Cash & Liquidity

As volatility becomes a feature of the operating environment, Philippine treasury leaders are placing greater emphasis on resilience, funding flexibility, and strategic decision-making, rather than only reacting to market disruption, according to senior execs.

The financial affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group has become the first Korean credit-specialised firm to issue the instrument in both US dollars and renminbi; the issuance is structured as a green bond.

HKMC’s inaugural public digital bond is the largest digital bond issuance globally to date and the first from a public-sector entity in Hong Kong. The proceeds will be used to help support liquidity in Hong Kong's housing sector.

The Singapore telecoms firm is set to spend S$1.2bn on data centres, equipment and fit-outs for GPU-as-a-service facilities and AI; in February it invested in a data centre firm with KKR.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka said the decision to raise its interest rate to 8.75% is aimed at curbing inflation risks, as the Iran war keeps global oil prices elevated; the bank is also trying to increase US dollar liquidity to curb currency depreciation.

The expansion of the blended finance programme under Singapore’s Financing Asia’s Transition Partnership, includes funding for hard-to-abate sectors from BII. The IEA has also issued a warning around the huge funding required for SEA's transition from coal.

The central bank said the surprise decision is a "pre-emptive" measure to keep inflation in check and to stablise the rupiah as the Iran war drags on. Exports of "strategic natural resources" will need to go through state-owned enterprises.

April's US inflation reading was the highest since May 2023. The Philippines has also been hit with inflation of 7.2% in April as the result of the high oil price as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.

Many larger companies across the region are creating shareholder value and sustaining their dividends amid growth in the region, making it a go-to destination for investors; however experts expect some moderation in 2026.

18 banks involved in Hong Kong's SME Lending Taskforce have increased their SME loan funding to over HK$450bn, in part to help mitigate rising fuel prices.

From blocked shipping lanes to soaring raw material costs, senior company executives warn that supply chain pressures are structural, not cyclical, and the bill is heading to consumers, with long-term finance planning becoming harder.

Despite the race to adopt AI and use fintech tools, CFOs and treasury leaders say communication, judgement and teams matter, and that career paths in finance are becoming anything but linear, said a panel at CTWeek.