The Southeast Asian Gazette

Singapore attracted over USD $1 billion in fintech investment in the first half of 2025, with payments taking 47% of deal value. EBANX's new headquarters adds to the city-state's growing weight in emerging-market payments infrastructure.

The blooming of cherry blossoms signals a new season and a time of cultural celebration in Japan.

LNG was adopted across Southeast Asia after 2022 as a hedge against future supply shocks. That hedge has now failed twice. The region is reassessing what energy security actually requires.

No reserve release addresses the LNG gap. For gas-dependent grids in Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines, the shortage is structural until Hormuz reopens.

Cape EMS Berhad’s transformation story is one of the more closely watched on Bursa Malaysia’s Main Market—a company that recorded its first annual loss in FY2024, returned to profit over the following two quarters, and is now announcing a structural pivot into renewable energy infrastructure. Execution against the CEB 2.0 roadmap and revenue contribution from Cape Renewables will be the key metrics for investors to track through 2026.

Bank Indonesia’s foreign exchange reserves stood at USD 151.9 billion heading into the March decision—above the international adequacy standard but declining. The reserve trajectory is now a metric worth watching alongside the rate.

The step underscores Japan’s preparedness to respond to shocks affecting global oil distribution.

Kredivo Group acquires 100% of Timo, Vietnam's first digital bank, merging BNPL infrastructure with licensed banking across two of Southeast Asia's top fintech markets.

Salmon Bank secures PHP 400 million from parent Salmon Group, bringing total equity to PHP 1.6 billion ahead of a planned thrift banking licence application in 2026.

EBANX opens its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore on March 24, backed by a MAS Major Payment Institution licence and 48% total payment volume growth in 2025.