Among its many initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Temasek’s investments in medical initiatives best demonstrate its agility, resourcefulness, and innovation. Widely seen as one of the most sophisticated government-owned investors in the world, the Singapore-based company has been applauded for tapping its diverse networks and expertise to find solutions for global shortages of …
For Myanmar-based conglomerate Yoma Group, the COVID-19 pandemic was a defining moment in its service to the country. Although its acquisition of mobile financial services operator Wave Money was planned before the pandemic, it was the trying times of 2020 that truly underscored the importance of mobile money in promoting financial inclusion in Myanmar. The …
The worst is over, or at least that’s what many Asia Business Council members think about economic prospects for the next year. By Asia Business Council Executive Director Mark Clifford.
Covid-19 has been a disaster for most businesses in Asia, as everywhere. But the epidemic has given some Asian companies a new-found sense of purpose. By Program Associate Colleen Howe.
The Asia Business Council annual survey of members found business optimism for the year ahead has plunged to the lowest level since the global financial crisis in 2008. The overwhelming reason cited was the U.S.-China trade conflict. Other reasons included concerns about a trade war-induced recession, Japan-South Korea trade disputes, and the impact of Persian …
Look for more geopolitical tensions and new technologies to continue a period of great disruption in supply chains, business models, and consumer behavior. By Asia Business Council Executive Director Mark Clifford.
It is unfortunate that North Korea plays with foreign relations–and Korean lives–as if it were just another mass-game spectacle. By Asia Business Council Executive Director Mark Clifford.
The panic is past. But the pandemic is still with us. Businesses are preparing for a world in which the Covid-19 virus and other pandemic diseases are a recurring feature. What will this new landscape look like? By Asia Business Council Executive Director Mark Clifford.
South Korea has tested a larger percentage of its citizens for COVID-19 than any nation on Earth. Densely packed Hong Kong, despite its proximity to the rest of China, has seen only four novel coronavirus deaths to date. Singapore, long-known for its focus on cleanliness and its police-state mentality, had been doing an exemplary job …
Xi Jinping’s approach highlights how politics has always been in command in China. But nationalistic leaders and web users would do well to remember the losses suffered through extreme political correctness in the Mao era. By Executive Director Mark Clifford.
