Friday, April 19 2024 | ASIA TODAY INTERNATIONAL - Reporting the Business that Matters in Asia
THAILAND is offering a raft of tax and other incentives for companies setting up Interna- tional Headquarters to service their subsidiaries in the region and beyond . . .
TRANSLATION of global trade agreements into business opportunities is the mantra of the Geneva-based International Trade Centre, jointly funded by the WTO and the UN.
UNDER a ‘new normal’ scenario, Chinese companies are expected to invest more than US$9 billion in Australia over the next decade . . .
THE US has made a mistake in choosing not to participate in China’s initiative to establish an Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, says US business leader and G20 government advisor Terry McGraw. He sees a funding vacuum for infrastructure in emerging economies. . .
IF current trends continue, says Uriel Lynn, new rights for unions and workers are going to suffocate business. He has drawn up guidelines which member Chambers of the ICC will take to governments across the world, seeking to defend employer rights . . .
PARIS - On-going change to the current Chinese economic model reveals two major developments: deteriorating price competitiveness in relation to other countries in Asia, and a transition to growth sustained by consumption rather than by investment, says a new report by credit insurer Coface.
COMPENSATION is available for buyers under a Trade Assurance programme now being offered by China’s e-commerce giant, which has also unveiled a venture with alternative finance provider Capify to provide
short-term working capital for its customers . . .
HOTELS are increasingly aware of both the spending power of Chinese travellers and their expectations – 37 per cent of the wealthiest travellers nominate Australia at the top of their wish-list . . .
JULY 1 saw the Australian Business Chamber’s showcase in ShanghaiMart open with 200 products on display, and the first firm orders are starting to come in. The Chamber’s Export Growth China strategy revolves around showcasing Australian products at the new Shanghai facility coupled with targetted displays at regional trade fairs through China . . .
THE bottom line is that Australian companies need to look at Singapore not as a destination in itself but as a springboard to the wider Asian region . . .
McKinsey estimates that net material savings in a Circular Economy on a global scale could reach US$1 trillion by 2025. The benefit would be highest in the automotive sector, followed by machinery and equipment . . .
WE KNOW all about the black economy — sometimes known as the shadow or underground economy. Then, there is the growing digital economy. And now, the circular economy — something else altogether.
The circular economy involves changing the very basis of manufacturing, as we know it, to recycle material with the end aim of slowing likely depletion of natural resources in a world of growing consumerism.
In time — and with the right level of Government and society acceptance — the circular economy could change the way we consume, the way we live and the way goods are made.
In essence, the world has to accept “more from less”.
DATA measured over 40 years from 26 countries in the Asia-Pacific should stimulate debate among policymakers and societies to consider the
consequences of relentless growth . . .
THE World Bank is taking a sanguine, but cautious view of likely reaction to the first upward movement of US interest rates. It believes the first real impact will be on interest costs, which could impact emerging and developing economies over coming months . . .
MYANMAR will be the rising star of intra-Asian investment , according to a new research report from the Economist Intelligence Unit which says 42 per cent of 525 senior executives intend to open a new factory or office there over the next five to 10 years . . .
HONG KONG — Chief Financial Officers and Treasurers are increasingly willing to go mobile in their professional lives, discarding decades-old methods of transferring funds —such as banker’s drafts and cheques — in favour of payments executed on smartphones and tablets. Corporate customers have used HSBC’s mobile corporate banking platform, HSBCnet Mobile, to make a staggering US$50 billion in payments.
Since the launch of the first mobile banking app, banks have primarily invested in mobile innovations focussed on retail banking customers. HSBC says the process of checking a balance or transferring cash has become increasingly intuitive — in some instances, another person’s mobile number is all that is needed to make a payment.