ASEAN Tech

Singapore Bets on Being AI's Neutral Ground — Just as US Chip Rules Put the Middle Under Scrutiny

As Singapore AI Week and SuperAI 2026 open with a pitch to be 'neutral ground' for a fracturing AI industry, fresh US chip-export guidance has sharpened scrutiny of overseas subsidiaries of China-parented firms — capturing both the promise and the peril of Singapore's position.

8 Jun 2026 · 7 min read

ASEAN Tech

Indonesia’s AI Ready ASEAN Pact Turns AI Literacy Into Regional Infrastructure

Indonesia’s new AI Ready ASEAN agreement with the ASEAN Foundation shows how AI adoption in Southeast Asia is becoming a regional capacity-building project, not only a technology race.

6 Jun 2026 · 5 min read

ASEAN Tech

Sea's three engines fire at once: Shopee, Monee and Garena drive a 47 per cent revenue jump

Singapore's Sea Limited posted first-quarter revenue of US$7.1 billion, up 47 per cent, as its e-commerce, fintech and gaming arms grew together for the first time in years. Shopee booked a record US$37.3 billion in goods sold, Monee's loan book grew 70 per cent, and Garena had its strongest quarter in five years.

1 Jun 2026 · 6 min read

ASEAN Tech

Tonik Becomes First Standalone Digital Bank in the Philippines to Turn Profitable

Five years after launch and without a conglomerate backstop, Tonik Digital Bank reported positive consolidated cash net income for Q1 2026 — a first for any standalone digital bank in the Philippines — on a US$110M loan book growing at 2.3× year-on-year.

1 Jun 2026 · 8 min read

ASEAN Tech

Thailand's First Virtual Bank Licence Goes to CLICX — KTB, AIS, and OR Joint Venture Launches 19 June

Thailand's first virtual bank licence has been issued: CLICX — the KTB, AIS, and OR joint venture — received its operating licence from the Bank of Thailand on 14 May 2026 and opens its mobile app on 19 June, targeting the 63% of Thais underserved by traditional banking.

1 Jun 2026 · 8 min read

ASEAN Tech

Grab Takes Majority Control of Indonesia's Superbank as Singtel Transfers Its Stake to GXS

Grab Holdings will consolidate Indonesia's Superbank — a six-million-customer digital lender with IDR 24 trillion in assets — into its Financial Services segment after Singtel Alpha Investments transfers its Superbank stake to GXS Bank, pushing Grab's combined ownership above 50%.

1 Jun 2026 · 7 min read

ASEAN Tech

Vietnam Proposes Crypto and Digital Assets as SME Loan Collateral in $144 Billion Credit Market

Vietnam's Ministry of Finance is consulting on draft legislation that would let SMEs pledge digital assets, virtual assets, and intellectual property as bank collateral — a structural fix for a credit market where 98% of businesses receive only 19–20% of total lending.

1 Jun 2026 · 8 min read

ASEAN Tech

IBPAP to Revise Philippines IT-BPM Roadmap as AI Outpaces 2022 Assumptions

IBPAP announced at the National AI & Skills Summit on 1 June 2026 that its 2022 industry roadmap — which projects USD 59 billion in revenue and 2.5 million workers by 2028 — will be revised after three years. AI has compressed timelines faster than the roadmap's original assumptions, and updated projections are expected within weeks.

1 Jun 2026 · 8 min read

ASEAN Tech

Hong Kong's First Astronaut Is a Police Computer-Forensics PhD — and She's Now Aboard China's Tiangong Station

When Shenzhou-23 lifted off on 24 May 2026, one of the three people aboard was Lai Ka-ying — a serving Hong Kong Police superintendent whose 2011 doctoral thesis was titled "Profiling Internet Pirates." Hong Kong's first astronaut did not come up through an air-force cockpit. She came up through computer forensics.

30 May 2026 · 4 min read

ASEAN Tech

MAS Issues Binding GenAI Banking Guidelines — Five-Bank Sandbox, Cross-Border Implications for ASEAN Finance

The Monetary Authority of Singapore published its long-awaited binding guidelines on generative AI use by banks on Tuesday. Five banks — DBS, OCBC, UOB, Standard Chartered and HSBC Singapore — enter the supervisory sandbox immediately.

20 May 2026 · 8 min read