Cash & Liquidity

Retail sales and industrial output have beaten expectations for January and February, as China's leadership eyes 5% GDP growth again; meanwhile global suppliers are showing optimism for the year ahead, according to a survey.

US inflation was lower than expected in February; the 2.8% read came as the US introduced global 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports; and then the EU and Canada retaliated; in Apac, Australian and Korean steelmakers are most at risk.

US president Donald Trump appears to be moving ahead with tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, and additional tariffs on China. China has since placed retaliatory tariffs on many US products including soybeans, chicken and dairy products, of up to 15%.

The Singapore-headquartered loan platform Lendela, which works with multiple banks and uses a 'reverse auction model', sees growth in markets with a “high level of maturity".

The global fintech firm, which is bringing payments on-chain, has recently closed a $10m funding round as it looks to reduce remittance costs in Asia.

Maud Thuaudet will replace Sreedhar N. in the group CFO role on April 1; Saint-Gobain's chairman praised the outgoing CFO for strengthening the group's "cash culture".

The 2025 Budget is bringing tax cuts, support for households, tax incentives for equities, more climate measures and support for AI; Singapore saw 4.4% GDP growth in 2024.

A virtual account provided by DB will help Hashkey better reconcile incoming fiat currency funds on the virtual asset trading platform.

The economy, which climbed over ¥600 trillion for the full year, was bolstered by exports and private consumption. In 2024, more than 36 million people visited the country, spending a record amount.

US inflation rose above forecast to 3% in the 12 months to January, meaning the Fed is unlikely to cut interest rates soon, especially as the US awaits the impact of tariffs on consumer pricing.

The government has allocated money for clean energy and startups, while the Reserve Bank of India is expected to cut rates later this week.

0.5% is the highest nominal rate since 2008 as the BoJ continues on a path of normalisation.