Asia Roundup
China Drafts Rules to Limit Wealthy Clients’ Role in Family Trust Investments
China’s financial regulator is drafting new rules that would ban wealthy individuals and their designated third parties from directly controlling investment decisions within their family trusts, Caixin reported.
The proposed regulations for asset service trusts, currently circulating for internal industry feedback, target the traditional wealth management model where private banks manage the assets while trust companies act as mere administrative channels.
The overhaul could upend China’s CNY 900 billion yuan (USD 132 billion) family trust industry by shifting power away from dominant private banks to trust companies that have historically lacked specialized investment capabilities.
Malaysia Announces Measures to Support Small Businesses Impacted by Energy Crisis
Malaysia’s Finance Ministry announced several new measures to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises impacted by the global energy crisis, Reuters reported via The Straits Times.
The measures include an allocation of RM 5 billion (USD 1.3 billion) to provide financial coverage of up to 80% and a guarantee period of up to 10 years for affected businesses, the ministry said in a statement.
Singapore Regulator Proposes Tighter Disclosures to Lift Valuations
Listed companies on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) may soon face tighter disclosure rules on executive pay, dividend policy and investor relations, as the regulator pushes firms to show more clearly how they create shareholder value, The Business Times reported.
Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo) launched a public consultation aimed at raising baseline standards for transparency and sharpening issuers’ focus on value creation, under its drive to tackle persistent valuation gaps in the local equities market.
VinFast Eyes EV Sales Jump of Five Times in Overseas Market
Vietnam’s electric-vehicle (EV) maker VinFast is targeting a roughly five-time surge in overseas sales this year, while positioning its taxi and ride-hailing arm Green SM as an “important instrument” in its push beyond the domestic market, The Business Times reported.
Vingroup chairman and founder Pham Nhat Vuong said at the group’s annual shareholder meeting in Hanoi that its unit VinFast aims to sell about 300,000 vehicles globally in 2026, including roughly 200,000 units in Vietnam.
Indonesia Roundup
Indonesia’s Central Bank Holds Rates Unchanged to Support Rupiah
Indonesia’s central bank kept policy rates unchanged to anchor the rupiah’s stability amid the war in Iran, as expected, with the currency already hitting record lows multiple times this month, Reuters reported via The Business Times.
Indonesia Floats Ship Tax in Malacca Strait as Singapore Defends Free Passage
Indonesia is exploring the possibility of imposing a levy on vessels transiting the strategically vital Strait of Malacca, as the government looks to monetize one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, Jakarta Globe reported.
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the proposal aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to position Indonesia as a central player in global trade rather than a peripheral economy.
However, the idea runs counter to Singapore’s position. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said passage through the Malacca and Singapore straits must remain open and free to all users.
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