JAKARTA — Indonesia has once again become Southeast Asia’s COVID-19 hot spot, overtaking Singapore in terms of cumulative cases on Wednesday. The region’s biggest economy reported an additional 1,031 infections, bringing its total to 41,431, while Singapore saw its figure rise to 41,216. Indonesia has seen an average of around […]
Asias
Expats flee Bali as virus crashes Asia’s top luxury villa market
DENPASAR — With a private pool, walled tropical gardens and a large terrace overlooking a lush green river valley in central Bali, Kadek Wisana’s three-bedroom villa usually goes for $100 a night. Now Wisana has slashed the rent to $400 a month and still he can’t find tenants, with over […]
Harvard alum plots disruption of Asia’s money-changers
SINGAPORE — Singapore’s You Technologies Group says strong cross-border e-commerce sales have kept its multi-currency digital wallet YouTrip popular with consumers during the coronavirus pandemic. Pitched mainly at international travelers, YouTrip allows users to buy foreign currencies without having to pay expensive commissions charged by banks and money-changers. Launched in 2016, YouTrip […]
Harvard alum plots disruption of Asia’s moneychangers
SINGAPORE — Singapore’s You Technologies Group says strong cross border e-commerce sales has kept its multi-currency digital wallet YouTrip popular with consumers through the coronavirus pandemic. Pitched mainly at international travellers, YouTrip allows users to buy foreign currencies without having to pay expensive commissions charged by banks and moneychangers. Launched […]
Asia’s lead in virus recovery not showing in stock markets
HONG KONG/TOKYO — Asia’s head start over the rest of the world in reopening its coronavirus-hit economies is not reflected in the region’s share indexes, with recoveries lagging those in developed markets. The MSCI gauge of Asian equities ex Japan has risen 15% since March 23 compared with a gain […]
How red tape could bury Asia’s virus-stricken startups
TOKYO — Stockpiling mattresses didn’t top many people’s lists of essentials as they prepared to hole up for the coronavirus lockdown. That should have rung alarm bells for Bangalore-based bedding supplier Sunday Mattress, whose mattresses designed by Japan’s Hiroko Shiratori sell at a premium. But CEO Alphonse Reddy spotted an […]
Dengue complicates Southeast Asia’s coronavirus fight
JAKARTA — Southeast Asian countries are bracing for possible outbreaks of infectious diseases that show symptoms similar to those of the novel coronavirus ahead of the rainy season. Treatments for these seasonal infections are very different from those for COVID-19, complicating the work of front-line medical workers. As of May 8, there […]
Southeast Asia’s shift to renewables a blow to Japan’s plant builders
MANILA/TOKYO — Philippine conglomerate Ayala plans to exit coal-fired power generation by the end of the decade, becoming the first major power company in Southeast Asia to quit the fossil fuel. The move by Ayala’s energy unit reflects a broader shift in the region toward renewable energy, whose cost is […]
The subatomic age: Asia’s quantum computing arms race
SINGAPORE/TOKYO — Dzmitry Matsukevich’s laboratory is cramped and windowless, dominated by two large tables laid out with arrays of lasers, lenses, cables and black boxes arranged like some impenetrably complex board game. It is an experimentalist’s space — practical, prioritizing form over function. Plastic sheeting hangs in curtains from the ceiling; […]
Asia’s stakeholder capitalism can help beat pandemic: Davos chief
TOKYO — The ability of Asian companies to balance the needs of both shareholders and stakeholders will help the region recover from the novel coronavirus pandemic, the founder of the World Economic Forum says. Klaus Schwab, who established the WEF and hosts its renowned Davos annual meeting, has long promoted stakeholder […]