Capital markets news | Fri 22 May 2026
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Johor‑Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS -SEZ)
The JS‑SEZ includes explicit plans to elevate Johor’s human capital and ease Singapore’s talent shortage by creating 20k skilled jobs over the next decade. Shared cross‑border R&D labs, training centres, and joint upskilling programmes let engineers, tech staff, and finance professionals live in Johor but work across the border in high‑value roles rather than just low‑wage factory or hospitality jobs.
Equity
- EI Power surges on ACE Market debut on heels of strong demand Edge NST
- Oilfield services firm Elsa opens IPO for subscription at 23 sen per share Edge
- Majuperak’s exit from affected listed issuer status signals recovery NST
- Global funds pile back into Chinese stocks in Apr, data shows Edge
- Circular AI boom goes global as Asia windfall funds hyperscalers Edge
- SoftBank-backed SB Energy confidentially files for US IPO Edge
- Blockchain.com files with SEC for US IPO Coindesk
- OpenAI preparing to file for IPO in coming weeks Edge
- SpaceX’s biggest IPO risks are also its bull case Yahoo
- US to invest in quantum computing firms in exchange for stakes Edge Yahoo
- Modal Labs valued at USD4.65b as AI coding takes off Yahoo
- Peer-to-peer trading startup Variational raises USD50m for real-world perps Coindesk
Debt
- Foreign fund inflows extend into Apr; record demand for corporate bonds RAM Edge NST
- Standard Chartered ramps up SME support with BNM financing facility NST Star
- S&P affirms Public Bank’s A- rating with stable outlook Star
- Trump blinks as big, bad bond market bares its teeth Edge
- Dimon Says Rates Risk Going Much Higher After Bond Selloff Yahoo
- Bond markets are not so subtly telling the Fed that rates aren’t high enough Yahoo
Commodities
- Malaysian palm oil groups worry Indonesian export revamp causes disruption Edge Star
- China kept building its crude stockpile in Apr despite Iran crisis Edge Star
- Iran says the US’s latest proposal has narrowed the gaps Yahoo
- Oil slips 2% on uncertain US-Iran deal prospects Star Yahoo
- Progress in Iran talks undercut over uranium, Hormuz tolls Yahoo
- Oil prices climb back above USD100 as Iran looks to keep its uranium Yahoo
- Oil edges up as Trump says US in ‘final stages’ of reaching Iran deal Edge
- Goldman says global oil stockpiles falling at record pace Edge Star Yahoo
- Oil could enter red zone by Jul / Aug: IEA Yahoo
Digital assets
- Bitcoin’s long-term holder supply approaches record high Coindesk Cointelegraph
- Bitcoin liquidity balance hints at developing rally toward USD80k Cointelegraph
- Binance launches SpaceX pre-IPO perps amid USD2t valuation bets Coindesk Cointelegraph
- Stablecoins retain the edge over tokenised money market funds, JPMorgan says Coindesk
- MoonPay expands into tokenised assets, DeFi markets with platform for banks Coindesk
- Prediction markets are national security risks, and Congress wants to ban them Coindesk
- TradFi giant IG to expand crypto trading across Europe through Bitpanda Coindesk
- Boerse Stuttgart taps SocGen, flatexDEGIRO for EU blockchain settlement Cointelegraph
M&A
- Bintulu Port transfer to be finalised by end-Jun Edge
- OSK acquires Kedah land for RM41m Star
- Indonesia, Malaysia have approved asset transfers to new Eni-Petronas JV Edge NST Star
- Singtel open to minority partner for Optus Edge
- Manus weighs raising USD1b to unwind Meta takeover Edge
- Top US landlords agree merge in USD50b real estate deal Edge
- James Murdoch to acquire New York Magazine and Vox Media Podcast Network Edge NST
- Nexstar says it is losing millions as it seeks quick review of order halting Tegna merger NST
- China takeover lends a midas touch for Greek port Star
Malaysia
- BNM policy strengthens transparency standards for digital platforms Edge NST Star
- BNM sees potential for data sharing scheme integration with Open Finance Edge NST
- SC opens application for Islamic finance study at Oxford NST
- Brain drain deepens NST
- Zeti calls for more investment in education and skills NST
- Investment, industrial collaboration and legal certainty Edge
- Pricier diesel driving up construction costs by as much as 15% – contractors Edge Mail
- DOSM: Labour productivity up 4.8% in 1Q2026 Edge Mail NST
- Govt seeks fairer aid approach beyond B40, M40, T20 classifications Edge
- Trade reaches historic RM1.127t in Jan-Apr Mail NST Star
- Goldman Sachs to pay USD500m to settle shareholder lawsuit over 1MDB scandal NST
- Explainer: Why the MACC probe into Sunway-IJM takeover bid remains active NST
Other markets
- StanChart fields regulator queries after CEO’s ‘lower-value human capital’ remark Edge
- Weak rupiah impacts and delays strategic projects Star
- Danantara Indonesia to honour commodity export contracts, but will review prices Edge
- Amazon to invest over USD33b in Southeast Asia cloud, AI infrastructure by 2039 NST
- More than 1k Chinese exporters flag yuan’s appreciation in 1Q earnings reports Edge
- AMD commits more than USD10b to Taiwan AI investments Edge Star
- BOJ policymaker calls for rate hike, warns of war-led inflation overshoot Edge
- Japan exports rise for eighth month despite supply disruptions Edge
- India’s economic activity holds steady in May, flash PMIs show Edge
- UK and Gulf states hail trade deal after 4 years of talks Edge
- How oil prices, capital flight and weak currencies are creating a perfect storm in Asia Mail
- Australia’s unemployment hits 4½ year high, lessens risk of rate rise Edge
- Fed’s long-term inflation forecast hits 19-year high Yahoo
- Fed’s Barkin says repeated supply shocks test inflation anchor Yahoo
- Richmond Fed’s Barkin suggests Fed could look through oil price shock for now Yahoo
- Dimon says JPMorgan to hire more for AI, fewer bankers Edge Star
- Jeff Bezos says absurd to tax USD50k income, tax bill should be zero Yahoo
- US manufacturing activity rises to 4-year high in May, S&P Global survey shows Edge
- US weekly jobless claims fall amid labour market resilience Edge
- US housing starts fall on drop in single-family homes Edge
- Walmart warns US shoppers are cutting spending as higher petrol prices bite Yahoo
- UK to close tax loophole, targeting oil and gas firms’ profits Edge
- ECB sees few signs of high inflation taking root, but may raise rates Star
- Google, Meta, TikTok face EU consumer complaints about handling of financial scams Edge
- Ex-Macquarie banker stands trial in EUR319m German tax evasion case Edge
- Foreign investment in Germany falls to near decade-low, agency says Edge
- Turkey passes law to halve corporate tax for manufacturing companies NST
- The AI bots are coming and the young are booing, not applauding Edge
- War weighs on global growth with inflation worries intensifying Edge