Introduction Singapore was one of the first major financial centres to publish a stablecoin framework, but for three years it existed only as policy. That is about to change. On 1 September the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) published proposed amendments to the Payment Services Act that would put the framework into law, create a…

Introduction Singapore’s total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.87 in 2025, one of the lowest in the world. At this year’s National Day Rally on 23 August, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced the most significant overhaul of family support in years. It brings more money per child, more childcare leave, cheaper preschools…

Introduction On 28 September, PacificLight Power broke ground on Jurong Island on what will be Singapore’s largest and most efficient single power-generating unit. The S$1.2 billion, 670MW plant will run on natural gas when it opens in 2029. It is designed to burn hydrogen from day one and to move fully to hydrogen later. Together…

Introduction When the Philippines took over the ASEAN chair in January, it made concluding a South China Sea Code of Conduct its top priority. With the 49th ASEAN Summit set for Metro Manila on 16–18 November, that goal looks increasingly out of reach. A second question hangs over the meeting: how far ASEAN should go…

Introduction Singapore’s copyright law is among the friendliest in Asia to AI developers. The government now wants to know whether that law, and its patent regime, still strike the right balance. On 26 August the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) opened a public consultation on how AI affects…

Introduction ASEAN rarely moves faster than planned. At their annual meeting in Manila on 19–22 September, the bloc’s economic ministers did. They agreed to bring the upgraded ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) into effect by the end of 2026, ahead of the original mid-2027 target. The decision got little attention outside trade circles, but…

Introduction Nearly 20 years after talks began, the free trade agreement between the European Union and India is moving from negotiation to law. In September the European Commission sent its proposals to EU member states to approve signing and concluding the deal, which was agreed in New Delhi in January. Together the two economies cover…

Introduction Not long ago Hong Kong’s listings market was widely written off. In 2026 it is on course for its best year ever. Funds raised in the first nine months were the highest for that period since records began in 1980, and Deloitte now expects the full-year total to beat the city’s 2010 record. The…

Introduction Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington in late September produced a notable easing of US–China trade tension. The two sides agreed to cut tariffs on about US$30 billion of each other’s goods, launched an AI dialogue, and extended their trade truce to 10 January. For companies that spent the last two years moving production out…

Introduction Six months after the United States and Israel went to war with Iran, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is still a trickle. Asia has felt it more than anywhere else: roughly 80% of the oil that moved through the strait in 2025 was headed for Asian buyers. The first response was rationing, price…