Bloomberg The Philippine economy fell back into contraction in the second quarter compared to the previous three months, as elevated numbers of Covid cases and extended lockdowns place the nation among Asia’s laggards. Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank a seasonally adjusted 1.3% in April-June from the previous quarter, the country’s statistics agency said, compared to the 1.1% contraction expected by ...

Bloomberg Renault SA signed an agreement with Geely Holding, China’s largest privately owned auto group, to help the French carmaker reestablish a presence in the world’s biggest vehicle market. The companies will jointly introduce Renault-branded hybrid vehicles in China, according to a statement. They’ll also explore selling cars based on Geely’s Lynk & Co vehicle platforms in South Korea, where ...

Bloomberg Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered law enforcement and local officials on the nation’s outer islands to take immediate actions, including restrictions on movements and isolation for infected people, to stem an increase in Covid-19 cases. As of last week, new infections in areas outside Java and Bali accounted for 54% of the nationwide total, up from 44% at the ...

Bloomberg UpGrad has raised $185 million from Temasek Holdings Pte and other investors over a span of a few months this year, garnering a valuation of $1.2 billion that ranks it as India’s third-largest edtech unicorn. The higher education startup doubled in valuation within 60 days of its first financing round of $120 million from Temasek, later adding another $65 ...

Bloomberg India’s National Stock Exchange of India Ltd said it will start trading in select US stocks through its wholly-owned subsidiary, NSE IFSC. “The offering will be in the form of unsponsored depository receipts,” the National Stock Exchange said in a statement. “NSE IFSC will announce the operational details shortly and will launch the product at the earliest possible time.” ...

Bloomberg Singapore will recalibrate its foreign worker policies to strike a balance between accepting overseas workers and addressing the economic and social concerns of its citizens, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said. The government is aware such anxieties over the foreign worker population have worsened because of uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and authorities are addressing them, Lee said ...

Bloomberg Afghan President Ashraf Ghani views peace talks with the Taliban as dead, and is looking to both arm civilians and cooperate with warlords to prevent the militant group from overrunning his administration in Kabul. Since the weekend the Taliban has captured the capitals of five northern provinces and one in the west, where they met little resistance from the ...

Bloomberg China’s central bank fanned expectations of further monetary policy easing, saying in its latest quarterly report that inflation pressures are “controllable,” while highlighting risks to the economic growth outlook. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) largely reiterated its stance of stable policy, pledging to make it more forward-looking and effective, while maintaining ample liquidity. The surge in producer inflation ...

Bloomberg Circle Internet Financial, the second-biggest stablecoin issuer, is looking to give US regulators even more oversight of its cryptocurrency business as executives at Tether, its larger rival, are said to be facing a criminal probe by US prosecutors. Circle has set a goal of becoming the first full-service US federally-chartered crypto bank as the skyrocketing value of cryptocurrencies has ...

Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc attracted $9.3 billion in net new money for its private banking business in Asia during the first half, with client assets rising 25% from a year ago. Its Asia wealth balances — which include its Premier & Jade deposits and global private banking client assets — reached a record of about $810 billion, accounting for nearly ...