Asia Economy

Metaverse could pump $1.4 trillion a year into Asia’s GDP: Deloitte

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The impact of the metaverse to GDP in Asia could be between $0.8 and 1.4 trillion per year by 2035, said a new Deloitte report. Weiquan Lin | Moment | Getty Images Meta‘s huge bet on the metaverse may have put the company in dire straits, but a new Deloitte report suggests that virtual realities … Read more

Hong Kong retains spot as most expensive business destination in Asia

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Hong Kong has been named the most expensive location in Asia for business travelers — for the second year in a row, according to a new report.  ECA International’s latest Daily Rates research ranked countries based on costs for short trip expenses: four-star hotel rooms, meals, laundry, alcoholic and soft drinks, journeys by taxi and … Read more

Indonesia says economy is more resilient to absorb inflation shocks

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Indonesia is taking steps to make its economy more resilient so it can withstand global shocks like inflation, especially from the United States, said Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. As the world’s largest economy, what the U.S. does has strong implications worldwide, including Indonesia, said the minister. To fight inflation, the U.S. has hiked interest … Read more

Indonesia’s 2022 GDP growth races to a 9-year high on resource boom

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Indonesian rupiah notes. Adek Berry | AFP | Getty Images Indonesia’s economic growth climbed to its strongest in nine years last year fueled by revived spending from the lifting of pandemic restrictions and as a global commodity boom sent exports to a record high. Southeast Asia’s largest economy gained from high global commodities prices in … Read more

Tech startups trying to fill tech gap

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A worker refills a robotic dispenser by eFishery, an agritech startup, at a fish farm in Subang Regency in West Java, Indonesia, in June 2022. The startup helps farmers optimize their processes through automatic feeders and mobile apps. Dimas Ardian | Bloomberg | Getty Images Indonesia’s tech startups are reeling in big money in seafood … Read more

Indonesia’s GoTo reports wider nine-month loss

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Motorcyclists travel past a billboard advertising GoTo’s initial public offering in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday, April 8, 2022. GoTo, formed through the merger of Gojek with e-commerce pioneer Tokopedia, raised $1.1 billion in one of the worlds biggest stock debuts this year and is slated to list in Jakarta April 11. Dimas Ardian | Bloomberg … Read more

Monsoon rains force halt in Indonesia quake rescue efforts

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Residents move to a safer place after a 3.9-magnitude aftershock in Cugenang, Cianjur on November 23, 2022, following a 5.6-magnitude earthquake that hit the area on November 21.(Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP) (Photo by ADEK BERRY/AFP via Getty Images) Adek Berry | Afp | Getty Images Searchers in Indonesia on Wednesday rescued a 6-year-old … Read more

Ex-Stripe exec wants staying power over huge growth

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GajiGesa’s Vidit Agrawal wanted to provide workers access to their wages as they earn it, between traditional end-of-month pay cycles. That gives workers much more liquidity and protects them from predatory lenders. GajiGesa Vidit Agrawal, co-founder of Indonesia-based startup GajiGesa, knows crazy growth is nice. But staying power is better. “Everyone is talking about profitability … Read more

VC firms will be pickier in 2023

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Venture capital-backed companies only raised $369 billion for the first three quarters of 2022, according to Crunchbase data. A total of $679.4 billion was invested globally in 2021. Malte Mueller | Fstop | Getty Images Venture capital firms in Southeast Asia will probably be pickier next year, with valuations plunging and economic headwinds slowing growth … Read more