Heineken moved production, yet HQ investment hit 62.5%
Singapore's record property deal year is losing steam: the S$5.7 billion Marina One sale stalled and higher rates have buyers walking away
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The AI chip smuggling trail runs through Malaysia and Singapore, and prosecutors are closing in
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Thailand will tax imported EVs at 35% from January 2027, up from 10%: what it means for BYD, MG, Tesla and anyone buying an electric car
- 3
US CPI on 14 October: a 3.6 percent headline and a softer core could decide whether the Fed hikes again
- 4
Malaysia says it has not investigated Megaspeed's local unit Speedmatrix, despite 200 shipments of restricted Nvidia tech: the Johor data centre trail
- 5
Hong Kong crypto licence 2026: the SFC's virtual asset trading platform rules explained
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217 storiesBinance's hackers are laundering stolen crypto through memecoins with names like FUK and SINU: $3.1 billion is still out there as bitcoin hits a two month low
- Malaysia says it has not investigated Megaspeed's local unit Speedmatrix, despite 200 shipments of restricted Nvidia tech: the Johor data centre trail
Singapore opens a 500 tonne national gold vault to foreign central banks and cuts GST on wholesale gold: its bid to rival London, New York and Hong Kong- Apple paid $3.25 billion in income tax to Singapore last year, almost a tenth of its global bill, and the new global minimum tax cost it $2.5 billion more
APAC Briefing
Asia-Pacific fintech: banks, payments, AI and the rules around them.
140 storiesMyanmar's generals want US money for their rare earth mines: why Washington is tempted, and why China and Kachin rebels stand in the way
Chinese tourists stayed away from Thailand in October, down 13.6% even in Golden Week: kidnapping fears, an embassy warning and Bangkok floods- Thailand caps data centre noise at 70 decibels and forces big sites into industrial zones: only a quarter of 30,000MW in power requests were real
- Li Auto is coming to Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam: the Li Mega electric MPV arrives in 2027 as China's carmakers flee a price war at home
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102 stories
Singapore firms can now hold ringgit at Maybank: the first corporate ringgit current account in the city state, built for the Johor zone
Malaysia will let expat spouses work from January 2027: the rule that could pull talent from Singapore and Thailand
Malaysia wants to store Asia's carbon under the sea: Petronas, TotalEnergies and Mitsui sign a joint venture for a 5 million tonne CO2 hub
Singapore property is heading for a record 50 billion dollar year, even as new home sales halve: what is really going on
Strategic Communication
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68 stories
Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa loses his case against Meta over scam ads using his face: a Tokyo court says the platform is not liable
- Former Miss Thailand arrested over 527 million baht allegedly taken from her flood charity: the scandal shaking Thai donors' trust
- Thai Airways says 60,529 passenger records were accessed in the Amadeus breach over three years, including passport numbers for 376 travellers
- Chery recalls 54,000 Omoda and Tiggo cars in China over faulty rear axle welds, weeks after an Omoda 5 lost its back wheels in Johor Bahru
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637 stories in the archive
Friday, November 13, 2026
F&N may raise prices by 3 to 4% in Malaysia and Thailand as sugar, tin and energy costs climb: what it means for your drinks and canned milk
Fraser & Neave Holdings is weighing 3 to 4 percent price increases on selected products in Malaysia and Thailand as commodity costs rise. Its annual profit fell 14 percent to RM437 million on lower Indochina sales.
Siargao's tourism boom is pricing out the locals: studio rents hit 35,000 pesos and visitors outnumber residents almost four to one
The Philippine surf island drew 557,094 visitors in 2024, nearly four times its population. Rents in General Luna reach 35,000 pesos a month, over 90 percent of produce is imported, and the Lumad fear being pushed out.
Ho Chi Minh City pulled in $19.1 billion of foreign investment in 10 months, 4.2 times last year: the megaport, an AI data centre and 10 new logistics hubs
Ho Chi Minh City attracted US$19.1 billion of registered FDI in January to October 2026, 4.2 times a year earlier and over 30 percent of Vietnam's total, led by the Can Gio port and a $2.1 billion AI data centre.
Is Singapore still Southeast Asia's headquarters capital? H&M left for Kuala Lumpur, Gardenia and Heineken moved production, yet HQ investment hit 62.5%
H&M moved its regional HQ to Kuala Lumpur and several firms shifted production to Malaysia and Vietnam. But headquarters and professional services made up 62.5 percent of Singapore's business spending commitments in 2025.
Singapore's record property deal year is losing steam: the S$5.7 billion Marina One sale stalled and higher rates have buyers walking away
Singapore is still heading for a record S$55 billion year of real estate investment, but the mooted S$5.7 billion Marina One office deal stalled, Q3 sales slowed and Savills expects S$35 to 45 billion in 2027.
Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa loses his case against Meta over scam ads using his face: a Tokyo court says the platform is not liable
A Tokyo court dismissed Yusaku Maezawa's suit against Meta over investment scam ads using his name and image, ruling Meta was only a platform operator, though it agreed his rights were infringed. Fake celebrity ads plague Asia.
Myanmar's generals want US money for their rare earth mines: why Washington is tempted, and why China and Kachin rebels stand in the way
Myanmar's military government, through lobbyists DCI Group, is urging Washington to invest heavily in its rare earth mines. A new US strategy targets three deals above $5 million, but the main mines are held by China backed Kachin rebels.
Former Miss Thailand arrested over 527 million baht allegedly taken from her flood charity: the scandal shaking Thai donors' trust
Panadda "Boom" Wongphudee, Miss Thailand 2000, and her husband were arrested on 6 November. Police allege 527 million of 815 million baht donated to her Do Good Foundation paid for credit cards, luxury goods and a Phuket pool villa.
Chinese tourists stayed away from Thailand in October, down 13.6% even in Golden Week: kidnapping fears, an embassy warning and Bangkok floods
Thailand welcomed 308,942 Chinese visitors in October, down 13.6 percent year on year despite China's Golden Week, after a Chinese embassy safety advisory and Bangkok flooding. Arrivals are still up 12.4 percent for the year.
Thailand caps data centre noise at 70 decibels and forces big sites into industrial zones: only a quarter of 30,000MW in power requests were real
Thailand's Cabinet approved rules limiting data centre noise, heat and water use, and requiring sites above 20MW to locate in industrial zones. Of 110 applicants seeking over 30,000MW, a quarter or fewer had genuine plans.
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Thai Airways says 60,529 passenger records were accessed in the Amadeus breach over three years, including passport numbers for 376 travellers
Thai Airways says unauthorised access in Amadeus's system between August 2023 and September 2026 exposed about 60,529 passenger records, with passport and contact details for 376. Card data was not affected.
Binance's hackers are laundering stolen crypto through memecoins with names like FUK and SINU: $3.1 billion is still out there as bitcoin hits a two month low
The hackers behind Binance's $6.3 billion theft created at least six memecoins to launder part of the loot, Elliptic says. About $3.13 billion remains in their wallets, $2.85 billion was frozen, and crypto prices slid after the US midterms.
Li Auto is coming to Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam: the Li Mega electric MPV arrives in 2027 as China's carmakers flee a price war at home
Li Auto signed distributors for Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar. Its first right hand drive model, the electric Li Mega MPV, arrives in 2027, with Singapore deliveries from early 2027.
Chery recalls 54,000 Omoda and Tiggo cars in China over faulty rear axle welds, weeks after an Omoda 5 lost its back wheels in Johor Bahru
China's Chery has recalled 53,882 Omoda and Tiggo cars built in 2022 and 2023 over rear axle welds that can fail. It follows two Malaysian Omoda 5 recalls and a sales suspension after a Johor incident.
Malaysia says it has not investigated Megaspeed's local unit Speedmatrix, despite 200 shipments of restricted Nvidia tech: the Johor data centre trail
Malaysia's trade minister said there is no investigation into Speedmatrix, the Malaysian arm of Singapore's Megaspeed, which had cited ministry checks. Its Johor data centre plan also hit a RM225.9 million payment default.