This issue explores the growing footprint of co-working spaces in Singapore, which now account for 4.5% of Grade A office spaces — equivalent to 54 soccer pitches in size. Data centres also get increasingly white-hot interest as corporate titans like Facebook and Google pick Singapore as the next location for their tech hubs.
As the rope around Hong Kong's housing issue tightens, new firms venture into unconventional low-cost residences like 100-sqft concrete pipes. Meanwhile, channel checks with ground experts revealed that the industrial sector is hit by lack of new supply, tech-driven logistics, and flight-to-quality relocations.
Asian Banking and Finance zoomed into Islamic banks and how they found a match in blockchain technology. Its forex report discussed Singapore's Project Ubin and an upcoming eFX engine. This issue also bears a comprehensive coverage of the Asian Banking and Finance Awards. Flip to see which banks dominated this year's awards.
This issue features an exclusive interview with the CEO of MetLife Hong Kong, Lee Wood. He discussed their new holistic digital insurance platform called MetLife Discovery which is the first of its kind in Hong Kong. He also revealed how he plans to focus on the firm’s growth and efficiency for the coming year.
This issue of Asian Power delves into the absence of a central energy policy in Australia, and how some companies have stepped up to install renewables projects for their own use. Coal investment is still set to grow in Asia and hit $250b in the next decade, but executives are already hesitant at the thought of a greenfield project due to increased withdrawal from banks and financiers.
India's attempt to provide a massive universal healthcare programme for a half a billion people is marred by financial and political concerns. Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview, University Malaya Specialist Centre (UMSC) CEO Azhar Harun talked about their vision of being the 'hospital of hospitals.'