Standard Chartered has agreed a three way partnership deal to launch a digital-only bank in Singapore with the nation’s National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

Legislative reforms need to come about in South Asia’s alternative dispute resolution (ADR) spectrum for overall economic development, stressed the region’s apex court judges, heads of ADR institutions and lawyers at a webinar. 

Asian markets mostly rose Monday after a big miss on US jobs creation last month fuelled optimism that the Federal Reserve will hold fire on tapering its massive financial support programme, while Tokyo extended last week’s rally on hopes for more economic stimulus.

For 10 years Fahad made a good living selling wedding gowns at his bridal shop in the Afghan capital, but since the Taliban rolled into town on August 15 he hasn’t sold a single dress.

Beijing-based ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, said on Wednesday that it would shrink its financial services unit and that it planned to sell its stock broking operations amid China’s tightening grip on the financial technology (fintech) sector.

China’s energy regulator has promised to learn from its mistakes and improve its planning and policy making after a central government inspection team said it had failed to meet state environmental protection requirements.

Chinese authorities have instructed an American Chamber of Commerce in the southwestern city of Chengdu to cease operations, officials with the organisation said on Tuesday.

China’s demand for spot crude appears to be recovering after nearly five months of slower purchases caused by a shortage of import quotas, drawdowns from high inventories and Covid-19 lockdowns that muted Chinese fuel consumption.

Algeria will make reforms to improve the business climate and attract investment, the presidency said on Monday, as the OPEC member seeks to reduce its reliance on oil.

Hong Kong’s leader doubled down on her zero-Covid strategy on Tuesday, brushing off growing pushback from the business community over the city’s indefinite international isolation.

China’s businesses and the broader economy came under increasing pressure in August as factory activity expanded at a slower pace while the services sector slumped into contraction, raising the likelihood of more near-term policy support to boost growth. 

Singapore must stay open to preserve its status as a global business hub, its prime minister said on Sunday, even as the country continues to tighten its foreign worker policies and addresses anxieties among locals over competition for jobs.

China’s graft watchdog on Monday called for stricter supervision of restaurants that chase rapid success online after a series of food safety scandals, as regulators continue to ramp up pressure on social media and the tech sector.

South Korea is likely to bar Google and Apple from requiring software developers to use their payment systems, effectively stopping them from charging commissions on in-app purchases, the first such curbs on the tech companies by a major economy.

The World Bank has suspended aid to Afghanistan, saying it is "deeply concerned" by the situation there, especially regarding women's rights, after the Taliban seized power, a bank spokesperson told AFP.

Asian stocks rose on Tuesday on an extended bounce on Wall Street as investors drew comfort from full approval granted to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and on easing worries of an imminent tapering of stimulus by the Federal Reserve.

Chinese bourses have halted more than 40 initial public offerings (IPOs) in Shanghai and Shenzhen amid a regulatory probe into several intermediaries in the deals, according to official exchange disclosures. 

The Taliban now hold the keys to an untouched trillion-dollar trove of minerals including some that could power the world’s transition to renewable energies, but Afghanistan has long struggled to tap its vast deposits.

The US military in Afghanistan sent helicopters to rescue over 150 Americans unable to reach the Kabul airport gates, an official said Friday, in the first evidence that US forces were willing and able to go beyond the US-secured compound to help people seeking evacuation.

Despite its swift takeover of the government in Afghanistan, the Taliban will not have access to most of the nation’s cash and gold stocks, while the IMF announced it won’t provide aid.