SEA

Southeast Asia digital economy can reach $368B GMV in 2026, AI usage to surge

Southeast Asia's digital economy can grow 17 percent to $368 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2026 and exceed $1 trillion by 2035, according to the 11th annual e-Conomy SEA report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company.

San Francisco-based Horizon3 opens ASEAN headquarters in Singapore, backed by SG Growth Capital

Horizon3, a U.S. security company that sells AI-driven proactive testing software, will establish its ASEAN headquarters and a regional center of excellence in Singapore.

Norfund and Impact Fund Denmark take 49% stake in Philippine solar project

Norfund and Impact Fund Denmark agreed to acquire a combined 49 percent stake in Vena Energy's 500 MWp Ixus Bugallon solar project in the Philippines.

More than three quarters of small business owners say AI makes them more productive – Meta

According to the findings, AI adoption is already broad, with 84 percent of surveyed small business owners currently using AI, 76 percent reporting a positive impact on productivity and 71 percent reporting a positive impact on revenue or sales over the past 12 months.

Glowing ai chip on a circuit board

Tech firms demonstrate cross-platform trust for AI agents

GoDaddy, Infoblox, Google, Cloudflare and Singapore's IMDA have demonstrated an open trust architecture for cross-platform AI-agent transactions.

NEU Battery Materials logo on a green and charcoal background

NEU Battery Materials raises $7.6M and opens Singapore plant

Singapore battery recycler NEU Battery Materials has raised $7.6 million and commissioned a 1,300-tonne-per-year LFP recycling plant in Tuas.

[HK Special Report] Can Hong Kong turn research into global tech success? Gobi Partners’ Chibo Tang weighs in

In an interview with TNGlobal, Gobi Partners Managing Partner Chibo Tang discussed Hong Kong’s evolving technology ecosystem, the challenges of commercializing research, and the city’s potential to connect Chinese technology with Southeast Asian markets and global investors.

1.2B people in developing Asia-Pacific lack Internet use; $184B investment gap

About 1.2 billion people in Developing Asia-Pacific remain offline despite near-universal mobile coverage, according to a new report from GSMA Intelligence.

PH businesses must build workforce resilience amid severe weather systems – AscentHR

According to the PSA, bad weather was a primary factor causing millions of employed Filipinos to work fewer hours, directly impacting worker take-home pay and creating administrative complexity for employers managing variable shifts, overtime, and statutory reporting.

IMF projects global economy to grow 3.1% in 2026

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects global growth will slow to 3.1 percent in 2026 before recovering to 3.4 percent in 2027, while within Southeast Asia, Vietnam at 8.4 percent growth and Malaysia at 5.2 percent can lead the region.