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    • SingCham is the premier business chamber for Singaporean interests in Indonesia. Founded in 2006, SingCham aims to promote the business interests of individuals or companies operating in Singapore and/or Indonesia. SingCham provides networking activities, events, and useful information for its members, and acts as the liaison between the Singaporean business community and the Singapore and Indonesian governments. With a focus on fostering better networking and feedback among members, SingCham is committed to providing valuable resources and insights to help members connect, learn, and grow their businesses in Indonesia. Join SingCham today and become part of a thriving business community that benefits from exclusive resources, networking opportunities, and business insights.

    20Aug, 2018
    Apple wipes thousands of gambling apps after China backlash

    Apple Inc.’s pulled thousands of gambling apps from its Chinese store after the nation’s state-run broadcaster accused the smartphone maker of dragging its feet on cleaning up banned content.

    Government-controlled media including China Central Television attacked Apple this month for hosting illegal and fake lottery-ticket apps, which they said resulted in massive losses for hoodwinked users. On Sunday, CCTV reported that Apple pulled at least 4,000 apps tagged with the keyword “gambling” on Aug. 9 alone.

    The U.S. company confirmed the action and said it was simply complying with regulations. But it underscores both Beijing’s resurgent crackdown on all forms of online content from games to social media and video services, as well as the difficulties facing foreign companies that do business in the world’s second-largest economy.

    (read more: Bloomberg)
    14Aug, 2018
    As emerging markets take a battering from Turkey’s turmoil, traders are positioning themselves to ride out the pain.

    As emerging markets take a battering from Turkey’s turmoil, sending stocks and bonds toward their lowest this year, traders are positioning themselves to ride out the pain.

    Traders pushed down the value of emerging market assets Monday as Turkish assets sank, before stabilizing on Tuesday. The carnage in Turkey added to an already fragile landscape amid tensions between the U.S. and other major economies such as Russia and China. While some investors say bargains are already emerging, others bet the best option is to sell stocks and bonds and put their money into cash.

    Here’s what analysts and investors are saying:

    Kevin Daly, a money manager at Aberdeen Standard Investments in London:

    • The almost-$800 billion investment group sold some emerging-market holdings on Monday to increase its cash positions.
    • Daly sees few signs the Turkish rout will end soon and says emerging markets as a whole could be in for further pain.
    • “Playing a market like this is difficult,” he said. “There aren’t any obvious safe zones.”

    (read more: Bloomberg)

    13Aug, 2018
    China Faces Problem in Getting Its Banks to Lend More Money

    The People’s Bank of China is tackling a problem it rarely had to worry about until recently — persuading banks to lend the money they have.

    Thanks to the central bank turning on the liquidity taps, the cost for banks to borrow from one another is now lower than the cost to borrow from the PBOC, but a large chunk of those funds is sitting idle. That money isn’t feeding into the wider economy, especially not to cash-strapped smaller firms, as lenders are unwilling to make loans or buy risky bonds.

    With China in a worsening trade war with the U.S. and also trying to control already large debts, ensuring funds get to needy companies is vital to sustain growth. Since the start of August, the central bank has begun softening rules to encourage lending, and a top-level meeting chaired by Vice Premier Liu He called for more efforts in “unclogging” the transmission mechanism, underlining the government’s sense of urgency.

    (Read more: Bloomberg)