Showing 1 - 10 of 90
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.
Transforming the face of Chinese tech
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 26/04/2021
» China's technology industry is at a crossroads. In the middle of the Covid crisis last year, Chinese tech companies were booming as people embraced online services, entertainment and shopping. This led to a sharp rise in profits for the parent companies and soaring share prices.
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.
Our thirst for semiconductors
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 29/03/2021
» Taiwan is facing its worst drought in 56 years, an event that is having an unexpected impact on its position as a global semiconductor production hub.
Risks and rewards of Asia's automation boom
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 22/03/2021
» The ability of automation to disrupt businesses and economies is not a new phenomenon. In the 1800s the factory system in Europe and the development of mechanised production, particularly in the textiles and manufacturing sectors, transformed the world of work and industry and gave rise to workers' movements that smashed the equipment they said was taking their jobs.
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.
What's next for Asian aviation?
Asia focus, Suwatchai Songwanich, Published on 08/03/2021
» The recent resurgence of Covid-19 infections across the region has snuffed out hopes that demand for travel will returning to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon. Last month, seat occupancy on Thai carriers fell to 13% of pre-virus levels, after an initial bump up to 46% in late December.
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.