Singapore Expands SME Financing Options to Support Small Businesses
More channels for small and medium enterprise financing are opening up in Singapore, as banks introduce new grant programs and the government steps up effort to support small businesses.
E-Commerce Retail Sales See Rapid Growth in ASEAN
E-commerce is set to soar in Southeast Asia, as internet penetration in the region has reached a momentous turning point, according to a recent UBS report.
Declaration Now Required on Transfer Pricing Documentation in Malaysia
The Malaysian Internal Revenue Board now requires corporate taxpayers to declare whether they have prepared transfer pricing documentation while filing a tax return.
ASEAN’s Leading Manufacturing Destinations
ASEAN manufacturers can be divided into those that have invested in mid- and high-tech manufacturing and those which are concentrated in low- or no-tech assembly. In this article, we look at ASEAN’s leading manufacturing destinations, including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Foreign Ministers Rekindle Interest in EU-ASEAN FTA
Foreign ministers attending the 20th EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Brussels last week have raised the possibility of resuming negotiations for an EU-ASEAN free trade agreement once the ASEAN Economic Community comes into effect at the end of 2015.
Singapore Promotes Green Energy Research and Development
The Singaporean government announced this morning that it has pledged US$80 million to fund two new research and development R&D initiatives within the energy sector.
Indonesia’s Election Results Boost Economic Optimism
Joko Widodo, the former governor of Jakarta, was declared the next president of Indonesia last week, leaving foreign investors optimistic about the country’s economic prospects and triggering a favorable reaction from the rupiah.
Singapore Strengthens Investor Protections
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has proposed new measures to improve investor protection, including extending current regulatory safeguards to cover non-conventional investment products and making it mandatory for all investment products to be rated according to their complexity and risk.
China-ASEAN Trade Sees Strong Growth in First Half of 2014
Trade between China and the ASEAN nations reached US$220.69 billion in the first half of 2014, an increase of 4.8 percent compared with the same period last year, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced this week.
Manufacturing Hubs Across Southeast Asia
ASEAN manufacturers can be divided into those that have invested in mid- and high-tech manufacturing and those which, for the time being, are concentrated in low- or no-tech assembly. In this article, we explore the market characteristics of ASEAN’s most important manufacturing destinations.