Capital markets news | Mon 16 Mar 2026
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Iran war and global oil supply
A prolonged war could force international insurance companies to withdraw war risk coverage, thereby grounding the global tanker fleet which are legally required to have the insurance. Ghost fleets could form without insurance and operate outside the reach of Western financial sanctions, benefitting countries like Russia.
Equity
- Empire Sushi signs underwriting with Maybank for Main Market IPO Edge NST Star
- Rakuten pins hope on return of foreign funds amid Middle East conflict Edge
- MTDC, Tradeview launch RM20m venture capital fund Edge
- LTAT to seek exposure in tech sector Star
- Chinese AI start-up Moonshot seeking funds at USD18b valuation Edge
- Hong Kong to expand ‘name and shame’ list to IPO lawyers Edge
- Hong Kong moves to lower threshold for dual-class share listings Edge
- EMs keep their edge Star
- SoftBank’s PayPay keeps dual listing on table after solid US IPO Edge
- Crossing out cross ownership Star
- Higher oil prices could spark domino effect that tanks S&P 500 by 15% Yahoo
- Warren Buffett left USD373b warning for the stock market Yahoo
- What venture capital’s recovery means for female founders Edge
Debt
- Kami Builders’ RM90m Tranche 1 SRI sukuk assigned AAA(s) rating RAM
- Sunway REIT’s sustainability-linked CP assigned P1(s) rating RAM Edge Star
- Evyap’s sukuk programme assigned AA preliminary rating MARC
- Banking sector resilient, well supported by robust capital buffers Edge
- Strategies to overcome market abuses Star
- World Bank approves USD800m loan to support Philippine fiscal reforms NST
- Chinese new loans slump more than expected as weak demand persists Edge
- Japan, South Korea nuclear operators get US Ex-Im Bank support Edge
- Private credit funds slide as investors sell out Edge
- BofA’s Hartnett warns markets are starting to look like 2008 Edge
- Treasuries fear gauge surges to 9-month high on war fallout Edge
- Ray Dalio says America is in debt death spiral, Iran war could make it worse Yahoo
- Economist worried military spending widens US deficit, ups borrowing costs Yahoo
- Another popular barbecue chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Yahoo
- MFS runs out of solutions Star
- Debt-burdened Europe has fewer options to buffer energy shock NST
Digital assets
- Bursa seeking public input on rules to list digital currency ETFs Edge Star
- HSBC, Standard Chartered to get stablecoin licences in Hong Kong Edge
- Bitcoin nears USD74k, but data suggests the bear market is not over Cointelegraph
- Bitwise’s Matt Hougan revisits USD1m bitcoin, analysts debate his timeline Coindesk
- Changing Basel rules could unlock ‘huge’ liquidity for bitcoin Cointelegraph
- Boris Johnson calling bitcoin Ponzi draws rebuttal Coindesk Cointelegraph
- Bitcoin can survive 72% submarine cables cut, not on 5 hosting providers Coindesk
- Crypto markets roiled by US–Iran conflict, traders brace for turbulence Mail NST
- BlackRock says ‘exotic’ crypto ETFs not part of its strategy Cointelegraph
- Dividend for crypto; Wall Street’s newest way to sweeten the deal for ETF Yahoo
- Visa, Coinbase ready for AI agents, building very different internets Coindesk
- AI agents are quietly rewriting prediction market trading Coindesk
- AI developers not keen on crypto, stablecoins are secret to agentic finance Coindesk
- Why Nasdaq, NYSE put USD126t equity market on blockchain Coindesk
- Wall Street pushes tokenised stocks, but institutions aren’t eager to trade Coindesk
- Stablecoin uncertainty could hurt banks more than crypto firms Cointelegraph
- Trump crypto venture offers ‘guaranteed direct access’ for USD5m Edge
- Brazil industry giants decry stablecoin tax threat Coindesk
- UK central bank warming up to stablecoins, but industry input lacking Cointelegraph
- Crypto can fight money laundering without stifling financial freedom Cointelegraph
M&A
- Sunway’s IJM offer not fair, not reasonable, says independent adviser Edge NST Star
- Defending IJM + Bursa Malaysia pushes for value creation Edge NST Star
- Chin Hin buys Kota Damansara site for RM66m for redevelopment Edge NST Star
- EWI Capital disposes Sydney Macquarie Park land for RM89.7m Star
- US to receive USD10b fee for TikTok deal Edge
- Fertitta Entertainment in talks to buy Caesars for USD6.5b NST
- China’s BYD open to building cars in Canada, buying out rivals Edge
- Drake-backed Dave’s Hot Chicken mulling sale of its European franchise Edge
Malaysia
- BNM to assess oil‑shock impact before rate move, despite inflation risks Mail NST
- Can Malaysia catch fleeing capital? Star
- High debt, low income deter 2/3 of Malaysians from owning properties Edge
- Raise skill, income levels to deal with economic pressure NST
- Hire Purchase (Amendment) Act 2026 to take effect 1 Jun Edge
- AI Governance Bill seen strengthening Malaysia’s digital economy NST
- Land misappropriation: MACC freezes 10 bank accounts totalling RM4m Edge
- MACC chief alleged to hold millions in shares Edge
- SSM deputy CEO charged again with receiving RM13k in gratification Edge
- US investigating 60 countries over alleged forced labour Edge NST
- Malaysia could face US trade action if probe finds violations Edge
- Malaysia, EU to continue fourth round of FTA talks in Jun Edge
- China’s ByteDance gets access to top Nvidia AI chips in Malaysia Edge
- Cahya Mata Sarawak loses arbitration against Malaysian Phosphate Ventures Edge
Other markets
- Sustained high oil prices could see Indonesia budget deficit breach limit Edge
- Prabowo open to breach Indonesia deficit cap only during crisis Edge
- Thailand will seek to buy oil from Russia Edge
- China encourages dollar buying to slow surging yuan NST
- China consumption start to year may be worst outside Covid Edge
- Why Japan’s bar for yen intervention is now higher Edge
- Japan to sell oil from national reserves at pre-Iran war prices Edge NST Yahoo
- Japan to consider whether to buy Russian crude following US sanctions waiver Edge
- India to hold off on US trade deal amid new probe Edge
- Asia set to pledge USD30b in energy, mineral deals with US Edge
- Japan industry ministry asks Australia to boost LNG output amid Iran crisis NST
- Gulf economies at risk of worst slump since 1990s on Iran war Yahoo
- Australia releases petrol and diesel from emergency reserves Edge
- US Fed expected to hold rates steady as Iran war roils outlook NST
- Iran war can lead to triple whammy for Federal Reserve Yahoo
- The multi-trillion dollar question Star
- US consumer spending, core PCE inflation firmer in Jan Edge
- US 4Q GDP growth revised down to 0.7% Edge
- UBS economists issue stark warning on US economy Yahoo
- US oil CEOs warn Trump administration that energy crisis likely to worsen Yahoo
- Paul Krugman warns of oil shock bigger than 1970s could get triggered Yahoo
- US reiterates oil reserve release will be an exchange Yahoo
- Trump plots ‘disaster’ move into oil trading Yahoo
- Pentagon sees Iran war lasting up to 6 weeks Yahoo
- US job openings broadly picked up in Jan, layoffs fell Edge
- Workers aren’t quitting their jobs and that’s a problem for the labour market Yahoo
- US withdraws draft rule calling for global AI chip permits Edge
- Alaska LNG needs more offtake commitments before final investment decision Edge
- US issues 30-day sanctions waiver for purchase of Russian oil at sea Edge NST Star
- Canada unemployment rate rises to 6.7% with 83,900 out of jobs Edge
- Britain’s economy unexpectedly stalled at start of year Edge
- As AI agents take the wheel, insurers are figuring out who’s liable Mail
- IEA announces emergency release of 271.7m barrels of oil in Asia and Oceania NST
- Economists warn USD200 oil will trigger global shock NST