Funding & Investment

Global investors, with the majority in Asia, participated in the deal which included five year, 10 year and 30 year senior bonds, and is the largest US dollar bond issuance in Hong Kong in the Reg S format; the funds will help drive infrastructure development.

Most major sectors in Thailand have said their normal operations were undisrupted by the earthquake in Myanmar; SET trading resumes after temporary closure on Friday afternoon.

The agreement is part of a total package of $306m which will help provide funding for business loans and for financing electric vehicles; MSMEs contribute to 30% of India's GDP and employ over 120 million people, including female entrepreneurs.

The money raised from the 3.5% notes, due in 2030, will go towards the data infrastructure firm's green projects such as energy efficiency at its data centres across Apac; DBS, Standard Chartered, HSBC and OCBC helped secure the bond.

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.

The proposals to boost the Singapore Exchange include tax incentives, streamlining the listing process and efforts to incentivise investors.

As Hong Kong looks to integrate more with Asean's economies, Thailand joins Indonesia and Singapore as a Recognised Stock Exchange in the Special Administrative Region.

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%.

HK's financial secretary is injecting HK$1.5bn into a scheme that helps Hong Kong businesses expand into mainland China, as Paul Chan predicts 2% to 3% GDP growth this year.

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".

As operational costs remain high, businesses are looking for funding relief from the SAR's upcoming budget, according to DBS; meanwhile, some firms are looking to expand abroad into Asia and the Middle East.

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.