Showing 1 - 10 of 11
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.
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.
Vietnam's clever rice strategy
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 25/01/2021
» Vietnam, the world's second largest rice exporter, this month made a surprising move by starting to import the grain from India. It is importing the cheaper Indian rice to meet domestic demand while saving its own output, which is currently selling at a multi-year high, for the export market.
Big ideas will define a post-Covid world
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 04/01/2021
» The rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations in a number of countries provides light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel, even if it doesn't spell the end of the crisis. When we finally make the transition from the current state to the next normal, we may not be sure what the world will look like, but we do know there are a few big ideas in play that could shape the near future.
China tackles food security fears
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 16/11/2020
» The Covid-19 crisis is adding to China's food security risks as importers have been told to avoid frozen food imports from countries suffering severe outbreaks after positive tests on packaging of some imported seafoods.
Southeast Asia's fruit express to China
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 15/06/2020
» China has become a major destination for fruit exports from Asean, with Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan and Hunan provinces in the south emerging as key markets thanks to their geographical proximity and close trade with Southeast Asian countries.
Can Thai fruit restore economic health?
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 09/03/2020
» Thailand's fruit exporters are anxiously hoping that the worst effects of the Covid-19 outbreak will soon be over, as otherwise fruit sales will become another casualty of the virus. Fruit exports have been a star performer for Thailand over the past couple of years, driven mainly by demand from China. In 2018 Thailand's fresh fruit exports to China rose by almost 50% to 700,000 tonnes, and in the first half of last year they rose by a further 123%.
Asean alternatives to single-use plastics
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 28/10/2019
» Single-use plastics, and how to reduce our dependency on them, has become one of the hottest consumer issues in the world, especially with young people. This is certainly true in Thailand where a number of high-profile stories have galvanised people into changing their habits.
Swine fever a serious threat to Southeast Asia
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 14/10/2019
» With pork being China's most popular meat, the African Swine Fever epidemic that first hit the country last year is becoming a major crisis. More than 100 million pigs have already died, including half the country's herd of breeding sows, and the price of pork in China has risen by more than half.