Showing 1 - 10 of 31
Forest loss slowing in Indonesia and Malaysia
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 03/05/2021
» The pandemic prevented major countries and corporations from achieving environmental goals last year as they diverted resources toward economic recovery. Global rainforest conservation took one of its largest hits in almost two decades, with primary forest loss increasing by 12% from 2019, according to satellite data from Global Forest Watch.
Crypto regulation must be innovative
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 19/04/2021
» India's government made global headlines last month with news of its proposed ban on the possession, issuance, mining, trading and transferring of cryptocurrencies and crypto-assets. If passed, the law would make India the first country to make cryptocurrencies illegal.
The 6G revolution
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 12/04/2021
» While many countries are only starting to roll out 5G, China is already focusing on the development of 6G -- the next-generation mobile technology that will be orders of magnitude faster than its predecessor and a key enabler of the Internet of Things.
We may have already passed 'peak petrol'
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 05/04/2021
» Last year saw an 11% drop in global petrol consumption, marking the beginning of a historical shift after more than a century of continuous growth in demand. The International Energy Agency (IEA) is now predicting that we will probably never see pre-Covid levels of petrol use again.
Teaming up for the future of digital currency
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 15/03/2021
» China recently joined the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and the Bank of Thailand in a joint project that aims to get more Asian central banks to explore the potential of distributed ledger technology, also known as blockchain, to enhance the digital financial infrastructure for cross-border payments.
Supply chain bottlenecks in Vietnam
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 01/03/2021
» Vietnam's economy has fared better than that of almost any other country except China during the Covid-19 crisis. It grew by 2.9% last year while most other countries fell into recession.
Banking on the unbanked
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 22/02/2021
» Southeast Asia's fintech scene is going from strength to strength, with the regional industry valued at up to US$100 billion at the end of last year. Yet it has so far only produced a handful of unicorns -- startups valued at more than $1 billion.
Alternative foods take the next step
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 15/02/2021
» Earth's population will expand to about 10 billion people by 2050, putting incredible strain on our ability to feed everyone. Added stresses from climate change will only increase pressure on the planet's natural resources. Heading off these challenges means we need to start getting creative about food production now.
Indonesia steps up creative economy drive
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 01/02/2021
» The United Nations has declared this year the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development. Indonesia, having sponsored the proposal and proposed the theme of "Inclusively Creative: A Global Recovery", will lead the initiative to promote the creative economy, which is expected to become a new driver or prosperity.
The future of agriculture is live streaming
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 14/12/2020
» E-commerce is a way of life for retail in China, but until recently it had barely touched the agricultural industry, one of the country's least innovative sectors. But this changed the past year with the pandemic accelerating farmers' move online.