Capital markets news | Mon 25 May 2026
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Johor‑Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS -SEZ)
Beyond traditional SEZ tax breaks, the agreement focuses on easing movement of goods, people, and services through a joint facilitation centre and streamlined approvals. In practice, this lays groundwork for customs, standards, and digital‑trade pilot schemes (e‑invoicing, paperless trade, digital IDs) that could become a template for other ASEAN cross‑border zones.
Equity
- Hong Leong Industries prime candidate for ‘MY Value Up’ programme Edge
- DeepSeek in USD10b round Edge
- China scrutinising companies, funds after AI-fuelled stock moves Edge
- China to crack down on ‘illegal’ cross-border securities activities Edge NST
- World’s most fervent day traders in Korea to get risky new tools Edge Star
- Arafura Rare Earths plans USD250m share sale backed by Australia’s richest person Edge
- Aussie govt consulting with startups after backlash Star
- ‘There’s mania’: Strategists weigh in on looming SpaceX IPO Yahoo
- Anthropic to close over USD30b round as soon as this week Edge
- IBM shares soar on US funding for USD2b quantum push Edge
- From Meta to SpaceX: How dual-class shares keep founders in control Mail
Debt
- Sabah Energy Corporation’s proposed sukuk assigned preliminary AAA rating RAM
- Koperasi Co-opbank Pertama’s covered sukuk assigned preliminary AA2 rating RAM
- Hong Leong Financial Group and banking subsidiaries ratings affirmed RAM
- Segi Astana’s MTN AA- rating affirmed MARC
- CIMB Islamic’s ratings affirmed MARC NST
- CIMB Bank’s ratings affirmed MARC
- CIMB Group’s ratings affirmed MARC
- Energy transition to bolster debt issuance Star
- OCBC offers relief support for Malaysian SMEs Edge Star
- Capital A’s MRO unit ADE secures USD100m financing from QNB Edge NST Star
- Singapore’s Digital Edge closes USD575m loan to fund Asia-Pacific expansion Edge NST
- Yield curves may steepen further in key Southeast Asian markets Edge
- Japanese bonds mixed as traders weigh Iran war outlook, BOJ policy path NST
- US debt is the ‘elephant in the room’ amid bond market rout Yahoo
- Strategists warn yields to stay high even if Iran war ends Yahoo
- More pain ahead for public BDCs Star
- Argentina secures USD1b in IMF disbursement Edge NST
- EU must reform, consolidate, use joint debt to cope with spending needs NST
- France faces rising fiscal risks, IMF warns Edge
- World Bank shows 27 countries seeking to ensure access to crisis funds Edge Mail NST
Commodities
- Malaysia working to ensure energy supply security until Dec Edge
- Oil prices fall after Trump says Iran deal to be announced shortly Yahoo
- Oil near USD100 seen as base case over next 12 months on Iran war Edge
- Iran in talks with Oman over permanent Hormuz toll system Edge
- Supertanker with Iraq crude exits Persian Gulf as talks continue Yahoo
- What if Hormuz doesn’t reopen? Star
Digital assets
- Bitcoin tanks to USD74,300 as spot ETFs bleed USD2.26b in 2 weeks Coindesk
- A massive USD1t hidden market is waiting to be unlocked in bitcoin Coindesk
- Nasdaq gets approval from SEC to list bitcoin index options Edge
- Coinbase does not fear competition from Wall Street Coindesk
- Clarity Act could spark a boom in crypto ‘yield-as-a-service’ Coindesk
- SEC delaying plan allowing crypto versions of US stocks Edge
- CFTC officials who questioned prediction markets were suspended Cointelegraph
- NYSE owner and OKX seek to launch perpetual futures tied to oil Edge
- AI is speeding up the quantum threat to crypto, security experts warn Coindesk
- Crypto rails are becoming the default payment layer for AI agents Coindesk
- DeFi hacks shake institutional confidence as risks outpace yields Cointelegraph
- FTX law firm Fenwick & West to pay USD54m to victims in settlement Cointelegraph
- StablR Euro and US dollar stablecoins depeg after USD2.8m exploit Cointelegraph
- How Russia plans to allow crypto only for foreign trade settlements Cointelegraph
M&A
- SCIB drops rights issue plan following disposal of manufacturing arm Edge NST Star
- Eonmetall founder launches privatisation bid at 40 sen per share Edge
- Farm Fresh to acquire Sabah ice cream brand Edge
- Ann Joo taps Green Esteel as new buyer after Southern Steel drops out Edge Star
- Layered shareholding structure: Indirect path for high-profile acquisitions NST
- Hektar REIT to buy, lease back school campus for RM125m Edge Star
- Aspen clarifies RM818m bid for Batu Kawan Industrial Park 2 Edge
- ETA Group proposes RM16.5m acquisition of industrial property in Sri Damansara Star
- Tuas’ USD1.1b M1 deal lapses amid Singapore regulator probe Edge
- Shein to buy apparel retailer Everlane NST
- Wall Street banks boost Warner Bros loan to over USD10b ahead of Paramount merger NST
- China’s JD.com weighs EUR2b bid for UK retailer The Very Group NST
- InPost says FedEx-led USD9b buyout offer to open on 26 May Edge
- Uber proposes Delivery Hero takeover at EUR10b valuation Edge NST Star
- Itausa, GIC and Equipav to create group to bid for Copasa Edge
- Puig falls after Estee Lauder deal fails amid Tilbury strain Edge
Malaysia
- International reserves ease USD200m in mid-May Edge NST Star
- Bank Rakyat accelerates digital push with fintech community hub MoU NST
- Insurers eyeing end-to-end digital ecosystem Star
- Applications open June 1 for RM5m Madani content fund Edge
- Zetrix AI, Shenzhen Data Exchange sign MOU on cross-border data trading Edge Star
- Malaysian, Asean manufacturers poised to unlock USD1.2t AI growth opportunity NST
- Govt assures 85% of consumers protected from power tariff hikes Edge
- More Malaysians join workforce, unemployment rate eases to 2.9% NST
- Grad squeeze hurts economy Star
- Sarawak ready to support Trans-Borneo Railway project Edge NST
Other markets
- Singapore shipping mogul accused by US in price fixing case Edge NST
- Indonesia plans to beat global trading giants at their own game Edge
- Indonesia coal export shake-up rattles miners, traders Edge
- Indonesia to exempt nickel pig iron, palm oil derivatives from centralised export policy Edge
- Indonesia to ‘listen to market’ after shock commodity plan Edge
- Philippine central bank governor says it is considering off-cycle rate hike Edge
- Southeast Asia’s green dream risks USD80b reality check NST Star
- China squeezes Japan over rare earths in repeat of 2010 showdown Edge
- Japan’s core inflation hits 4-year low, rebound eyed on energy shock Edge NST
- Bangladesh central bank unveils USD4.9b stimulus as growth slows NST
- Citi to boost Asian wealth business with ‘significant’ hires Edge NST
- Asia Pacific economy grew 3.3% in 2025, pace set to moderate in 2026 – APEC PSU NST
- Trump tells Warsh to do ‘own thing’ as Fed chair sworn in Edge
- New Fed Chair suggests he may take an Alan Greenspan-style approach Yahoo
- Fed’s Waller says next move as likely to be rate hike as cut Edge
- Hassett says ending Iran war may create room for Fed rate cut Yahoo
- US consumer sentiment drops to record low on inflation worries Edge
- Fed’s worst inflation fears coming true as consumers lose faith in long-term prices Yahoo
- Mohamed El-Erian says drivers fool themselves that gas prices will come down Yahoo
- True cost of living could be Trump’s biggest headache Edge
- US weighing chip tariffs to spur domestic growth, trade chief says Edge
- Trump postpones AI executive order, cites need to compete with China Edge
- StanChart CEO apologises for ‘lower-value human’ comments Edge
- UK retail sales drop by most in nearly a year as drivers buy less fuel Edge
- ECB faces pressure to hike as Iran war feeds prices, Kocher says Edge
- German economy grows by 0.3% in 1Q, driven by exports Edge
- German business outlook improves for first time since Middle East war Edge
- France’s Macron to announce EUR1.5b for quantum computing, advanced microchips Edge
- France may consider windfall tax on sectors buoyed by Iran crisis, finance minister says NST
- Spain says EU talks with Anthropic over Mythos concerns are stalled Edge