Economic & financial news

Its GDP is projected to reach US$1.48 trillion this year, placing it 17th globally and making it Southeast Asia’s sole representative in the top 20

Zhou Qunfei, who first worked as a construction site security guard and eventually launched a business that would net her the moniker “touchscreen queen,” has been named the richest woman in China.

American fast-casual chain Chipotle will enter Singapore next year with a restaurant at Jewel Changi Airport, its first outlet in Southeast Asia.

Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), which is developing Long Thanh International Airport, cut its workforce by 1,360 in the third quarter, bringing total staff reductions this year to nearly 3,700.

Vietnam’s average retail electricity price will fall 2% starting Sunday, the first decrease in nearly two decades of increases.

Gasoline prices in Vietnam fell on Sunday to the lowest since July 16, following a temporary reduction of the special consumption tax.

Conglomerate Vingroup, controlled by Southeast Asia’s richest man Pham Nhat Vuong, reported pretax profit of nearly VND29.94 trillion (US$1.1 billion) in the third quarter, up 7.4 times year-on-year, driven by real estate sales.

Singapore's retrenchments surged to their highest level since late 2020 in the third quarter of 2026, fueled by ‌business reorganizations.

Southeast Asia’s richest man Pham Nhat Vuong has invested VND11 trillion (US$436 million) in electric car maker VinFast Auto by buying shares of its subsidiary.

Vietnam gold prices fell Saturday to the lowest since June 11.

The U.S. dollar fell to the lowest since April 2025 against the Vietnamese dong Saturday.

The Coca-Cola Foundation and IUCN are promoting nature-based solutions in the Mekong Delta, aiming to turn ecosystem restoration into viable businesses that support local communities.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang has urged Ho Chi Minh City's international financial center to admit its first bank member and begin transactions in November.

Vietnam and China should expand cooperation in manufacturing, technology and logistics to strengthen their roles in global supply chains, officials and business leaders said.

Singapore-based Keppel received two awards at the 2026 Vietnam Property Value Chain Awards, recognizing its residential developments and green building practices in Vietnam.

Vietnam's GDP per capita is projected to reach US$5,259 this year, overtaking Indonesia's $5,153, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Twelve projects in Ho Chi Minh City have received investment approvals or licenses, with combined registered capital of about US$16.4 billion, mainly targeting urban development, seaports, logistics and high-tech manufacturing.

Vietnam must shift from labor-intensive growth and capital accumulation to productivity and higher-quality jobs to become a high-income economy by 2045, a World Bank official says.

A joint venture involving firms linked to Singapore’s Hong Leong Group, controlled by billionaire Kwek Leng Beng, has set the highest bid of S$181.86 million (US$142.3 million) for a residential site in the city-state.

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin collectively lost US$60 billion in net worth on Thursday, making them the two biggest wealth losers globally, as parent company Alphabet’s stock suffered a historic decline.