Posts by Mark Darwin
Far East Orchard secures £96 million for private fund to develop UK student accommodation
The fund supports the company’s pivot ‘towards an asset-light model and its objective of growing recurring fee-based income’ [SINGAPORE] Far East Orchard on Wednesday (Jun 18) said its first private student accommodation development fund in Singapore has secured £96 million (S$166 million) in total committed capital at its closing. This includes £70 million raised at…
Read MoreGrab’s US$1.5 billion convertible issue seen as prepping for competition and need for capital: Maybank
[SINGAPORE] Grab’s recent move to upsize its five-year convertible note size to US$1.5 billion is timely given that the Asean digital sector – which includes food delivery – is likely to see more competition, said a Maybank Securities report. Grab’s net cash position will rise to US$7.7 billion post-issue and, on conversion, could lead to…
Read MoreEuropean, North Asian companies also eyeing the potential of JSSEZ: UOB banker
[SINGAPORE] The Johor-Singapore special economic zone (JSSEZ) is drawing interest from companies not just from Singapore, but also from Europe and North Asia. Chiok Sook Yin, UOB’s head of foreign direct investment (FDI) advisory in the chief executive officer’s office, said on Wednesday (Jun 18) the bank has noticed a number of European and North…
Read MoreIndonesia antitrust agency gives ‘conditional’ go-ahead for TikTok’s Tokopedia takeover
The agency will continue to monitor whether the requirements are being implemented until June 17, 2027 Published Wed, Jun 18, 2025 · 05:14 PM [JAKARTA] Indonesia’s antitrust agency has given its “conditional” blessing to last year’s takeover of the country’s biggest e-commerce platform Tokopedia by TikTok after ending its probe into potential monopoly risks, it…
Read MoreJD.com billionaire unveils turnaround plan after five-year slump
[BEIJING] JD.com founder Richard Liu vowed to speed up an overseas foray and compete with Meituan in new arenas from food delivery to travel, describing his boldest attempt yet to revive an online retailer that’s languished since a 2020 government crackdown. The past half-decade was the darkest period for his company, Liu said during a…
Read MoreChina’s central bank says to promote digital yuan, multi-polar currency system
Pan Gongsheng expects several key global currencies to coexist in mutual competition and checks and balances. Published Wed, Jun 18, 2025 · 12:07 PM [SHANGHAI] China’s central bank governor announced plans to promote the international use of the digital yuan and called for the development of a multi-polar global currency system, where several currencies dominate…
Read MoreSingtel’s Optus reaches settlement over alleged sales misconduct, including A$100 million proposed penalty
[SINGAPORE] Optus Mobile has reached a settlement with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which filed court proceedings against it over alleged sales misconduct, the Singtel subsidiary said on Wednesday (Jun 18). The legal proceedings, filed in the Federal Court of Australia, accused Optus of acting unconscionably and conducting inappropriate sales practices in dealings…
Read MoreUS-China tech fight widens after Taiwan blacklists Huawei
[TAIPEI] Taiwan joined a yearslong US campaign to curtail China’s technological ascent when it blacklisted the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) and chipmaking champions, an unprecedented step that may signal a resurgent effort to isolate its powerful neighbour’s semiconductor sector. Taipei this month added Huawei Technologies and its main chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) to…
Read MoreFed to hold rates steady again as officials wait for more clarity on economy
[HOUSTON] US Federal Reserve officials are widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged for a fourth straight meeting on Wednesday (Jun 18), reiterating they want more clarity on the economic impact of a wide array of government policy changes before adjusting borrowing costs. Policymakers have warned US President Donald Trump’s tariffs could boost inflation and…
Read MoreTrump again pushes TikTok sale deadline with 90 day extension
[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump is extending for a third time the deadline for Chinese company ByteDance to divest the American operations of TikTok, allowing the social media app to keep running in the US while negotiations proceed. “As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark,” White House…
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