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☆ Sea pivoted to growth over profits as it faced rising competition from TikTok, Lazada, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But analysts said the pivot is a move to defend market share. Defending your market share is the right strategy in e-commerce. CEO Shou Zi Chew said in June that TikTok would invest billions of dollars in Southeast Asia over the next few years to gain market share. Sea's decision to accelerate ecommerce investments in growth is likely to materially weigh on its earnings and share price in the near-term. "Sea's decision to accelerate ecommerce investments in growth is likely to materially weigh on its earnings and share price in the near-term," said JPMorgan.

Persons: Forrest Li, GoTo, Sachin Mittal, Woo, Li, JPMorgan, Jonathan Woo, Shou Zi Chew, TikTok, Alibaba's Lazada, Sea's Shopee, Lazada's GMV Organizations: Sea Ltd, Bloomberg, Getty, Local, DBS Bank, Phillip Securities Research, JPMorgan, Momentum Works Locations: Singapore, Lazada, Southeast Asia

☆ On San Francisco stop, Taiwan VP says will take peace as his 'lighthouse'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Taiwan's Vice President William Lai addresses supporters at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront hotel in Burlingame, California, U.S. August 16, 2023. REUTERS/Loren Elliott Acquire Licensing RightsTAIPEI, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Taiwan Vice President William Lai has promised during a visit to San Francisco to take peace as his "lighthouse" and democracy as his guide, on the final leg of a trip that China has condemned. China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has denounced the transit stops in the United States and called Lai a "troublemaker". "Taiwan is a crucial partner in U.S. efforts to maintain global peace and stability, including in the Taiwan Strait," Rosenberger said. The United States has no formal ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

Persons: William Lai, Loren Elliott, Lai, Taiwan's, Laura Rosenberger, Rosenberger, Biden, likeminded, Yimou Lee, Ben Blanchard, Robert Birsel Organizations: San Francisco, Marriott, REUTERS, Rights, Taiwan, American Institute, Thomson Locations: Burlingame , California, U.S, Rights TAIPEI, San Francisco, China, Taipei, Paraguay, New York, Taiwan, United States, Silicon, Taiwan Strait

[1/5] A view of watches seized during a police raid, in Singapore, in this handout picture released on August 16, 2023. The raids on at least nine locations netted assets totalling a staggering S$1 billion, police said. A police statement said the group was suspected to be laundering proceeds from overseas organised crime, including scams and online gambling. Singapore has in recent years seen an influx of foreign money. ($1 = 1.3618 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Xinghui Kok; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Chew, Xinghui Kok, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Singapore Police Force, Facebook, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Cypriot, Police, Monetary Authority, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Orchard, Sentosa, tony, China, Cambodia, Cyprus, Vanuatu, Chew

☆ Asia promotes crypto clarity amid regulatory uncertainty in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Earlier this month, Hong Kong officially opened crypto trading to retail investors and upgraded licenses of two exchanges. "This will further boost investor confidence, making Hong Kong more attractive as a potential global virtual asset hub," said Lai. He concluded some crypto firms could leave the U.S. for more progressive jurisdictions as a result. Asia's regulatory clarityAcross the Pacific, Singapore and Hong Kong offer far more operational clarity for many industry players "Singapore has the first mover advantage in the Asia Pacific region, including being ahead of Hong Kong. watch nowSingapore's Payment Services Act — a framework for regulating payment services and the provision of crypto services to the public — came into effect in January 2020.

Persons: Ben Charoenwong, Lennix Lai, Lai, Ong Chengyi, Chainalysis, Hong, Blockchain.com, Ripple, Hong Kong, Janice Goh, Coinbase, Binance, Brad Garlinghouse, Goh Organizations: Getty, Nurphoto, National University of Singapore Business School, Monetary Authority of, Cavenagh, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, CNBC, MAS Locations: Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, China, Asia, U.S, Hong Kong . Hong Kong, Singapore, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong, Pacific

☆ Sea sails recklessly into choppy e-commerce waters
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Singapore-based Sea Limited Chairman and CEO Forrest Li, speaks during an interview with CNBC following his company's IPO on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., October 20, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Aug 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Sea's (SE.N) boss Forrest Li has picked a turbulent time to rock the boat. But Li's declaration on Tuesday that it's time to "ramp up" investments again risks wiping out the hard-earned investor goodwill. Despite Li's assurances that Sea will keep emphasising self-sufficiency and cost efficiencies, investors promptly erased some $10 billion, or 29%, in market value. In July, the latter injected $845 million into its Southeast Asian arm, signalling a price war may be on the horizon.

Persons: Forrest Li, Brendan McDermid, HONG KONG, Li, China's Alibaba, Robyn Mak, Exor’s Philips, Bain, BoE, Antony Currie, Thomas Shum Organizations: CNBC, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Reuters, HK, Twitter, FC Barcelona’s, Messi, Thomson Locations: Singapore, New York, U.S, HONG, York

☆ Southeast Asia turns to alternative meats as fight against climate change ramps up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Nyshka Chandran | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Packages of "Impossible Burger" and Beyond Meat sit on a shelf for sale on November 15, 2019 in New York City. Vegetarian alternatives to burgers and sausages are enjoying a certain enthusiasm that meat giants also want to enjoy. Reducing meat and dairy consumption could be the key to Southeast Asia's climate crisis, experts say. By 2060, alternative proteins around Southeast Asia and other Asia-Pacific nations will need to account for more than half of protein production, the report added. That adds to the overall environmental footprint of animal production.

Organizations: Asia Research, Lancet, Food Institute Asia Pacific, CNBC Locations: New York City, Singapore, Southeast Asia, Asia, Pacific, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay

☆ Vietnam might be at the forefront of Southeast Asia's A.I. development, JPMorgan says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailVietnam might be at the forefront of Southeast Asia's A.I. development, JPMorgan saysRanjan Sharma, head of ASEAN TMT equity research at JPMorgan, says the country has a large and growing base of IT personnel.

Persons: Ranjan Sharma Organizations: JPMorgan, ASEAN

SINGAPORE, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Singapore's central bank released a regulatory framework on Tuesday intended to bolster the stability of single-currency stablecoins. The framework will apply to non-bank issuers of single-currency stablecoins pegged to the Singapore Dollar or any G10 currencies where their circulation exceeds S$5 million, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The central bank has to hold legislative consultations before Parliament passes amendments that would bring the framework into force. Single-currency stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency pegged to a traditional asset like national currencies. The reserve assets must be at least at 100% of the outstanding single-currency stablecoins that are in circulation.

Persons: Xinghui Kok, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Singapore, Monetary Authority of Singapore, MAS, UST, U.S . House Financial Services, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, U.S

☆ Indonesia's GoTo narrows losses, says on track for profitability
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Stefanno Sulaiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Indonesia's biggest tech firm GoTo (GOTO.JK) on Tuesday said it had slashed underlying losses in the second quarter to 1.2 trillion rupiah ($78.25 million), down from 4.3 trillion rupiah a year earlier, helped by intense cost-cutting measures. Following positive results for the first half, GoTo revised its 2023 adjusted EBITDA outlook to a loss of between 4.5 trillion rupiah and 3.8 trillion rupiah, from a previously forecast loss of between 5.3 trillion rupiah and 4.6 trillion rupiah. Net revenues for the second quarter of 2023 rose to 3.6 trillion rupiah, up 86.7% from 2022, with the company's overall gross transaction value for the period reaching 143.7 trillion rupiah, it said. The company said it had slashed losses by 48% for the first half compared to a year earlier. Shares in GoTo, shorthand for GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, closed up 6.59% to 97 rupiah per share before the earnings announcement.

Persons: GoTo, Japan's, Patrick Walujo, Walujo, Tokopedia, TikTok, GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Fanny Potkin, Conor Humphries Organizations: Japan's SoftBank, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA

☆ Singapore's Sea misses Q2 revenue estimates on weak e-commerce sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Southeast Asian e-commerce and gaming group Sea Ltd's sign is pictured at its office in Singapore, March 5, 2021. Tepid spending amid a challenging macroeconomic outlook pressured Sea's e-commerce business Shopee and caused a steep decline in its mobile gaming business. After a meteoric run in 2020 and part of 2021, with multiple quarters of triple-digital revenue increases, Sea's growth tapered as the pandemic-fueled boom in e-commerce and digital entertainment waned. Revenue grew over 5% from a year earlier to $3.10 billion, compared with analysts' estimate of $3.20 billion, according to Refinitiv data. E-commerce revenue, which contributes about two-thirds of the company's top-line, grew about 21% to $2.1 billion from a year earlier, but missed expectations of $2.25 billion.

Persons: Edgar Su, Sea's, Shopee, Yuvraj Malik, Krishna Chandra Organizations: REUTERS, Technology, Sea Ltd, Asia's, Revenue, Thomson Locations: Singapore, India, Europe, Bengaluru

☆ Stock Market Today: Dow Futures Slip; Yuan Weakens After China Cuts Rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Asia's economic fortunes are upturned: While laggardly Japan has just clocked up robust 6% growth, China's faltering economy has pushed Beijing into cutting rates. The yuan weakened beyond 7.3 a dollar. Across the Pacific, stock futures are slipping early Tuesday, after a Nasdaq-led rally in the previous session. And bonds remain under pressure, with the 10-year Treasury yield above 4.2%. The key level to watch: last October's peak of 4.231%, which was the highest close since 2008.

Organizations: Nasdaq, Treasury Locations: Japan, Beijing

A general view shows a special ship, "Neptune", the floating liquefied natural gas terminal, during the inauguration of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal 'Deutsche Ostsee' in the port of Lubmin, Germany January 14, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File PhotoLAUNCESTON, Australia, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The comfort that had characterised natural gas markets in Asia and Europe in recent months was shown to be a mere illusion by the threat of strike action at three major Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants. Benchmark Dutch natural gas prices jumped 28.3% from the close on Aug. 8 to the finish on Aug. 10 as reports of the looming strike action spooked the market. Woodside and Chevron are engaging in talks with labour unions at the LNG facilities, and it's not yet clear what form any strike action would take, assuming no agreement can be reached. Europe's LNG imports in contrast have been trending lower as the continent's natural gas storages remained elevated and demand shifts structurally lower as countries move to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Persons: Annegret, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Woodside Energy, Chevron, West Shelf, Benchmark, South Korea, China, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lubmin, Germany, LAUNCESTON, Australia, Asia, Europe, Western Australia, North Asia, Woodside, Chevron, Ukraine, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, United States

SINGAPORE, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Singapore will hold a presidential election on Sept. 1 if more than one candidate is nominated to run for the largely ceremonial post, the government said on Friday. This year's presidential election in the diverse city-state will be open to all ethnic groups, unlike the last time, in 2017, when the post was controversially reserved for those of Malay ethnicity. The 2017 election was uncontested when applications from four candidates were rejected, sparking a rare protest by several hundred people in a city park who raised a banner with the message "ROBBED OF AN ELECTION #NotMyPresident". They will have to get certificates of eligibility from the Presidential Elections Committee to stand. Singapore has about 3.5 million citizens, about three-quarters of them ethnic Chinese, 12.5% ethnic Malay and 9% ethnic Indian, with the rest classified as Eurasians.

Persons: Halimah, Singapore's, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Ng Kok, George Goh, Xinghui Kok, Jason Neely, Robert Birsel Organizations: Presidential, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, Malay

SINGAPORE, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Three bulk carriers were robbed in the Singapore Strait earlier this week, a Singapore-based regional maritime security centre on Friday. One of the busiest commercial waterways in the world has seen a spike in piracy in recent years. The incidents of "petty crime" happened between Aug 8-9, when the ships were in the Phillip Channel in the Singapore Strait, said the Information Fusion Centre, which is a regional facility hosted by the Singapore navy. One of the ships was flagged to Cyprus, while the other two carried Liberia flags, the centre said in a statement. "Majority of the incidents involved bulk carriers, and tugs and barges with low freeboard and slow speed while underway, and the incidents occurred in hours of darkness," it said.

Persons: Xinghui Kok, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Information Fusion, Singapore, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, Cyprus, Liberia, India, Indonesia, South Korea

☆ Indonesia gives automakers more time to qualify for EV credits in investment bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Stefanno Sulaiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A worker stands near a Mini Cooper Electric car, that is displayed during the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in Tangerang, near Jakarta, Indonesia, August 10, 2023. REUTERS/Willy KurniawanTANGERANG, Indonesia, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Indonesia said on Thursday it would give automakers two more years to qualify for electric vehicle incentives in Southeast Asia's largest auto market, a move followed by investment commitments by China's Neta EV brand and Mitsubishi Motors. The moves announced at the Jakarta auto show come as Indonesia races Thailand and India to build out an EV industry as an alternative to China, the world’s largest producer. Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest auto market and its second-largest production hub behind Thailand. Until now, only two manufacturers have shifted enough production to Indonesia to qualify for full incentives: Wuling Motors (0305.HK) and Hyundai (005380.KS).

Persons: Willy Kurniawan TANGERANG, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, ” Agus, Wuling, Hiroyuki Ueda, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kevin Krolicki, Conor Humphries Organizations: Cooper, REUTERS, China's, Mitsubishi Motors, Toyota, Daihatsu, Honda, Mitsubishi, New Energy Automobile, Wuling Motors, HK, Hyundai, Wuling, Air EV, Reuters, Gaikindo, Auto Show, Astra Motor, PT Astra International, Thomson Locations: Indonesia, Tangerang, Jakarta, Thailand, India, China, Southeast, Neta, Gaikindo Indonesia

☆ China's heading for another real estate crisis — but it's on a whole different scale than what it's seen before
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Country Garden, a massive Chinese property developer, missed interest payments on two dollar bonds this week. However, it's the scale of Country Garden's projects that is a big warning signal for the Chinese real estate sector and the wider economy. Evergrande faced a liquidity crisis in 2020, prodding it to try to halve its around $100 billion debt by mid-2023. These efforts were scuppered by a slowdown in China's property sector and regulators' efforts to put brakes on property developers borrowing excessively. However, putting the brakes on borrowing started sending the property sector into a crisis.

Persons: Kristy Hung, Yang Guoqiang, Yang Huiyan, Yang, Moody's, Sandra Chow, Evergrande, Huileng Tan Organizations: Service, Bloomberg Intelligence, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, CNN, China Index Academy, Reuters, Pacific Research, New York Times, Caixa Bank Locations: Beijing, Wall, Silicon, China, Evergrande, Foshan, Asia, Pacific, CreditSights

☆ Asia's once-richest woman lost 84% of her wealth — more than any billionaire since the COVID-19 pandemic — as China's property sector teeters on yet another crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Yang Huiyan, the chair of Chinese property giant Country Garden, lost about $29 billion of her wealth since June 2021. These losses come as Country Garden missed interest payments on two US-dollar-denominated bonds, according to various media reports, including a Reuters report on Wednesday. Yang — who became China's richest woman at 25 after the company's IPO — lost the spot of Asia's richest woman in August 2022 to Savitri Jindal. Jindal is India's richest woman and chairperson emeritus of the Indian conglomerate O.P. Country Garden and Yang Huiyan did not respond to requests for comment sent by Insider.

Persons: Yang Huiyan, Yang Huiyan —, —, Yang —, Yang, Savitri Jindal, Jindal Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Reuters, Ohio State University, New York Times, Jindal Group, Country Locations: Wall, Silicon, Foshan, Hong Kong

☆ Millennials and Gen Zers in Asia don't want to work in factories. It means you could soon pay more for clothes, furniture, and toys.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Young people in Asia don't want factory jobs, so companies are raising wages and adding perks. That's because factories across Asia that have traditionally produced many of these goods are struggling to find workers, The Wall Street Journal reported. In China, manufacturing workers' wages have more than tripled over the past decade, and factory workers in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Japan, have seen notable pay bumps as well. Companies like the Barbie manufacturer Mattel, the toy maker Hasbro, and Nike are facing elevated labor costs in Asia that have contributed to price hikes. Mark Perry, University of Michigan economistExperts attribute Asia's factory labor shortage to a variety of factors.

Persons: it's, Manoj Pradhan, Mark Perry, Julian Zhu, Gabriel Galvan, It's, Barbie Organizations: Service, Street Journal, Companies, Mattel, Hasbro, Nike, University of Michigan, Reuters Locations: Asia, Wall, Silicon, London, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, Mexico, America

☆ Morning Bid: Caution the watchword for inflation tests
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Produce is seen at El Progreso Market in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Washington, D.C., U.S., August 19, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger/File PhotoA look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne Cole. It's been a slow start in Asia, with little in the way of market-moving news over the weekend. Both Bank of America and JPMorgan last week ditched their forecasts for a U.S. recession and embraced the soft landing theme. Inflation figures from the United States and China will be major tests for investors this week.

Persons: Sarah Silbiger, Wayne Cole, It's, Walt Disney, Huw Pill, Raphael Bostic, Michelle Bowman, Edmund Klamann Organizations: El Progreso Market, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Nasdaq, Bank of Japan, Bank of America, JPMorgan, U.S, CPI, New Corp, Fox, Sony, Bank of England's, Atlanta Fed, Thomson Locations: Mount Pleasant, Washington ,, Wayne, Asia, U.S, United States, China, Beijing, Japan

On a quarterly, non-seasonally adjusted basis, GDP expanded 3.86%, compared with the poll's prediction of 3.72% growth. Meanwhile, exports contracted 2.75% in the second quarter on a yearly basis, in stark contrast to last quarter's growth of more than 10%. Myrdal Gunarto, economist with Maybank Indonesia, said he might raise his bank's full-year 2023 GDP growth outlook of 5.05%, but described the second quarter data as "a sign that economic activities had peaked". The better-than-expected data may spur monetary policymakers to shift their focus from growth to the current account, as strong domestic demand typically leads to rising imports, said Fakhrul Fulvian, economist with Trimegah Securities, who maintained his full-year 2023 GDP growth outlook at 5%. The government is targeting the same growth rate for 2023.

Persons: Eid, Joko Widodo's, Myrdal Gunarto, Myrdal, Fakhrul Fulvian, Radhika Rao, Stefanno Sulaiman, Fransiska Nangoy, Gayatri Suroyo, Martin Petty, Sonali Paul Organizations: Asia's, Statistics, Reuters, Maybank, Trimegah Securities, U.S ., Bank, DBS Bank, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Statistics Indonesia, Maybank Indonesia, Indonesia, Bank Indonesia

A truck carrying iron ore moves along a road at the Fortescue Metals Christmas Creek iron ore mine located south of Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, November 17, 2015. But it's worth noting that China's two main imports from Australia, iron ore and liquefied natural gas (LNG), were left untouched throughout the dispute. China gets about 70% of its iron ore from Australia and about one-third of its LNG, some of it under a low, fixed-price contract signed two decades ago. But overall it would seem that the ending of Beijing's trade actions against Australia will be net positive for both countries. This suggests Beijing didn't learn the lessons from the trade tariffs imposed on it by the U.S. administration of former president Donald Trump.

Persons: Jim Regan, hadn't, Beijing didn't, Donald Trump, Trump, Sonali Paul Organizations: Fortescue, REUTERS, China's Ministry of Commerce, Australia, Labor Party, Liberal, National, Labor, Canberra, Beijing, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Port Hedland, Pilbara, Western Australia, LAUNCESTON, Australia, China, China's, Beijing, Canberra, Indonesia, Russia, United States, India, Vietnam, U.S, Ukraine

Aug 7 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. The U.S. yield curve steepened by 20-30 basis points last week - the biggest steepening since March - and the steepening of the 2-year/30-year yield curve by 30 basis points was one of the biggest weekly moves in over a decade. U.S. fiscal worries are also growing, however, and the Bank of Japan's recent 'yield curve control' surprise has lifted Japanese bond yields. Several potential market-moving data releases and events in Asia are also due, as well U.S. consumer price inflation for July. Monday's calendar in Asia is fairly light, with Indonesian Q2 GDP and Thai inflation for July the main releases.

Persons: Jamie McGeever, JP Morgan, Diane Craft Organizations: Nasdaq, Bank of, Sony, Reuters, Reserve Bank of India, China FX, Thomson Locations: Indonesia, Philippines, Asia, Japan, U.S, China, Beijing, Thailand

The quarterly results from OCBC, also Southeast Asia's second largest lender by assets, rounded up a strong earnings season by Singapore banks as DBS Group (DBSM.SI) and United Overseas Bank (UOBH.SI) also delivered double-digit profit growth. Besides higher interest rates, Singapore lenders have also benefited from strong inflows from wealthy customers amid global uncertainty, including U.S.-China geopolitical tensions, because of the city-state's status as a financial safe-haven. Higher interest rates and slower economic growth could raise asset-quality risks for businesses and individual customers, he said, adding weak loan demand could negatively impact net interest income growth momentum once margin expansion peaks. OCBC said April-June net profit climbed to S$1.71 billion ($1.28 billion) from S$1.28 billion a year earlier mainly driven by better income growth and partly offset by higher allowances for non-impaired assets. The figure compared with a mean estimate of a S$1.76 billion profit from four analysts polled by Refinitiv.

Persons: ROE, Thilan Wickramasinghe, OCBC, NIM, Yantoultra Ngui, Tom Hogue, Shri Navaratnam, Jamie Freed Organizations: Chinese Banking Corp, DBS, United Overseas Bank, Maybank Securities, Refinitiv, Thomson Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, Asia's, U.S, China, Malaysia

☆ Singapore bank OCBC second-quarter earnings rise; sees rate cuts from 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Yantoultra Ngui | Thomson Reuters | Yantoultra Ngui Is A Southeast Asia Deals Correspondent With Reuters In Singapore | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The quarterly results from OCBC, also Southeast Asia's second largest lender by assets, rounded up a strong earnings season by Singapore banks as DBS Group (DBSM.SI) and United Overseas Bank (UOBH.SI) also delivered double-digit profit growth. Besides higher interest rates, Singapore lenders have also benefited from strong inflows from wealthy customers amid global uncertainty, including U.S.-China geopolitical tensions, because of the city-state's status as a financial safe-haven. The figure compared with a mean estimate of a S$1.76 billion profit from four analysts polled by Refinitiv. The bank projected its full-year net interest margin, a key profitability gauge, to be above 2.2%, return on equity in the range of 14% and low-to-mid single-digit loan growth. ($1 = 1.3410 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui; Editing by Tom Hogue, Shri Navaratnam and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: ROE, Helen Wong, Thilan Wickramasinghe, OCBC, Wong, Yantoultra Ngui, Tom Hogue, Shri Navaratnam, Jamie Freed Organizations: Chinese Banking Corp, DBS, United Overseas Bank, Maybank Securities, Refinitiv, Thomson Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, Asia's, U.S, China, Malaysia

☆ Japan is Asia's most expensive location to send expats — here are the other top spots
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The average expatriate package in Japan cost employers $370,183 in 2022, according to "MyExpatriate Market Pay" survey by data company ECA International. Japan's salary and benefits packages for expats remained the highest in Asia, a new report has found. The average expatriate package in Japan costs employers $370,183, according to "MyExpatriate Market Pay" survey by data company ECA International. As a result, when measured in U.S. dollars, costs for salary, benefits and taxes "all fell by double-digit percentages," the report said. Globally, Japan ranked second while the U.K. retained its top spot as the most expensive location in the world to send expatriates.

Persons: —, assignees, Lee Quane, Quane Organizations: ECA, expats, Japan, ECA International, International's, Asia, Hong Locations: Japan, Asia, Laos, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Korea Republic

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