Singapore

Singapore's economy is on the mend after last year's worst performance since independence.
Economy

Singapore GDP rebounds 14.3% in April-June quarter

Manufacturing offsets impact of four weeks of renewed COVID restrictions

14 July 2021
Temasek's net portfolio value rose to SG$381 billion from SG$306 billion, a respite for the Singapore government-owned investor, whose one-year total shareholder return had tapered off in recent years. (Photo by Keiichiro Asahara)
Companies

Singapore's Temasek records returns of 24.5%, highest in a decade

State investor reaps bumper net profit of $42bn in last fiscal year as markets rebound

13 July 2021
Singaporean authorities are drawing up a road map under the assumption that COVID-19 will not disappear entirely.
COVID vaccines

Singapore looks to 'live with COVID' as vaccine coverage nears 50%

Officials aim to treat virus like flu but Asian neighbors' surges dim travel hopes

12 July 2021
Food delivery group Zomato is one of the most popular services in India. It has upsized its IPO target by 14% to $1.26 billion. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
Your Week in Asia

Zomato IPO, China GDP and Tokyo's new state of emergency

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

11 July 2021
Shimano is building a new plant in Singapore's Jurong Innovation District as its existing factory deteriorates. (Photo by Lim Weixiang and Shimano)
Companies

Bicycle parts maker Shimano invests $179m to build Singapore plant

Vehicles' low risk of virus transmission spurs demand amid pandemic

11 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
Temasek does not just back promising young companies, it also grows them by investing at the earliest stage. Software developer Affinidi and cybersecurity expert Istari are companies it has founded.
Business Spotlight

Singapore's Temasek in for long haul with in-house startups

State-owned investor takes early bets by creating its own companies

9 July 2021
Bangladesh has ample electric power for now but wants to add more renewables to its energy mix of the future.
International relations

Bangladesh scraps plans for 10 coal-fired power plants

Projects involving China, Japan and others axed due to environmental concerns

8 July 2021
Disney locks horns with Netflix as it expands distribution of its streaming service across markets in Southeast Asia.
Media & Entertainment

Disney's ASEAN push heralds brutal streaming war with Netflix

'Avengers' and 'Star Wars' owner stalks rival platforms with regional drive

8 July 2021
Singapore's business district: Burnout was a major issue in Asia before COVID-19, but the pandemic has brought added pressures.
Coronavirus

Singapore's stressed workers highlight COVID mental health strain

Surveys hint at hidden toll in city-state and other Asian economies

7 July 2021
Singapore is home to at least 28 high-tech, indoor urban vegetable farms that a food resilience official said allow the city-state to "grow more with less."
Asia Insight

Singapore cultivates 'Silicon Valley of food' in a hungry Asia

Lab meat and indoor greens thrive as COVID highlights regional challenge

6 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
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
The market caps of COSCO Shipping Holdings and Asian steelmakers took noticeable leaps in the first half of 2021. (Source photos by AP and Reuters)
Markets

Indian steelmakers and China's COSCO Shipping lead stocks rally

Alibaba and Pinduoduo slip as Asian stocks underperform global peers in first half

1 July 2021
DBS is betting heavily on growth in China's Greater Bay Area, which generated more than 11% of China's GDP in 2018.
Caixin

Singapore's DBS closer to taking strategic stake in Chinese lender

Move is first foreign investment in small or midsize bank since 2010

30 June 2021
The Tokyo Stock Exchange had only four listed non-Japanese companies at the end of 2020, a far cry from Hong Kong or Singapore.
Markets

Tokyo snags Asian listing in 'Goldilocks' space between NYSE and Hong Kong

More than 30 companies weighing depositary share debut in Japan

30 June 2021
A Raffles City development in Shanghai: CapitaLand plans to shift its Chinese portfolio away from commercial sites toward logistics and other growth sectors. (Photo courtesy of CapitaLand)
Property

Singapore's CapitaLand cashes in China stakes to fund new bets

Ping An agrees to buy shares in Raffles City commercial projects under $7bn deal

30 June 2021
Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary Scoot will debut new Airbus A321neo jets to serve Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Transportation

Singapore Airlines' budget unit Scoot debuts new Airbus jets

Low-cost carrier eyes routes to Thailand and Vietnam after fleet refresh

28 June 2021
The Monetary Authority of Singapore has not said whether it will launch a retail digital currency, but it has been exploring the concept.
Economy

Singapore dangles fintech prize for digital currency ideas

Central bank aims to iron out issues with fiat e-money as interest grows

28 June 2021
The National University of Singapore took a proactive approach to keep COVID-19 off campus, monitoring where students are with Wi-Fi and a smartphone app, for example.
Education

Singapore university keeps COVID at bay with tech and discipline

School maintains on-campus classes with zoning rules and sewage checks

27 June 2021
A teenager receives a COVID-19 vaccine dose in Tel Aviv on June 21, after authorities urged parents to get their kids inoculated amid school outbreaks.
Coronavirus

Israel COVID uptick shows vaccines help but are no panacea

As Asia accelerates shots, signs point to virus becoming endemic like flu

25 June 2021
Singapore's Keppel is one of the world's top builders of offshore rigs.
Energy

Singapore's Keppel talks merger of offshore unit with Sembcorp Marine

Oil and gas rig builders seek deal in 2022 amid growing pressure to restructure

24 June 2021
A health worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the Noevir Stadium Kobe in Kobe, Japan, on June 12. 
Coronavirus

Delta variants create roadblock on Asia's path toward normalcy

Vaccination efforts accelerate in face of evolving virus

24 June 2021
GIC will buy a 16% stake in an agreement that values Sunway Healthcare at about $1.13 billion.
Health Care

Singapore's GIC to invest $180m in Sunway's health care unit

Malaysian company plans to increase hospital beds to 3,000 in four years

23 June 2021
U.S. semiconductor giant GlobalFoundries will invest over $4 billion in its Singapore plant, increasing its capacity to about 1.5 million wafers per year.
Semiconductors

GlobalFoundries puts $4bn into Singapore expansion

US semiconductor giant ramps up wafer capacity amid chip shortage

22 June 2021