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Singapore GasCo’s procurement strategy “focuses on building a diversified and flexible portfolio”, says its CEO Alan Heng.

Singapore’s central gas buyer affirms Indonesia’s role as ‘important partner’ amid export review warning

Analysts warn that a supply curb could raise power prices, and stress the importance of a diversified supply

How Vietjet’s US$250 million global asset freeze complicates its 600-aircraft financing plans

Vietjet’s aircraft orders are split between European planemaker Airbus and US rival Boeing.

This comes as Vietnamese airlines order new planes worth hundreds of billions to fuel growth

Manila’s US$113.5 billion Budget battle becomes test of fiscal discipline

Analysts cautioned that weaker public infrastructure spending could weigh on medium-term growth.

Supreme Court ruling compels the government to reassess congressional spending power

From crisis to revival: SGX CEO Loh Boon Chye plans exit after lucrative decade-long pivot

SGX’s Loh Boon Chye says there is “ample time... to plan thoughtfully and work through the arrangements” for a transition in the CEO role.

The 62-year-old veteran’s current contract runs until July 2027

Singapore has been grappling with haze, prompting scrutiny on businesses linked to the issue in Indonesia.

AI tracking, no-burn policies: How SGX-listed plantation firms are responding to haze

All eight issuers maintain that they do not use fire to clear land

Shikhar Gupta &

Isabelle Chong

Indo-Pacific middle powers are building strategic space, offering Europe a lesson

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is meeting leaders in the Middle East to exchange views on regional security and beef up economic ties.

States like Singapore are building cooperation networks grouped around specific interests and capabilities

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The limits of China’s trade concessions to Europe

An "In Europe For Europe" sign beside an XPeng EV at the Paris Motor Show in Paris, France, on Oct 13.

Beijing’s agreement to curb hybrid car imports into Europe is a calculated compromise to preserve access

Cambodia wants to shed its scam image, but will it go after powerful individuals?

Cambodia’s anti-scam chief Chhay Sinarith concedes that despite ongoing eradication efforts, fraudulent activities remain.

In the space of about a year, the authorities have referred cases to court involving around 4,000 individuals

Should young Americans study in China? Xi’s invitation reignites debate over risks and rewards

Others, including Americans whose careers were shaped by years in China, question whether the benefits of being there now outweigh the risks.

Some analysts warn that the US risks losing a generation with the first-hand experience needed to understand China

Opinion

Indo-Pacific middle powers are building strategic space, offering Europe a lesson

Jari Vilen &

Ari Heikkinen

How Asean can ramp up regional cooperation on disaster relief

Alistair DB Cook

The cost of keeping Hong Kong and Singapore financially open

Ramkishen S Rajan

Behind The Name

No chicken feed: How Malayan Flour Mills built an empire from flour to fowl

Malayan Flour Mills executive deputy chairman and managing director Teh Wee Chye constantly pursues diversification, recognising that even defensive food businesses remain vulnerable to global events.

The second-generation leader of Malaysia’s oldest flour mill has turned it into a regional food giant

He built the Vingroup empire. Now South-east Asia’s richest man is handing some key roles to his sons

From left: Pham Nhat Quan Anh, Pham Nhat Vuong, Pham Thu Huong and Pham Nhat Minh Hoang. The couple (centre) remain senior figures in Vingroup, with their children’s presence in the ecosystem growing.

Vingroup founder Pham Nhat Vuong is accelerating succession plans while retaining a central role

What’s luck got to do with it? Everything, says Malaysian jewellery king Tomei’s chief

“I consider myself lucky. I don’t consider myself successful,” says Ng Yih Pyng, the second-generation leader of Tomei Consolidated.

Failed overseas ventures, painful exits are unexpectedly a blessing in disguise for the jeweller

Singapore

The 38 officers leaving GovTech were primarily in roles structured around traditional project delivery.

GovTech retrenches another 38 staff in second round of layoffs

This brings the total number of employees retrenched since July to 131

Firms here should ‘act now’ to fix critical PHP vulnerabilities: Singapore’s cybersecurity chief

PHP developers released urgent fixes on Oct 21 for vulnerabilities that had resided in the software for years until they were uncovered by artificial intelligence tools.

The vulnerabilities resided in the software for years until they were uncovered by AI tools

Singapore to lower age threshold as it expands mask distribution, will help retailers restock

Minister Grace Fu says that the decision to include those aged 60 and above for the mask collection was made after considering public feedback.

Government monitoring impact on local businesses, may offer more support if needed: Grace Fu

NTUC, KPMG ink partnership to help companies adopt AI and create better jobs

Singapore security robotics firm Kabam to cease operations on Nov 20

The Leadership Playbook

Master a niche, then listen to experts: How Haas F1’s Ayao Komatsu rose to the top job

Ayao Komatsu rose to the team principal role at Haas F1 team in 2024.

Despite his deep technical knowledge, he believes his primary role these days is to take a step back

The only common thing in S-E Asia is that we all eat rice: Cisco’s Asean president

Cisco’s Tay Bee Kheng says that her value-add as the tech giant’s Asean chief lies in identifying what each regional market needs specifically, and presenting that to her global bosses.

Tay Bee Kheng says her role is to help the US company understand this region in a simplified manner

From finance aspirant to Asean CEO: TUV SUD’s Jonas Strahberger on finding people who believe in you

Jonas Strahberger, CEO of TUV SUD Asean, says young jobseekers should look for organisations that are willing to invest in their growth.

The 40-year-old talks investing for the long term – in new technologies, businesses and, most importantly, people

South-east Asia could take subsea interconnectors to a whole new scale

Interactive: Why the Asean Power Grid’s future lies in subsea cables

Some of the world’s longest subsea power cables could be laid in the region, if vision can translate to action

Asean

The Philippine peso gained after the central bank delivered an outsized interest rate hike but later gave up those gains.

Philippine central bank delivers larger-than-expected 50 bps hike to combat inflation

The move is BSP’s fourth straight increase; it lifts 2027 inflation forecast to 6% from 5.4% on oil and El Nino risks

MSCI has raised concerns that some transactions were allegedly being manipulated by dominant shareholders.

Indonesian stocks with high shareholding concentrations to be excluded from index starting Nov 2

There are 80 stocks on the high shareholding concentration list

A rock sample containing rare earth elements. The Department of Mineral and Geoscience Malaysia has permitted a single export application for R&D purposes.

Malaysia allows first export of unprocessed rare earths under new rules

It is among the nations that are developing capacity for the minerals to reduce reliance on China

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