Economy

Singapore's central bank is allowing United Overseas Bank, DBS and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp to pay out higher dividends.
Finance

Singapore's DBS hikes payouts as other lenders reel from COVID

Central banks in the city-state and Thailand ease guidance on dividends

5 August 2021
Thailand is battling the delta COVID variant, which has dealt another blow to its economic recovery. 
Economy

Thai central bank lowers economic growth forecast again

Delta COVID strain will hamper private consumption and tourist inflow, BoT says

4 August 2021
Philippine weightlifter and gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, center, Thailand's taekwondo gold medalist Panipak Wongpattanakit, left, and Indonesian weightlifter and silver medalist Eko Yuli Irawan are eligible for compensation worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. (Source photos by Reuters)
Tokyo 2020 Olympics

ASEAN nations offer huge rewards to Olympic medalists

Philippines' first gold medalist to receive homes and more

31 July 2021
The depreciation of the Thai baht is sharper than those of regional peers such as the Malaysian ringgit and the Philippine peso.
Markets

Delta epidemic sends Thai baht to 15-month low

Public and private researchers warn of risk of a double dip

30 July 2021
Thai protesters march toward the Government House in Bangkok on July 18, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a mandatory vaccination policy and reform in the monarchy.
Turbulent Thailand

Thailand's Prayuth slammed for poor handing of delta outbreak

Inability to get vaccines fast leaves nation vulnerable as COVID cases top 400,000

19 July 2021
A food seller sails her boat at Cai Rang floating market on Mekong river in Can Tho, Vietnam, on May 5: more than 70 million people rely on the river for their livelihood.
Opinion

Why we should care about fate of the Mekong

Worsening environmental degradation will impact millions

12 July 2021
Japan takes 36 times longer to process trade paperwork than France or Italy, the World Bank reports.
Trade

Blockchain greases trade wheels between 7 Asian-Pacific economies

TradeWaltz aims to keep supply chains of 5,000 companies moving at steady pace

11 July 2021
Shipping containers await transport from a port in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2016.
Economy

COVID surge puts brakes on Thai and Malaysia growth: survey

Virus variants and US rate hike loom over ASEAN economies

5 July 2021
People receive the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine in Phuket on June 28: mass vaccination using the best-suited vaccines is a necessary requirement for a return to normality.
Opinion

Thailand urgently needs a post-pandemic economic plan

Crisis provides an opportunity to restructure for future growth

3 July 2021
A shared working space in Tokyo: The city's remote working infrastructure, cultural attractions and other factors contribute to its appeal for "digital nomads." (Photo by Tetsuya Kitayama)
Economy

Tokyo and Singapore trail Melbourne in 'digital nomad' ranking

List highlights places best positioned to lure new breed of remote workers

2 July 2021
Phuket gives a water cannon salute to the first plane arriving with foreign tourists who do not have to be quarantined as the Thai tourist island on July 1 begins a crucial experiment to rescue its economy.
Economy

Thai resort welcomes 1st quarantine-free tourists in over a year

Country's experiment starts on Phuket with flight from Abu Dhabi

1 July 2021
The Chinese Communist Party sees the centenary of its founding as an important event that will highlight the legacy of socialist rule and the regime's success in controlling COVID-19.
Your Week in Asia

CCP turns 100, Phuket reopens and Didi IPO

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

27 June 2021
Tourists will be able to roam around Phuket after testing negative for the virus upon arrival. 
Travel & Leisure

Phuket to reopen for vaccinated tourists without quarantine: 5 things to know

'Sandbox' experiment will be steppingstone for further reopening

25 June 2021
The Bank of Thailand expects the third wave of COVID infections to take a toll on tourist arrivals and domestic demand.
Economy

Thai central bank revises down GDP forecast despite early reopening

Third COVID wave seen hitting tourist arrivals and domestic demand

23 June 2021
Under a proposed bilateral agreement, Vietnam is set to send its workers to Israel to learn agricultural techniques used there. 
Agriculture

Southeast Asia looks to Israeli tech to improve farming techniques

Israel companies offer ways to boost production as region faces supply threats

20 June 2021
A Thai farmer gathers rice straw in Nakhon Sawan Province, north of Bangkok.
Economy

Thailand strives to regain position as world's biggest rice exporter

Competition with rivals on price and quality to get tougher

19 June 2021
The extended lockdown in Malaysia has left the streets of its capital Kuala Lumpur deserted.
Markets

Emerging Asia faces capital outflow risk as Fed signals rate hike

Investors pulled $500m out of COVID-depressed markets in May

17 June 2021
Two women walk on an unusually empty street in Kyoto on Jan. 13: we must have the courage to recognize that old-fashioned tourism is over.
Opinion

Old-fashioned tourism will never return

All countries must start taking this into account

9 June 2021
Prayuth Chan-O-Cha forgot to guard Thailand's left flank.
Opinion

Thailand's long descent into economic darkness

K-shaped trajectory shows the generals lack a battle plan

7 June 2021
Containers are loaded onto a ship at Tien Sa port in Da Nang city, Vietnam.
Trade

US says Vietnam tires are subsidized by undervalued currency

Commerce Department also accuses South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand of dumping

25 May 2021
Southeast Asian nations get relatively large proportions of their tax revenues from corporations.
Economy

Southeast Asian nations are stepping up taxation efforts

Moves to increase revenue from companies aim to fix pandemic-ravaged state finances

23 May 2021
A woman pushes her food cart along the internationally famous entertainment street under lockdown in Bangkok, May 5, 2021.
Economy

New COVID waves delay economic recovery in Southeast Asia

Thailand GDP records fourth straight yearly contraction in Q1

17 May 2021
Interest in crickets as a sustainable source of protein is growing as the insect imposes a much lighter burden on the environment than traditional livestock.
Food & Beverage

Thai village looks to get economy jumping with cricket farming

Raising insects for food offers greener alternative to traditional livestock

25 April 2021
A new field hospital in Bangkok on April 12: Thailand is fighting a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections.
Coronavirus

Thailand to close malls early as COVID surges after Songkran

New restrictions starting Sunday target sectors beyond nightlife

16 April 2021
Malaysia's central bank hopes the move will improve the country's position in global supply chains and attract foreign direct investment. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Economy

Malaysia eases currency protections as ASEAN vies for investment

Region's economies embrace deregulation to capitalize on US-China tensions

15 April 2021