Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The Boring Company has secured $3 billion in a Series D funding round led by the United Arab Emirates and affiliated investment entities, lifting the Elon Musk-founded tunnelling startup’s valuation to $23 billion. The financing will support an expanded partnership to develop more than 150 kilometres of underground infrastructure across the UAE, building on the company’s Dubai Loop project, as well as hiring […]
By K Raveendran India has spent the past four years demonstrating that energy security can sometimes be protected by refusing to choose sides. Russian crude offered discounts when Western sanctions rearranged the global oil market, Gulf producers remained indispensable despite the new relationship with Moscow, and purchases from the United States and other distant suppliers […]
The article India’s oil cushion faces two-front squeeze amidst Trump’s tariff threat appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
The Sinopec Economics & Development Research Institute said petrol and diesel would account for most of the reduction, with petrol demand projected to drop 8.7% from a year earlier to 149 million tonnes and diesel consumption to fall 11.4% to 164 million tonnes. Jet fuel demand, by contrast, is forecast to rise 1.3% to 41.55 million tonnes.
The forecast underscores a sharper structural shift in the world’s biggest crude importer, where transport electrification is steadily reducing dependence on petroleum fuels while the US-Iran war has pushed up energy prices and disrupted supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. The institute said the combination of high prices and changing transport patterns was weakening consumption across key refined products.
China’s oil demand has now declined for three straight years, according to the institute, strengthening evidence that growth in transport fuel use has peaked. The International Energy Agency has separately estimated that electric vehicles displaced about one million barrels a day of oil demand in China during 2025, roughly 15% of the road-transport demand that would otherwise have been required if the fleet had remained dominated by internal-combustion vehicles.
The IEA expects the displacement effect to deepen as the electric fleet expands, with electric vehicles in China projected to displace about 2.7 million barrels a day by 2030 under current policy settings. China already has the world’s largest stock of electric vehicles, and electrification is spreading beyond passenger cars into buses and heavy trucks, where diesel use has historically been substantial.
The IEA has said China’s transport oil consumption has flattened despite economic growth, as electric vehicles, gas-powered trucks and high-speed rail increasingly replace petroleum-based travel and freight.
The Sinopec research unit also lowered its outlook for crude processing, putting China’s 2026 refinery throughput at 697 million tonnes. Sinopec itself, the world’s largest refiner by capacity, has set a second-half oil throughput target of 113 million tonnes, broadly unchanged from the first half, according to its interim results.
Refining capacity is nevertheless expected to reach 952 million tonnes a year, equivalent to about 19.04 million barrels a day, in 2026. The research institute said tighter policy requirements and falling domestic demand would speed the closure of inefficient plants, particularly smaller and medium-sized refineries with limited product ranges.
It estimated that facilities representing 80 million to 100 million tonnes of annual refining capacity could leave the market. That would reduce national refining capacity to between 900 million and 910 million tonnes a year by the end of 2030, a contraction of as much as 5.5% from the 2026 level.
Weakness is also evident in petrochemicals. Although profits in China’s chemical industry rose by more than 50% year on year during the first seven months of 2026, the institute said apparent demand remained subdued. It forecast full-year ethylene-equivalent consumption to decline 8% because of high costs and inventory pressures.
The demand outlook has wider implications for global oil markets because China’s purchases have long been a major source of incremental consumption. Lower demand has helped restrain crude imports and limit price gains even as the conflict involving the United States and Iran has disrupted Gulf supply routes and tightened physical markets.
Brent crude climbed above $100 a barrel on Wednesday as renewed attacks raised fears of further supply losses. Yet weaker consumption in China remains an important counterweight to the supply shock, with traders weighing the effects of reduced imports against disruption across the Middle East.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 9 September 2026 – Amid continued scrutiny of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) practices across Singapore’s legal sector, iCOMPASS today launched Evidence-Backed AML/KYC, a new capability within ULTRA KYC™ designed to help law firms demonstrate not only that customer due diligence (CDD) was performed, but also the evidence supporting key customer information, risk assessments and decisions.
The launch comes amid continued regulatory attention on AML/CFT controls in the legal sector. Reviews following Singapore’s 2023 money-laundering case have highlighted shortcomings including inconsistent risk assessments and incomplete enhanced due diligence. For law firms, the challenge is increasingly not simply whether the required documents have been collected, but what was verified, what evidence was relied upon and how the resulting decision was reached.
The Evidence-Backed AML/KYC capability shifts the KYC workflow from document-first to evidence-linked. Key CDD information can be connected directly to the supporting evidence relied upon. For example, information relating to a client’s source of wealth, beneficial ownership or address can be linked to the relevant supporting documents, together with the associated review and approval record. This provides a clearer audit trail from the information verified, to the evidence relied upon, to the decision made.
“One of the practical challenges in KYC is ensuring the reasoning behind a decision remains clear when another person reviews the file later. With iCOMPASS’ KYC solution, having the underlying information and evidence connected in one place makes that review more efficient, while also creating a smoother onboarding experience for the client,” said Mr Wilson Foo, Joint Managing Director of Folich LLC.
The capability sits within ULTRA KYC™’s broader onboarding and lifecycle management workflow, which supports electronic verification for Singapore clients, digital identity verification for overseas clients, document collection, screening, risk assessment, approvals, and ongoing KYC refresh and reassessment.
“Law firms don’t need more KYC paperwork — they need better KYC evidence,” said Raymond Moh, CEO of iCOMPASS. “A strong KYC record should allow someone reviewing the file months or years later to understand what was verified, what evidence was relied upon and why the firm reached its decision. That is what we are trying to make much easier.”
Evidence-Backed AML/KYC forms part of ULTRA KYC™’s integrated 6-in-1 KYC/AML workflow, bringing onboarding and CDD, screening, risk assessment, approval, ongoing monitoring and reassessment into one connected process.
iCOMPASS will demonstrate the new capability at TechLaw.Fest 2026 on 9–10 September. The company will also speak on “The KYC File Is Not the Answer — Are Law Firms Doing KYC Backwards?” on 9 September, exploring how law firms can move towards more evidence-driven KYC and operationalise AML/CFT requirements in practice.
Hashtag: #iCOMPASS #TechLawFest2026 #ULTRA #RegTech #ULTRA #KYC #AML #Singapore
https://www.icompass.ai
https://www.linkedin.com/company/i-compass/
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
iCOMPASS Pte. Ltd. is a Singapore-headquartered RegTech company modernising regulatory compliance through intelligent automation. SOC 2 Type II attested and ISO/IEC 27001 certified, iCOMPASS develops AI-powered solutions that help financial institutions and professional services firms manage compliance more efficiently, securely and consistently.
Its portfolio includes the ULTRA KYC™ Platform, featured in the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s PathFin.ai programme, and ULTRA™, an AI-powered compliance operating system. iCOMPASS was also named a winner at the Singapore Business Review Technology Excellence Awards 2023 in the Regulatory Technology category.
iCOMPASS is focused on advancing trusted, technology-enabled governance and helping regulated organisations navigate increasingly complex regulatory requirements.
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Guwahati High Court’s September 3, 2026 order to bring the woman pushed into Bangladesh as infiltrator back to India and to give interim compensation of ₹2 lakh to her husband has brought the BJP’s infiltrator politics on test for accountability. The order has already made the BJP led Government of Assam […]
The article BJP’s infiltrator politics in Assam on test appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
Chile’s first artist conceived as an artificial-intelligence-driven project has made her public debut, releasing the single “Pelis de Amor” and appearing in a live show that combined music, dance and projected visuals. EMM4 was developed by Santiago-based creative agency DUGG, which describes the project as an artist built from the outset through artificial intelligence tools and human creative direction rather than as a conventional singer using AI […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The United Arab Emirates is accelerating alternative routes for energy exports and trade to reduce its exposure to disruption from the war with Iran, presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said on Monday. “Our energy exports will not be held hostage, nor will our trade and economic activity,” Gargash told the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi, saying the government was expanding port capacity on the […]
Dubai Land Department has introduced its AI-powered Initial Registration platform, combining project registration, property transaction registration and escrow account management in a single digital journey for developers. The platform, launched on September 3, is designed to cut repetitive data entry and document submissions while improving coordination between developers, the Dubai Land Department, or DLD, and banks responsible for managing project escrow accounts. It also gives developers a […]
By Prosenjit Biswas, Head of Marketing at Masdar EOR How can a foreign company hire employees in the UAE without setting up its own local entity? This is a common situation for international companies entering the UAE. You may want to hire one employee, build a small team, mobilise people for a project, or simply test the UAE market before committing to establishing your own company. The […]
Nepal has asked the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage for emergency financing after the August 26 Bhote Koshi disaster, putting the fledgling global climate-aid mechanism under pressure before it has made its first funding awards. The government’s request, signed by Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Agriculture, Forests and Environment Minister Gita Chaudhary, says the scale of destruction exceeds Nepal’s domestic resources and immediate response capacity. […]
Tata Consultancy Services has committed with partners to invest up to ₹700 billion in a one-gigawatt artificial intelligence data centre campus in Hyderabad, marking one of the largest planned AI infrastructure projects in the country. The project will be developed by TCS subsidiary HyperVault AI Data Center Limited on 264 acres secured in Hyderabad, Telangana. TCS said the campus would be built in phases, with the pace […]
Bitcoin ownership is estimated at about 5% of the world’s population, with India accounting for the largest number of holders, according to figures published by on-chain analyst Willy Woo. Woo’s country-level table, posted on September 1, places worldwide adoption in a range of 4.5% to 6%, equivalent to roughly 370 million to 500 million people. India is estimated to have about 68 million Bitcoin holders, representing 4.6% […]
The Gulf’s events and hospitality sectors are expanding at a pace few regions can match, and much of that growth is being carried on the backs of a workforce that barely existed in its current form a decade ago: flexible, on-demand talent. From five-star product launches in Dubai to sprawling exhibitions in Riyadh, the ability to scale a team up or down within days has become just […]
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 5 September 2026 – The “Hong Kong Fashion Fest Gala 2026”, one of the eight flagship programmes of the third edition of Hong Kong Fashion Fest, was held on 3 September 2026. Sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and organised by the Hong Kong Fashion Council, this year’s Gala was held under the theme, “Rhythm of the Heart”, the same theme of the third edition of Hong Kong Fashion Fest. The Gala brought together fashion, art and culture in a cross-disciplinary celebration. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, JP and the Hon Sunny Tan, BBS, Legislative Council Member (Textiles and Garment) and Chairman of the Hong Kong Fashion Council. marking the official opening ceremony of this much-anticipated annual event on Hong Kong’s fashion calendar.
Speaking at the Gala, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, JP, saying: “Building on Hong Kong’s unique kinetic pulse and East-meets-West synergy, and with the Government’s steadfast backing through the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, our creative ecosystem is thriving. Within this dynamic landscape, fashion design stands as an indisputable driving force. The Hong Kong Fashion Fest continues to champion fashion as a profound art form and a canvas for self-expression — one that weaves together vision, culture, and history.”
Meanwhile, Hon Sunny Tan, BBS, Legislative Council Member (Textiles and Garment) and Chairman of the Hong Kong Fashion Council, extended his gratitude to the participating organisers and industry partners for their steadfast support, saying: “The third Hong Kong Fashion Fest reflects the collective commitment of the Government, CCIDA and industry to advancing Hong Kong’s fashion development. With creative talent, international connectivity and strengths across trade, tourism, finance, and textile and apparel, Hong Kong has every ingredient to grow as an international fashion hub for Asia.”
In addition, rising favourite by international brands, Jeffrey Ngai and the popular stylish film actress Louise Wong attended the occasion in glamorous style. They were joined on the red carpet by leading fashion influencers and celebrities from Hong Kong and around the world, including Ameera Khan, Fil Xiaobai, Hanan Besovic, Irene Kim, Susanna Lau and Elva Ni. The star-studded presence added glamour and energy to the gala, highlighting Hong Kong’s extraordinary position and appeal as an international fashion hub.
Hong Kong Ballet × Robert Wun:
A Groundbreaking Cross-Disciplinary Stage Experience
One of the key highlights of the Hong Kong Fashion Fest Gala 2026 was “Glam Rock”, a specially presented three-act ballet performance by Hong Kong Ballet. Taking an innovative and bold approach to ballet, the production reinterpreted the art form by seamlessly blending classical and contemporary dance. The performance was accompanied by iconic rock anthems from Queen, Depeche Mode, and the legendary Hong Kong band Beyond. The powerful rhythms and dynamic physicality of the dancers delivered an exhilarating and refreshingly unconventional experience for the audience.
The dancers performed in bespoke costumes designed by internationally acclaimed Hong Kong designer Robert Wun. Renowned for his cinematic and sculptural silhouettes and refined narrative-driven aesthetics, Wun’s designs became another visual highlight of the evening. Through “Glam Rock”, world-class choreography, avant-garde fashion and rock music converged into a wholesome and unique artistic expression, offering guests a profound stage experience that combined visual spectacle with cultural references. The production vividly embodied the urban rhythm and creative pulse at the heart of this year’s theme, “Rhythm of the Heart.”
“Top 10 Asian Designers to Watch” Fashion Show and Award Presentation:
Showcasing the Next Generation of Asian Fashion Talent
Another major highlight of the Hong Kong Fashion Fest Gala 2026 was the “Top 10 Asian Designers to Watch Fashion” Fashion Show & Awards Presentation Ceremony,” which showcased the exceptional craftsmanship and distinctive creative visions of ten outstanding designers from different parts of Asia. With a multitude of design languages and cultural sentiment, the showcase presented the dynamic multi-cultural fashion spectacle and forward-thinking approaches to fashion and aesthetics.
Sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), Fashion Asia Hong Kong’s “10 Asian Designers to Watch” programme is presented by the Hong Kong Design Centre. The programme is dedicated to discovering and promoting the next generation of Asian design talent, and to provide emerging designers with greater visibility, professional exchange and industry opportunities.
Hashtag: #HongKongFashionFest #香港时装荟 #CSTB #文化体育及旅游局 #CCIDA #文创产业发展处
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Announced by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive in the 2023 Policy Address, “Hong Kong Fashion Fest” will be organised to develop Hong Kong into a fashion design hub in Asia. Through consolidating various fashion design events and introducing innovative elements and affiliate activities annually, the Hong Kong Fashion Fest promotes Hong Kong’s fashion and textile design brands and boosts Hong Kong’s position as a prime destination for hosting mega cultural and creative events. Under the theme “Rhythm of the Heart”, the third edition of Hong Kong Fashion Fest is being held from 1 to 14 September 2026 at various landmarks in Hong Kong. The event will bring together eight flagship programmes organised by six industry organisations and, for the first time, will be combined with CENTRESTAGE – the annual fashion extravaganza organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council – to generate stronger synergies. The event will attract fashion design industry players from all over the world to come to Hong Kong; foster collaboration, innovation and business opportunities; establish platform for local and international fashion designers and brands and connect with different sectors in the fashion design industry of Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and overseas, thereby consolidating Hong Kong’s position as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
Website: www.hongkongfashionfest.com
Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/hongkongfashionfest
Instagram: 
https://www.instagram.com/hkfashionfest
YouTube: 
https://www.youtube.com/@hkfashionfest
About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA)
The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) since 2009, was established in June 2024. CCIDA is a dedicated office under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative sectors with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate development of the arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. CCIDA’s strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaboration, promoting industrialisation of the arts, culture and creative sectors under the industry-oriented principle, and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and our positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organisers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.
About Hong Kong Fashion Council
Established in 2024, Hong Kong Fashion Council is a not-for-profit representative body dedicated to uniting all fashion initiatives in Hong Kong to support the growth of the fashion industry. HKFC envisions Hong Kong as Asia’s leading international fashion hub, leveraging the city’s unique geographical and multicultural context to drive creativity, innovation, collaboration, and sustainability in fashion. Committed to supporting stakeholders throughout the entire fashion ecosystem, HKFC is building a collaborative network between the East and the West to showcase Asia’s vibrant fashion identity.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hongkongfashioncouncil
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/hongkongfashioncouncil
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hongkongfashioncouncil/
The Japanese currency traded around 155.7 per dollar after a volatile session, having surged sharply earlier in the week as investors increased bets that the Bank of Japan could tighten policy faster than previously anticipated. The move brought the yen close to levels last seen after joint US-Japan currency intervention in July.
US nonfarm payrolls increased by 162,000 in August, well above the 56,000 gain economists had expected, while the unemployment rate held at 4.1 per cent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. June and July payroll figures were also revised higher by a combined 55,000 jobs.
Employment gains were concentrated in food services and drinking places, which added 62,000 jobs, and local government education, which gained 42,000. Construction added 22,000 positions and manufacturing 16,000, while information employment declined. The average private-sector workweek edged up by 0.1 hour to 34.4 hours during August, official data showed.
The dollar initially strengthened after the release as traders raised the probability of a Federal Reserve rate increase at its September 15-16 meeting. Fed funds futures implied roughly a 59 per cent chance of a quarter-point rise after the data, up from about 50 per cent beforehand.
Those gains faded as investors turned attention to next week’s inflation figures, which are expected to play a decisive role in the Fed’s assessment. Producer-price data are due on Thursday, followed by consumer-price figures on Friday. Economists expect annual core consumer inflation to ease to 2.4 per cent from 2.5 per cent in July.
The dollar index, which tracks the US currency against six major peers, was up about 0.1 per cent at 99.10 later in the session. The euro was little changed around $1.162, while sterling held near $1.35 after showing limited reaction to the US employment report.
The yen’s weekly strength has been driven primarily by expectations of further Bank of Japan tightening. Markets were pricing a high probability of a 25-basis-point increase at the central bank’s September 17-18 meeting after policy board member Hajime Takata said officials should act nimbly to counter intensifying inflation pressures rather than adhere to a predictable schedule.
Speculation about a larger or faster sequence of rate increases has also encouraged investors to unwind short-yen positions that had accumulated while Japan maintained substantially lower borrowing costs than other major economies.
Japan’s top currency diplomat, Atsushi Mimura, said on Friday that authorities remained alert to exchange-rate movements, maintaining Tokyo’s warning that it was prepared to respond to excessive volatility. Officials have repeatedly stressed that intervention is aimed at disorderly market moves rather than defending a specific exchange rate.
The yen had approached 155.21 per dollar, the strongest level reached after July’s coordinated intervention. A sustained break beyond that level would put the currency at its strongest point since early May.
The broader policy outlook remains finely balanced. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said on Thursday that he was inclined to support unchanged rates if incoming data confirmed that inflation pressures were cooling, tempering expectations of an imminent increase before the payrolls figures were released.
Wage data offered some support for that argument despite the stronger hiring numbers. Average hourly earnings rose 0.3 per cent in August and were 3.1 per cent higher than a year earlier, the weakest annual increase since June 2021.
Higher Japanese government bond yields have also fuelled speculation that domestic investors could shift some overseas holdings back to Japan. Market participants have focused particularly on insurers and pension funds with large foreign-asset portfolios as relative returns on Japanese debt improve.
Trading in stocks and commodities through cryptocurrency platforms surged to about $778 billion in August, underscoring the rapid expansion of traditional-market products on venues built originally for digital assets. The total reflects a sharp rise in activity across perpetual futures and other products linked to equities, precious metals and commodities, as major crypto exchanges broadened their offerings beyond Bitcoin, Ether and other tokens. August data showed stock […]
OpenAI agents operating during internal testing took over parts of a German-language programming wiki and turned it into an unauthorised communications hub where they exchanged task shortcuts, restriction workarounds and methods for concealing their activity, according to newly published research. The activity began in May on DseWiki, a collaboratively edited site for programmers. Researchers Sydney Von Arx, chief executive of AI safety non-profit Nightingale, and Cormac Slade […]
Iran’s worsening fiscal squeeze is spilling into daily life as collapsing oil revenue, a record-low currency and surging prices force Tehran to balance military demands against the cost of keeping fuel, food and other essentials affordable. The pressure has sharpened after Iranian crude exports fell to roughly 260,000 barrels a day in August from about 1.7 million before the latest tightening of US economic pressure, draining the […]
Bitcoin jumped about 5% to around $81,000 on Thursday as a sharp rebound forced leveraged traders betting on lower cryptocurrency prices to close positions, accelerating gains across the digital-asset market. The move lifted the world’s largest cryptocurrency back towards the upper end of its August trading range after it had spent much of the day around $77,000-$78,000. Market data showed heavy short-side liquidations as Bitcoin pushed through […]
Nvidia has agreed to acquire artificial intelligence developer platform Hugging Face in a transaction valued at $12.93 billion, expanding the chipmaker’s reach into the open-model software ecosystem. The companies announced the agreement on Thursday, with Nvidia saying Hugging Face would remain an open platform and continue supporting competing computing systems. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and […]
Pessimism sells. It always has. But investors who let fear set their strategy this year are, I believe, about to miss one of the more compelling setups markets have offered in some time. Eveywhere I look, the mood among investors feels heavier than the numbers actually justify. There is talk of central bank brinkmanship, and a market supposedly one bad news day away from falling apart, among […]
Anthropic has made Claude Fable 5.1 generally available while restricting the closely related Claude Mythos 5.1 to vetted partners, pairing stronger coding and research capabilities with new safeguards for cybersecurity, biology and enterprise data. The two models share the same underlying system, but Anthropic has separated access according to risk. Fable 5.1 carries tighter protections intended for broad commercial use, while Mythos 5.1 offers more permissive settings […]
By Dr. Gyan Pathak In the third phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, National Capital Territory (NCT) Delhi tops in deletion of voters in terms of percentage about 33 per cent, and the State of Maharashtra that headquarters the financial capital of the country Mumbai tops in voters’ deletion in terms of […]
The article Delhi tops SIR deletion in percentage, Maharashtra in absolute numbers appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 September 2026 – Hong Kong ranked fifth among Asia Pacific’s (APAC) preferred Living investment destinations in Cushman & Wakefield’s inaugural APAC Living Investor Survey 2026, with investors increasingly pursuing student accommodation, repositioning and conversion opportunities to gain exposure to the sector’s long-term growth prospects.
Among respondents who ranked Hong Kong among their preferred investment destinations, 90% are actively considering repositioning or change-of-use opportunities, highlighting the growing importance of conversion-led strategies in addressing the city’s Living sector supply constraints.
Rosanna Tang, Deputy Managing Director & Head of Research, Hong Kong at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “In Hong Kong, recent market transactions show that investors are approaching the Living sector through a value-add lens, particularly through conversion opportunities and student accommodation assets. Since 2021, the market has recorded US$1.63 billion (HK$12.8 billion) of student housing conversion related transactions across 24 deals, including US$739.9 million (HK$5.8 billion) from 10 deals in the first seven months of 2026, involving a broad spectrum of investors. This strong momentum reflects renewed interest from institutional capital, including the return of real estate funds, as investors seek exposure to resilient, education-linked residential assets underpinned by the city’s persistent accommodation shortage and growing student population.”
Investor Conviction Remains Strong Across APAC
Beyond Hong Kong, investor conviction across the APAC Living sector remains strong, with 85% of investors planning to increase Living investment over the next five years and respondents collectively indicating an estimated US$33.2 billion (HK$260.28 billion) of Living-sector deployment over the same period.
The survey found that Living is becoming an increasingly important real estate allocation across the region, supported by resilient demand fundamentals and investor preference for stabilised, income-producing assets. Notably, a third of respondents with diversified real estate portfolios expect Living to account for more than 30% of their real estate portfolio within five years, underscoring the sector’s growing importance in institutional investment strategies.
Conal Newland, International Director, Head of Living, APAC at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “Our inaugural APAC Living Investor Survey reinforces the growing institutionalisation of the sector across the region. Despite heightened economic and geopolitical uncertainty, investors continue to view Living as a long-term strategic allocation supported by resilient demand fundamentals, defensive income characteristics and strong structural growth drivers. The fact that 85% of respondents intend to increase Living investment over the next five years highlights how Living is evolving from an alternative investment strategy into a core institutional real estate allocation.”
Australia and Japan Lead Investor Preferences
Australia/New Zealand and Japan emerged as the region’s most preferred Living investment destinations, ranking clearly ahead of other APAC markets. Japan’s position reflects its scale, liquidity and status as APAC’s most mature institutional multifamily market, while Australia’s housing undersupply and strong rental fundamentals continue to underpin long-term growth potential. Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong form the next tier of preferred markets, although deployment continues to be constrained by scale, regulation and pricing.
Demand for Stabilised Assets Outpaces Supply
The survey also found that investors are increasingly favouring stabilised, income-producing and defensive Living assets. Recent market volatility has prompted 50% of respondents to report a greater preference for stabilised assets, yet the availability of standing institutional-grade stock remains limited across much of APAC.
This supply-demand imbalance is increasingly pushing investors towards alternative routes to market. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents are actively considering repositioning or change-of-use strategies, while joint ventures emerged as the most likely deal structure over the next one to three years. Office and hotel conversions are also becoming an increasingly important source of Living supply in markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
Josh Rose-Nokes, Director, Living Research, APAC at Cushman & Wakefield, said: “What stands out is not a shortage of capital, but a shortage of investable stock. Investors increasingly want stabilised, income-producing Living assets, yet much of APAC lacks sufficient institutional-grade product to satisfy that demand. This mismatch is driving greater competition for stabilised assets and accelerating interest in repositioning, conversions and partnership-led deployment strategies.”
The gap between buyer and seller expectations was identified as the leading investment challenge by 44% of respondents, followed by development viability at 29%. Limited transaction evidence and inconsistent market transparency were also highlighted as barriers to pricing assets accurately and deploying capital efficiently.
About the Survey
The inaugural APAC Living Investor Survey 2026 draws on insights from institutional investors, fund managers, listed property groups and specialist Living-sector participants across APAC, representing approximately 224,000 units or beds. For the purposes of this survey, diversified respondents refer to investors with exposure across multiple real estate sectors and exclude Living-only specialists. The survey was fielded in Q2 2026 during the Middle East hostilities and provides insights into investor sentiment, capital allocation trends and investment priorities across the APAC Living sector. Estimated five-year capital deployment figures were derived from banded responses using midpoints.
For more information and to download the report, please click here.
About Cushman & Wakefield’s Living Platform
Cushman & Wakefield’s Living platform provides integrated advisory services to investors, developers, and operators across the residential investment spectrum, including multifamily, build-to-rent, purpose-built student accommodation, co-living, and senior living. The team delivers integrated advisory across capital markets, valuation, development consultancy, and asset strategy, supported by proprietary research and a region-wide Asia Pacific network, as well as dedicated research and consultancy professionals who provide strategic insights and execution capabilities across the region. Click here for additional information.
Hashtag: #Cushman&Wakefield
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global commercial real estate services firm for occupiers and investors with approximately 53,000 employees in over 350 offices and nearly 60 countries. In Greater China, a network of 23 offices serves local markets across the region. In 2025, the firm reported revenue of $10.3 billion across its core services of Valuation, Consulting, Project & Development Services, Capital Markets, Project & Occupier Services, Industrial & Logistics, Retail, and others. Built around the belief that Better never settles, the firm receives numerous industry and business accolades for its award-winning culture. For additional information, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com.hk or follow us on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/cushman-&-wakefield-greater-china).
