Useful products from waste materials

ASEAN countries like Vietnam are not spared from the impact of climate change. Rapid economic development also means increasing demand for energy and power to meet the pace of growth, which leads to an increase in CO2 emissions. The journey to a cleaner future Takeshi Masuyama, Managing director, regional head of Vietnam, MUFG Bank, Ltd. The Vietnamese government has announced in various international forums its commitment to address environmental issues, and has firmed up its national net-zero target. In addition, the announcement of the Vietnam Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in last December is another milestone and will further rally the private and public sectors towards accelerating the country’s green transition. MUFG is part of the working group convened by the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) supporting the JETP initiative for Vietnam. The sustainability mission Since announcing our Carbon Neutrality Declaration in 2021, MUFG … [Read more...] about Committed to empowering a brighter future

Poonpong Naiyanapakorn, director general of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office. (Photo:nationthailand) Bangkok (VNA) – The Thailand ’s Commerce Industry has warned the strengthening baht will affect high-value industrial products with few imported raw materials such as rubber products, canned and processed seafood, gems and jewelry. Poonpong Naiyanapakorn, director general of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO), affirmed the baht surged to 32-33 baht per USD compared with 35-36 baht per USD last December. Poonpong said although the extent of the impact of the baht appreciation on export performance is not on par with the effect of a weakening global economy and economic slowdown in key trading partners, a strong baht directly affects the competitiveness of Thai products, making them more expensive than those of other exporting countries. The export value is also subject to a reduction once converted from the US dollar, resulting in a decline in revenue or … [Read more...] about Thai exports hurt as baht strengthens

A vendor counts banknotes at a market in Vientiane, Laos, on January 9, 2023. (Photo Xinhua/VNA) Vientiane (VNA) – The inflation rate in Laos surged to 40.3% in January, a record high in the last 23 years, according to the Statistics Bureau under the Lao Ministry of Planning and Investment. According to the agency, the depreciation of the Lao currency kip against USD and Thai baht and the soaring prices of fuel, gas, and other imported goods are among the main factors driving inflation. High fuel prices have pushed up production costs in the country because it has to import machinery, animal feed, and fertilisers at increasingly high prices. Laos’s consumer price index has spiked unexpectedly since the beginning of last year. Inflation in May 2022 was recorded at 12.81% before rising to 23.61% in June, 25.62% in July, 30.01% in August, 34.05% in September, 36.75% in October, 38.46% in November and 39.27% in December. Overall, Laos's average inflation in 2022 is up to … [Read more...] about Laos’s inflation continues to rise in January, hits 23-year record

The following is the full text of the interview. Reporter: This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10th anniversary of strategic partnership between Singapore and Vietnam. How do you evaluate the Singapore-Vietnam relations in the past half century, especially in the last decade? What should the two countries do to further our bilateral cooperation and to advance the development of each country? Vivian Balakrishnan: The ties between Singapore and Vietnam have grown from strength to strength since we established diplomatic relations 50 years ago. We are longstanding friends and close partners that enjoy wide-ranging cooperation in many areas, both bilaterally and at multilateral fora. I am heartened that the bilateral relationship has continued to expand and evolve to tackle new challenges over the past decade. Our linkages are particularly strong in trade and investment. The 12 Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) across Northern, Central, … [Read more...] about Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to enhance Singapore-Vietnam relations: Singaporean Foreign Minister

Could you give an update about Antler’s portfolio? Magnus Grimeland It boasts about 680 companies in 25 locations across the world including Brazil, the United States, and Canada. In Europe, we are in most of the big capitals. In Africa, we’re in Nairobi. Asia is obviously a big focus for us with most of the major tech ecosystems in India, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. We’re the world’s second most active early-stage investor now, and back the top 1 per cent of founders. We got 65,000 applicants last year from founders who want to work with us. Antler backs the best of the next generation of great companies, supporting their access to co-founders, supporting business model validation, putting in the first bit of capital with advisors across the globe, helping internationalise, and then we continue to back them. We also have a later stage fund, which enables us to invest directly into later stage companies. I’m incredibly … [Read more...] about Vietnam: the place to innovate with tech