Asia M&A and investment review
From Sapura to Vantris, Malaysia's biggest corporate rescue
Because of the firm's scale, an uncontrolled insolvency was never an option for Malaysian regulators, as the company was too embedded in the domestic O&G ecosystem, supporting over 59,000 jobs in the nation's energy sector.
Malaysia secures 20-year Russian energy deal
The deal was secured through direct, closed-door bilateral negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the 35th Anniversary ASEAN–Russia Commemorative Summit.
Nvidia becomes the AI engine behind South Korea's industrial push
South Korean industrial conglomerates are expanding their partnerships with US chipmaker Nvidia to embed artificial intelligence across advanced pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and robotics.
Strategists project Singapore dollar to surge to SGD1.26 against US dollar
While Western central banks rely on adjusting benchmark interest rates to cool down hot domestic economies, the Monetary Authority of Singapore utilises the nominal effective exchange rate as its primary policy tool.
Bank Indonesia rate projected to hold at 5.5%
Over a brief three-week window, BI abandoned its traditional, highly predictable monthly schedule to unleash a dual-stage interest rate surge.
Malaysia's ringgit under pressure as Fed outlook, Middle East diplomacy unsettle markets
This local depreciation is not an isolated event, as the Malaysian currency has traded lower against a comprehensive basket of major global and regional peers.
China issues $50bn warning to Indonesia, slamming nickel production cuts
China has issued a multi-billion-dollar warning to the Indonesian government amidst the economic escalation across the global electric vehicle supply chain
Indonesian rupiah back under the IDR18,000 per dollar threshold
After collapsing to its weakest historical evaluation of IDR18,190 per US dollar on the morning of June 8, a powerful wave of institutional dollar-selling triggered a massive short squeeze on speculative positions.
Singapore’s nuclear question
Singapore has been looking long and hard into energy sources the island can still explore.
Indonesian navy seizes trillions in rare earth cargo off Batam
Following the seizure, military and energy ministry scientists launched an emergency chemical audit of the seized containers.
India’s data centre ecosystem expands beyond Mumbai
In the recent past India’s data centre industry has begun to look beyond Mumbai into cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Pune and Bengaluru.
Global funds trigger "Sell Indonesia" shockwave, enforcing 36% IDX composite repricing
Data from the Indonesia Stock Exchange reveals that the Composite Stock Price Index or Indeks Harga Saham Gabungan has plunged more than 36% from its historical peak.
The Singapore to Malaysia migration reshaping Southeast Asia
An industrial migration is quietly shifting the economic landscape of Southeast Asia, particularly that surrounding Singapore and Malaysia.
Indonesian rupiah drops to historic low of IDR18,000 per US dollar
The Indonesian Rupiah has entered highly volatile territory, dropping to its weakest historical valuation on record as the currency broke through its psychological support wall to cross the IDR18,000 per US dollar mark.
Chinese mining giant Zijin wins Canadian approval for $4bn takeover of Africa-focused Allied Gold
Allied Gold operates producing gold assets and development projects across Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Ethiopia
Indonesian employers' association, mining cartels yield to country’s $66bn export monopoly
In a political concession to the state’s economic centralisation agenda, Indonesia’s powerful business consortia have announced their support for President Prabowo Subianto's newly launched export monopoly.
India's depreciating currency a symptom of structural problems for New Delhi
The Indian rupee lost nearly 11% of its value against the US dollar y/y between May 2025 and May 2026, a slide that makes it the worst performing currency in the world against the greenback.
Indonesia bets on resource nationalism to plug fiscal gaps
Mineral export bans and upcoming windfall taxes have become the country’s overarching strategy - one that is increasingly running up against regulatory bottlenecks, illegal capital leakages, and local governance deficits.
SMBC Indonesia offloads $1.13bn pensioner loan portfolio to BTN
In one of the largest domestic banking asset reallocations of the year, PT Bank SMBC Indonesia, recently rebranded to reflect its parent Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, has agreed to sell its pensioner and pre-pensioner retail loan portfolio.
Can Chinese investors revive Nigeria’s troubled state-owned refineries?
Nigeria may give Chinese firms long-term operational and ownership stakes in the troubled Port Harcourt and Warri refineries; repeated state-led rehabilitation efforts have failed to restore stable operations.