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Category: Asia Focus

Stay informed about the latest news and developments in Asia. Arabian Post’s Asia Focus provides in-depth coverage of Asian affairs, including politics, economy, culture, and more.

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Asia Focus

GATES Inc. is deploying blockchain technology to enable foreign investors to buy stakes in a portfolio of income-generating properties worth US $75 million in central Tokyo through the Oasys network. The initiative is part of a broader strategy to modernise how overseas buyers participate in Japan’s real estate market.

The pilot scheme will issue digital tokens representing fractional ownership in a basket of premium commercial and residential assets, held via

Asia Focus

Nvidia is set to begin production of a new, lower‑spec Blackwell‑architecture AI chip for the Chinese market as early as June, aimed at complying with US export controls while maintaining its presence in the nation’s booming data centre sector. Priced between $6,500 and $8,000—significantly cheaper than the $10,000–$12,000 H20—the chip trades performance for accessibility under current regulatory constraints.

The streamlined variant is based on the RTX Pro 6000D,

Asia Focus

Asia‑Pacific digital‑native firms attracted USD 15.4 billion in artificial intelligence investment in 2024, a figure reported by IDC that underscores a shift towards deeper commitments and strategic growth, even as the volume of deals declined.

Capital concentration has intensified as larger funding rounds become the norm. IDC analysts found that while the number of funded AI startups has dropped, the average investment per deal has risen markedly—reflecting investors' preference for enterprises

Asia Focus

JD. com and Ant Group have formally submitted proposals to the People’s Bank of China seeking approval for yuan-pegged stablecoin issuance, marking a key step in Beijing’s efforts to internationalise its currency. Ant Group is also preparing licence applications in Hong Kong and Singapore to deploy offshore renminbi stablecoins beyond mainland China.

The push comes after the Hong Kong legislature enacted a stablecoin licensing framework on 21 May

Asia Focus

Alibaba Cloud has unveiled its third data centre in Malaysia and confirmed plans for a second facility in the Philippines, deepening its infrastructure presence in Southeast Asia. The Malaysian centre became operational on 1 July 2025, while the Philippine hub is scheduled to launch by October 2025. These moves are part of Alibaba’s broader efforts to bolster cloud and AI services across the region.

Growth in cloud demand and

Asia Focus

Easou Technology Holdings Ltd surged as much as 69 per cent to HK$7 before settling at HK$5.88, responding to a strategic 10‑year agreement with a Hong Kong tech firm to co‑develop real‑world‑asset tokenisation and digital asset products. The agreement, coupled with a letter of intent to invest up to HK$3 billion in data centre acquisitions, signals a significant pivot for the Shenzhen‑headquartered digital technology group.

The 10‑year development pact positions Easou

Asia Focus

Survey data from the Hana Institute of Finance indicates 27% of South Koreans aged 20 to 50 now hold cryptocurrencies, equating to roughly 14% of their total financial portfolios. Those in their 40s lead the trend with a 31% ownership rate, closely followed by those in their 30s and 50s. Notably, 70% of respondents across all age groups are planning to increase their crypto holdings in the

Asia Focus

A Singapore court has postponed the trial of three men accused of illegally redirecting Nvidia AI chips to China until 22 August, after prosecutors stressed the need for additional time to analyse fresh documents and obtain international cooperation. The adjournment allows police to deepen their review of evidence and reach out to overseas authorities for responses.

Charged with fraud, the defendants—Singaporeans Aaron Woon Guo Jie, 41, and Alan Wei

Asia Focus

BYDFi, the Seychelles‑based crypto exchange, confirmed its role as an official partner at Seoul Meta Week 2025: METACON, held on 26–27 June at COEX’s third‑floor auditorium, joining industry giants such as Samsung, Google, Intel, Spotify, Kakao and GitHub.

Booth 11 at the event quickly emerged as a high‑traffic hub, drawing crowds eager to engage with BYDFi’s team and claim exclusive merchandise designed for attendees. Michael, co‑founder and CEO of

Asia Focus

Malaysia has officially unveiled the Startup ASEAN platform during its tenure as ASEAN chair, establishing a fully operational digital gateway designed to unite entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem enablers across Southeast Asia. The launch—following a developmental blueprint initiated in 2024—unlocks access to regional markets, capital, talent and data, with an aspirational target of onboarding at least 10,000 startups by year-end.

The platform’s roll‑out represents phase two of the ASEAN

Asia Focus

By Saifur RahmanThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved the allocation of US$1.33 billion to Bangladesh to support the country’s economy that witnessed slowdown since the change of government in August 2024. The allocation is part of the US$4.7 billion combined support package authorised by the IMF in January 2023 under the US$3.3 billion Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and US$1.4 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said. The decision comes following the

Asia Focus

Cloud computing giants AWS, Google, Microsoft, Meta and OpenAI are accelerating in-house development of custom application‑specific integrated circuits, aiming to erode NVIDIA’s dominance in high‑performance AI datacentres. Industry reports highlight a projected annual growth rate of around 50% for ASIC purchases by hyperscalers, marking a strategic pivot in the AI hardware landscape.

NVIDIA’s premium-priced solutions—including Blackwell GPUs—have placed pressure on hyperscalers to secure more cost‑efficient, scalable systems. With single

Asia Focus

Tests by Thailand’s Pollution Control Department have revealed that arsenic concentrations in the Kok River and tributaries now exceed national safety limits by up to five times. Biochemical analysis indicates that these toxic levels are linked to unregulated mining operations in Shan State, Myanmar, particularly within territories controlled by the United Wa State Army.

The Kok River, which begins its 285km course in Myanmar’s Daen Lao Range before entering

Asia Focus

ImFact today unveiled its “Blockchain Anywhere” infrastructure, enabling 6.8 billion devices—from smartphones to IoT hardware—to operate individual blockchain instances. Dubbed Personal Blockchain and On‑Device Blockchain, the rollout promises cryptographic data verification embedded directly within devices, marking a pivotal shift in trust architecture for artificial intelligence applications. The launch was showcased through Korea’s DaeguChain deployment across Daegu city and supported by a global testnet.

Personal Blockchain runs as a standalone

Asia Focus

A coalition of South Korea’s top 100 firms generated an economic contribution of 1,615.2 trillion won in 2024, marking a 3.9 percent rise from the previous year, according to CEO Score data released on 18 June. Samsung Electronics led the charge with a 7 percent increase to 157.5 trillion won, accounting for 9.8 percent of the total haul.

This growth reflects an integrated model of wealth distribution across stakeholders—suppliers, workers, government, shareholders and

Asia Focus

A coalition of civic groups has presented the Election Commission with over 54,000 signatures demanding a public vote on the Entertainment Complex Business Act, a proposed law to legalise integrated resorts with casinos in Thailand. The petition surpasses the 50,000-signature threshold mandated by the National Referendum Act, compelling authorities to verify the submissions within 30 days.

The campaign, led by the Stop Gambling Foundation and allied organisations, began gathering

Asia Focus

Vietnam’s Techsmart Telecom, the Institute of Information Technology and CyberSecurity, UAE’s Venom Foundation and Abu Dhabi’s GS Fund have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance a sovereign digital finance framework. The scheme centres on a national Data Centre, supervised stablecoin issuance, cross-border settlement infrastructure, cybersecurity protocols and fintech training—a landmark convergence of telecom, blockchain, finance and security sectors.

The agreement mandates Venom Foundation’s sovereign-grade Layer‑0 blockchain be deployed

Asia Focus

Health authorities and clinicians across China are warning of a significant surge in COVID‑19 infections this July, driven by the NB.1.8.1 variant—a descendant of the JN.1 lineage that now dominates the country's caseload. Public health officials in Hong Kong and Taiwan have already responded to rising case numbers with renewed masking guidance and hospital preparations.

In May, the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention identified NB.1.8.1 as the

Asia Focus

Chinese nuclear forces are expanding at a pace unmatched by other countries, with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reporting an annual increase of approximately 100 warheads since 2023. The nation now possesses at least 600 nuclear warheads and is constructing around 350 intercontinental ballistic missile silos—developments projected to put China on par with the United States and Russia in ICBM capability

Asia Focus

China is moving swiftly to establish the world’s largest national park system, spanning approximately 1.1 million km² and encompassing five officially designated parks plus 44 additional candidate regions — land and marine  that together would cover roughly 10 percent of the country’s land area. The initiative is supported by integrated ecological planning across key basins and biodiversity-rich zones, including the Qinghai‑Xizang Plateau, Yangtze and Yellow River basins.

The government’s spatial layout, released in late 2022 by the National

Asia Focus

MediLink Therapeutics Ltd. is preparing to launch an initial public offering in Hong Kong, having secured China International Capital Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley as its lead advisers, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The move comes as the clinical-stage biotech firm seeks to capitalise on growing investor interest in advanced tumour-targeting therapies and consolidate its platform of antibody‑drug conjugates.

Founded in 2020 and

Asia Focus

The UAE Ministry of Finance convened an impactful awareness session in Shanghai for Emirati students pursuing studies in China, spotlighting pathways into international financial institutions and multilateral development bodies. The event, held at the Shanghai headquarters of the New Development Bank, marked a central component of the UAE’s “UAE Global Cadres” initiative aimed at preparing nationals for careers in global finance.

Attended by prominent figures including H.E. Muhannad Sulaiman

Asia Focus

Starbucks has announced price reductions averaging 5 yuan on select iced and tea‑based beverages in China, marking a significant shift in its pricing strategy within its second‑largest market. The move, effective from this Tuesday, will place some drinks at 23 yuan, aiming to broaden appeal during afternoon hours amid mounting competitive and economic pressures.

China’s coffee landscape has grown increasingly fragmented, driven by a prolonged deflationary trend and cautious consumer sentiment.

Asia Focus

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index climbed past the 24,000 mark, reaching heights unseen since March, fuelled by renewed optimism surrounding US-China trade discussions. Investor sentiment improved as market participants weighed the possibility of easing tensions between the two largest economies, sparking a notable rally in Hong Kong’s benchmark index. However, this upbeat mood contrasted sharply with the performance of Bitcoin, which struggled amid uncertainties over inflation dynamics and broader market volatility.

The Hang Seng’s advance

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