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Features

Line Man delivery riders pick up food at a noodle restaurant in Bangkok on May 13. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
With AI-powered stock trading now a reality, regulators are trying to monitor its use. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Yuki Kohara)
Trading Asia

How AI is changing stock trades for retail investors

With adoption of AI likely to increase, regulators are growing increasingly wary

25 May 2026
A truck is fueled with B50, Indonesia's new 50/50 blend of diesel and palm oil-derived biodiesel, for a road test in Cirebon on April 21.
Big in Asia

Southeast Asia's turn to crops for fuel leaves less for food and exports

Worries dog hasty Iran war-linked shift to higher biodiesel blends in Indonesia, Malaysia

23 May 2026
Officials arrange goods at a cooperative in Denpasar, Indonesia, on April 30. The Red White Cooperative program is a priority for the Indonesian president but some observers worry about the fiscal strain on villages.
Policy Asia

In Indonesia, Prabowo's $14bn village co-op drive collides with rural realities

More than 80,000 'Red White Cooperatives' aim to bypass middlemen; top-down initiative raises concerns

22 May 2026
Xi Jinping mentioned the Thucydides Trap to Donald Trump as the two presidents navigate a relationship marked by a shifting power dynamic. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
China Up Close

Analysis: US leaves no paper trail of Xi-Trump exchanges on Taiwan

China's 'impression' and US leader's rhetoric reflect fragile bilateral stability

21 May 2026
The chief executives of Nissan, Honda and Toyota, (left to right) Ivan Espinosa, Toshihiro Mibe and Kenta Kon are grappling with a loss of market share to BYD and other Chinese automakers. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Nanami Sato, Tomoki Mera and Yuki Nakao) 
Business Asia

Japan's auto industry plots new road map to counter BYD threat

Carmakers collaborate to catch up with China's faster, cheaper EV revolution

20 May 2026
Five years after the Philippine banking sector was expanded, the six licensed digital lenders are finding it hard to attract borrowers and grow their revenue. (Illustration by Yoshiko Kawano)
ASEAN Money

Philippine digital banks struggle to find their mojo

High lending rates and systemic challenges act as brake on profitability

19 May 2026
(Source photos by Getty Images)
Trading Asia

Index providers reshape Asian financial markets with exacting standards

South Korea, Vietnam expect capital inflows, while Indonesia fails to meet criteria

18 May 2026
The COVID pandemic gave horse racing in Japan a shot in the arm. As betting moved online, more women and younger Japanese grew interested. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Kyodo)
Datawatch

Japan horse racing gallops ahead on digital shift

Online betting grows fanbase, bringing in younger and more female patrons

17 May 2026
Australia's Gold Coast, once better known for its beaches, is making waves in the global film industry, backed by government grants and a growing reservoir of production talent.
Big in Asia

Australia goes Hollywood with Gold Coast film production boom

Major projects are coming to the coastal city for talent, landscapes and state support

16 May 2026
Israeli-built Philippine fast attack interdiction ships drill in the South China Sea in November 2024: The navy is only about a third of the way toward its fleet growth targets.
Policy Asia

Philippines no longer military 'weakling' but buildup has far to go

Enhanced navy and air force would still need help to repel Chinese attack

15 May 2026
Donald Trump has returned to China for the first time since 2017, when he complimented Xi Jinping as the "king" of China. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
China Up Close

Analysis: Extending temporary truce could benefit Xi and Trump

The two leaders will try to bring their worlds together at the Temple of Heaven

14 May 2026
The U.S. and China are both looking to space as the next frontier in data center construction. 
Tech Asia

The AI space race: US and China bet big on orbital data centers

Asia supply chain gears up as Google, Nvidia and startups shoot for the stars

13 May 2026
An F88 outlet in Hanoi, part of a rapidly expanding network of “new-generation” pawnshop chains in Vietnam. (Photo by Nguyen Van Anh)
ASEAN Money

From stigma to listing: F88 brings Vietnam pawnshops into the mainstream

Rapid network growth fuels planned listing this year, testing investor appetite

12 May 2026
Natural rubber is made from latex, a milky white substance collected from rubber trees. Sri Trang Agro-Industry's Chief Executive Officer Veerasith Sinchareonkul says the Thai rubber group sees steady demand from tire makers. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Lauren DeCicca and Getty Images) 
Trading Asia

Natural rubber prices soar on Iran tensions, boosting Asian suppliers

Thailand's top group sees firm demand as customers build inventories

11 May 2026
Vacant houses are demolished in Hanoi's central downtown area, May 6. The city's ambitious "100-Year Master Plan" aims to transform the capital into a multi-centered metropolitan region, part of Vietnam's goal of achieving developed-nation status by 2045. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Big in Asia

Remaking Hanoi: Vietnam bets on colossal capital renewal to drive growth

$2.5tn 'Master Plan' to address population boom comes with demolitions, relocations

9 May 2026
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping tour the Forbidden City in Beijing in November 2017. The U.S. leader is poised to visit the Chinese capital again next week.
Policy Asia

Set to host Trump, Xi targets stability under cloud of Iran uncertainty

China expected to use leverage to preserve trade truce, shape US policy on Taiwan

8 May 2026
Shinichi Moriyama of Kyoto Fusioneering's plasma heating division, checks on its gyrotron, which is used in nuclear fusion. (Photo by David Cortez)
Business Asia

Japan's moonshot nuclear fusion tech finds earthbound applications

Startups explore industrial spin-offs to sustain long quest for boundless energy

6 May 2026
The Murum hydroelectric dam in Sarawak is a key component of the Malaysian state’s expanding hydropower portfolio. (Sarawak Energy)
ASEAN Money

Singapore power plan buoys Sarawak's green energy ambitions

Malaysian state on Borneo seeking to become the 'battery of Southeast Asia'

5 May 2026
According to the Hong Kong exchange, 409 listing applications from companies are currently “under processing”. 
Trading Asia

Hong Kong's new listing pipeline undeterred by Iran war volatility

AI/tech leads "billions" in capital raised, with total outpacing Nasdaq and NYSE combined

4 May 2026
U.S. Navy cadets with the Maine Maritime Academy tour the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) State of Maine at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, on Aug. 26, 2025. The yard acquired by the South Korean conglomerate in 2024 epitomizes its drive to build ships for the U.S. Navy and expand its global maritime defense presence.
Big in Asia

South Korea's Hanwha builds arms empire as Ukraine, Iran wars spur spending

Philly shipyard key to ties with US Navy; Firm ramps up global hardware sales

2 May 2026
Workers stitch together garments at an Urmi Group factory in Narayanganj, Bangladesh, in April 2025. 
Policy Asia

Bangladesh clothing makers look to trade deals to revive exports

Cooling Western consumer confidence could accelerate declines in monthly shipments

1 May 2026
Xi Jinping needs a victory heading into the next Chinese Communist Party congress, in 2027, and a handshake with Sanae Takaichi just might give it to him. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Suzuki, Reuters and Getty Images)
China Up Close

Analysis: How the Shenzhen APEC summit might reshape Japan-China ties

A simple handshake could give Xi Jinping a 'complete success' ahead of party congress

30 April 2026
An Apple store in Beijing. China has recently become a major bright spot for iPhone sales.
Tech Asia

What China holds in store for Apple's new CEO

John Ternus set to take reins as India shift struggles, iPhone pressure mounts

28 April 2026
President Prabowo Subianto refers to Garuda Indonesia as a "national pride," but the flag carrier has been struggling with financial losses and long-standing structural problems. Now it must navigate the repercussions of the Iran war. 
ASEAN Money

Iran war casts Garuda Indonesia into even more turbulent skies

Surging fuel and other costs threaten to send troubled airline deeper into the red

28 April 2026
Tokyo's residential property market, which was previously buoyant, has begun to soften, with inflation squeezing budgets and higher interest rates making mortgages more costly. (Photo by Tomoki Mera) 
Trading Asia

Tokyo condo boom cools off as interest rates rise

Inventory of unsold properties rises to the highest level in decades

27 April 2026
Markets in Tokyo and Seoul have hit record highs, while in Manila jeepney drivers went on strike last month to protest surging fuel costs. Economists warn the growing divide could trigger stagflation -- slower growth and accelerated inflation. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images)
Big in Asia

Asia's great disconnect: Markets boom as Iran war fuels cost of living crisis

AI fever lifts stocks to records while Strait of Hormuz closure pumps up oil prices

25 April 2026
Lunchtime smokers and heat-not-burn cigarette users in Tokyo in 2021: Japan's new government budget reduced the tax gap that favored HNB cigarettes, a move that could benefit state-backed Japan Tobacco. (Sipa via AP Images)
Policy Asia

State ownership complicates smoking battle in Japan and China

Asian governments reap hefty dividends from control of leading cigarette makers

24 April 2026
Xi Jinping finds himself in a dilemma. He cannot directly criticize Donald Trump for putting China's crude oil imports at risk without jeopardizing a summit he dearly covets. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
China Up Close

Analysis: US blockade of Hormuz casts shadow over Trump's China visit

As pressures mount on Chinese economy's choke point, Xi poised for counteroffensive

23 April 2026
Coupang has built an impressive logistics service promising fast delivery throughout South Korea.
Business Asia

Small businesses struggle to coexist with 'South Korea's Amazon'

Regulators, politicians at odds with Coupang, the US e-commerce titan reshaping the economy

22 April 2026