Central Asia

Business

NIO Accelerates Global Expansion and Tech Rollout Amidst Domestic Market Pressures

Chinese electric vehicle maker NIO reports a near-doubling of January deliveries year-over-year, surpassing one million cumulative vehicles. The company is pushing into new markets in Europe and Asia while rolling out a major driver-assistance system upgrade to its existing fleet, even as it navigates subsidy reductions and intensifying competition at home.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

HSBC Doubles Down on Hong Kong Investment Banking Amid Strategic Pivot

HSBC Holdings is aggressively rebuilding its investment banking operations in Hong Kong and key Asian hubs, reallocating senior talent and capital to capture growth in IPOs and capital markets, as its strategic focus shifts decisively eastward.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

Singapore's Green Flight Ambition Takes Off: Google, Airlines Join Landmark SAF Procurement Trial

A consortium of nine major corporations, including Google and Singapore Airlines, is launching a voluntary trial for centralized sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) procurement. This pilot, led by the newly formed SAFCo, is a critical step ahead of Singapore's pioneering green levy on departing flights set for October, aiming to refine systems for a 1% SAF usage target.

Feb 2, 2026

World

Markets Retreat as AI Bubble Fears Resurface, Oil Prices Tumble

Global markets stumbled on Monday, with Asian shares and U.S. futures declining sharply. The sell-off was led by a significant pullback in South Korean tech stocks amid renewed concerns over an AI sector bubble, while oil prices dropped over $2 per barrel.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

Dollar, Yields Climb as Trump Nears Fed Chair Pick, With Warsh Seen as Front-Runner

The U.S. dollar and Treasury yields advanced amid reports President Trump is set to nominate former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh as the next central bank chief, a choice markets interpret as leaning hawkish and likely to slow the pace of interest rate cuts.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Markets on Edge: Bitcoin Plunges 7%, Stocks Mixed as Trump Teases Fed Pick and Shutdown Deal

Asian markets opened to a volatile session Friday, with Bitcoin leading a sharp crypto sell-off and stocks swinging as traders weighed President Trump's signals on a key Fed nomination and a deal to avert a government shutdown.

Jan 30, 2026

Business

Cisco Doubles Down on AI and Green Energy with Major Infrastructure Deals

Cisco Systems is making strategic, long-term bets on the future of enterprise infrastructure, signing a major renewable energy deal in Poland and forging new AI partnerships in Asia Pacific, while upgrading campus networks with Wi-Fi 7.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

Hyperliquid Enters Prediction Market Arena with 'Outcome Trading' Proposal

Decentralized exchange Hyperliquid is moving into the fast-growing prediction market sector through a new protocol upgrade, aiming to offer a novel, low-risk form of derivatives trading as regulatory scrutiny intensifies.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

Trump's Fed Nominee Warsh's Crypto Ties Raise Questions Over Stablecoin's 'Made in America' Push

Former Fed governor Kevin Warsh, nominated to lead the central bank, previously advised the firm issuing Tether's new U.S.-regulated stablecoin, intertwining his potential oversight role with a key player in the digital asset industry.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

JPMorgan Sees Gold Rallying to $6,300 by Year-End Despite Market Turbulence

Despite recent sharp declines triggered by Fed nomination news, JPMorgan analysts reaffirm a bullish $6,300 per ounce gold target for 2026, citing resilient demand from central banks and investors.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

Analysts Warn of Potential Bitcoin Retreat to $60K Amid Market Correction, Eye Long-Term Institutional Shift

Bitcoin's recent slump below $74,000 has analysts weighing the risk of a deeper pullback toward $60,000. While Bernstein suggests the downturn may be a late-cycle correction rather than a new crypto winter, the firm points to shifting central bank policies and institutional adoption as keys to the next rally.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

Sea Limited's Stock Plunge: A Buying Opportunity or a Value Trap?

Sea Limited's shares have tumbled over 11% year-to-date, sparking debate among investors. While a discounted cash flow model suggests the stock is deeply undervalued, its lofty P/E ratio tells a more cautious tale. We examine the conflicting signals and what they mean for the Southeast Asian tech giant's future.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

AI Tokens Tumble in Market Rout, But Development Pipeline Shows Resilience

A broad crypto market sell-off has dragged AI-linked tokens to one of their steepest weekly declines in recent memory, erasing billions in value. Despite the price pain, key infrastructure projects in the decentralized AI and agent ecosystem continue to advance.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

From Hurricanes to Sentiment: Wintermute Predicts Crypto Prediction Markets Will Upend Insurance by 2026

A new report from crypto market maker Wintermute Ventures forecasts a seismic shift, arguing that blockchain-based prediction markets will begin displacing traditional insurance by making hyper-specific risks tradable. The firm outlines a future where decentralized infrastructure becomes the new clearing layer for a programmable global economy.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

Market Turbulence Hits Havens: Precious Metals Plunge, Bitcoin Stumbles as February Opens

A sharp reversal in gold and silver prices, coupled with a slide in Bitcoin and Asian equities, rattled investors at the start of February, raising questions about the sustainability of recent market rallies.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

Ethereum's 2026: The Year of Convergence?

After a period of Bitcoin dominance, a confluence of technological maturity, shifting institutional narratives, and regulatory clarity could propel Ethereum back into the spotlight. Analysts point to its foundational role in decentralized finance and a series of upcoming catalysts as reasons for a potential breakout year.

Feb 2, 2026

From Alley to Empire: Three Decades On, New York's Tech Scene Has Outgrown Its Moniker

A recent anniversary event for 'Silicon Alley' highlighted how New York's technology sector has evolved from a concentrated downtown community into a vast, decentralized force spanning finance, AI, and e-commerce.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

Quince Therapeutics Plummets After Late-Stage Trial of A-T Therapy Fails to Hit Targets

Quince Therapeutics' lead candidate, eDSP, has failed to meet primary and secondary endpoints in its pivotal Phase III NEAT trial for the rare neurological disorder Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T), triggering a catastrophic drop in the company's share price.

Feb 2, 2026

Business

TSMC Founder Morris Chang Breaks Year-Long Public Silence at Taipei Dinner with Nvidia's Jensen Huang

Morris Chang, the 94-year-old founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., made his first public appearance in over a year at a private dinner in Taipei with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. The meeting, which ended months of speculation about Chang's health and public role, also served as a platform to reaffirm TSMC's central position in the global chip supply chain.

Feb 2, 2026

World

China Executes Four Over Deadly Myanmar Scam Empire, Intensifying Regional Crackdown

Chinese courts have executed four individuals convicted of running a multi-billion dollar scam and gambling network from Myanmar, responsible for multiple deaths. The move signals Beijing's escalating pressure on Southeast Asia's industrial-scale cybercrime hubs.

Feb 2, 2026