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Market pressures have squeezed margins for agricultural producers, which could prompt growers to turn to cost-cutting “slash-and-burn” methods of clearing land.

ASEAN BUSINESS

Haze beckons as South-east Asia’s planters come under strain. A ‘Godzilla’ El Nino may just be the start

Indonesia’s move to control exports could increase oversight for haze prevention, says a think tank

The quest for global capital: Vietnam eyes MSCI upgrade as Indonesia fights downgrade risk

The two markets have fared very differently this year, with the Jakarta Composite Index slumping nearly 30% and the VN-Index rallying almost 50%.

Latest review shows Asean markets are judged on how easily global capital can get in and out

Ringgit sinks to seven-month low despite record bond inflows as Fed fears dominate

The ringgit has weakened in spite of robust domestic fundamentals, including stronger trade data and steady inflation.

But analysts think the weakness is a correction rather than the beginning of a depreciation trend

Targeted credit relief: Vietnam steers funding to Vingroup, Sun Group, Masterise megaprojects

The eligible projects include Sun Group’s developments linked to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Phu Quoc in 2027.

Over US$28 billion will be excluded from banks’ lending limits; system-wide loan growth remains in check

Uruguay were stunned by Cape Verde's defending heroics at the World Cup. But investors should consider going on the offensive.

HOCK LOCK SIEW

Don’t ‘park the bus’ with S-Reits. Now is the time for a goal rush

The worst is likely over for these ever-dependable trusts, but there could be better opportunities

Jude Chan

JPMorgan appoints new co-heads for South-east Asia investment banking

In 2025, JPMorgan ranked second for equity capital market underwriting, and third for dealmaking activity in the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group published in January.

Kelvin Goh and Alfons Halim will jointly lead this area in a region the bank views as strategically important

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BT Plus

The best insights across SPH Media

Britain’s second thoughts about Brexit are only growing stronger

Brexit, as the process of leaving the EU came to be known, is itself now the status quo, but Britain has quietly turned against it.

Most voters now think leaving the EU was a mistake, yet no major politician is willing to reverse course. Why?

Not in education, employment or training: Why more Hong Kong youths are opting out of work

Hong Kong youth no longer see a stable job and a lifetime of work as the only life goal – instead, they place greater emphasis on freedom and quality of life.

Some young people are becoming disengaged and content to drift along aimlessly, living with their parents

Abandoned ‘Titanic’, failing ‘ancient towns’: Why China’s tourism boom leaves white elephants behind

(From left) Dushan county’s ambitious Shuisi Building project and an unfinished, full-scale replica of the Titanic in Daying county.

Many ambitious megaprojects across the country have stalled or failed to attract visitors

Opinion

What Qantas’ Project Sunrise really means for Singapore

Linus Benjamin Bauer

Singaporeans should keep watch as Australian politics turn right

Mohan Kuppusamy

China can be a useful bogeyman in American politics

Singapore

Earlier in May, DBS contributed US$75 million to Fast-P's flagship Green Investments Partnership fund.

DBS provides US$210 million loan to energy transition partnership under Singapore’s blended finance initiative

With the move, the lender becomes the sole commercial bank supporting two pillars of Fast-P

Who captures the value in Singapore’s S$37 billion frontier tech bet?

Singapore has built what amounts to a full-stack frontier technology position, with hardware, capital, governance and talent in a single jurisdiction.

For both companies and their investors, the opportunity is specific and time-bound

StarHub deputy CEO Matthew Williams to succeed Nikhil Eapen as chief executive

Williams, 55, joined StarHub in May 2025 as chief of the consumer business group, and was appointed deputy CEO on May 1, 2026.

Analysts expect near-term pressure on the telco’s margins to continue

Singtel sells S$1 billion stake in Thailand’s Gulf Development; placement leaves it with 4.95% interest

SIA’s ‘dim sum’ bond: What is it and will it impact investors?

The Leadership Playbook

‘Baptism of fire’: Andre Khor on leading Singapore refiner Aster through an energy crisis

Aster deputy CEO Andre Khor, citing the age of the “polycrisis”, says: “It’s very important to be agile, to be focused on execution… We don’t know all the answers but we keep going forward.”

Growing up the son of a steel labourer taught him the value of hard work and dignity, which he applies to the business today

From Singapore to the world, Dell Technologies taps talent here to scale up

Dell brings more than just the traditional IT hardware for customers, says Andy Sim, vice-president and managing director of Dell Technologies Singapore.

The tech giant has been orchestrating a massive transformation to become an end-to-end solution enabler for smart cities

‘Our moat is our people’: GXBank CEO backs passion-driven teams to serve Malaysia’s underserved

GXBank CEO Kaushik Chowdhury believes the Malaysian digital bank could achieve profitability by June 2027.

About half of the bank’s customers are low-income Malaysians earning under RM4,000 a month

Thapanee Techajareonvikul, CEO and president of Berli Jucker, sees Vietnam as an important growth enginee for BJC, which has traditionally been heavily invested in Thailand.

BEHIND THE NAME

Scaling Berli Jucker’s retail empire – daughter of Thai beer billionaire seeks growth outside home country

CEO thinks diversifying its revenue is important for both BJC and TCC Group, which BJC is a part of

Asean

The proceeds will provide additional resources for the long-term expansion plans of Vinpearl, Vingroup’s hospitality arm.

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International

The Pentagon says that Alibaba is indirectly affiliated with China’s state asset regulator, known as Sasac.