Capital markets news | Thu 24 Sep 2026

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Blockchain
Account model: By contrast, Ethereum and most modern smart‑contract chains use a model which resembles a bank ledger or database. Each address has a stored balance, and the network maintains a global state of all account balances and contract data. When you send 1 ETH, the protocol directly subtracts 1 ETH plus gas fees from your account balance and adds 1 ETH to the recipient’s balance, without needing to assemble discrete UTXOs or create change outputs. Gas fees on these networks are paid in the native token (e.g., ETH) and are split between a protocol‑determined base fee (often burned) and a priority fee that goes to validators who process your transaction.

Equity

EcoSys’ ACE Market IPO priced at 27 sen, to raise over RM39m Edge Reserve NST Star
SoftBank-backed Carro said to mull first dual Nasdaq-SGX IPO Edge
Singapore’s link to US stocks struggling to attract traders Edge Star Reuters
Hong Kong Stock Exchange to discuss extended trading hours Edge
Nvidia-backed AI startup seeks USD10b before Australian IPO Edge
RBA pressure on ASX persists as clearing shortcomings remain Reuters
Novo Nordisk open to direct New York listing, CEO Doustdar tells FT Edge Reuters
IPO delays fuel market caution, Wall Street fears Star
Airtel Money plans one of London’s largest IPOs in years Reuters
Turkiye arrests Tera chairman at heart of funds scandal Edge

Debt

JB Cocoa’s outlook revised to positive MARC
Foreign demand for Malaysian bonds supported by sturdy fundamentals RAM
Rehda seeks enhanced housing credit guarantee scheme in Budget 2027 Star
SoftBank offers record yields on jumbo junk bonds in AI push Edge
10-year Treasury yield hits highest level since 2007 Yahoo Reuters
As 5% Treasury yields lose shock value, investors start worrying about 6% Yahoo Reuters
US Treasury to buy back up to USD6b in longer-dated govt debt Edge Yahoo
Muni ETFs see record inflows after bond rout Star
US mortgage rates surge above 7% to a more than 2-year high Edge Yahoo Reuters
Burnham stands by remarks that UK is in hock to bond markets Edge
Darkest before dawn? Funds mull return to bonds Edge

Commodities

Malaysia’s next energy chapter takes shape across ASEAN Reserve
Higher oil and gas services and equipment sector’s output, revenue in next 3 years Edge NST
South Korea plans to cut Middle East crude oil imports to 50% by 2035 NST
Asia’s crude oil imports hit post-Iran conflict high in Sep, but remain weak Star
Cargo vessel struck by projectile in Strait of Hormuz, 2 casualties reported Reserve
Shipping traffic via Strait of Hormuz stays below 10-day average NST
US crude inventories rise, fuel stocks fall as refining slips — EIA Edge
US diesel futures fall after report of export ban plan, which the White House denies Reuters
US Energy Secretary Wright says diesel export ban ‘definitely doesn’t work’ Edge Reuters
TotalEnergies, Amni take final investment on Ima gas field offshore Nigeria Edge
Oil holds near 2-week lows while diesel cracks hit record peak Edge Mail NST Star Reuters
Bank of America resets its oil price target with strong warning Yahoo

Digital assets

NYSE, Blockchain.com tie-up to bring tokenised US stocks to crypto users Telegraph Reuters
CFTC chair pushes tokenisation as SEC opens door to onchain stocks Telegraph
Winners and losers of the SEC’s new tokenised stocks rules Telegraph
Solana starts testing upgrade that could cut finality to 0.15 seconds Desk
Bitcoin ETF flows turn positive after USD4.6b rebound Edge
Bitcoin’s USD16b quarterly options settlement arrives with a ‘call-heavy’ book Desk
US stablecoin adoption could surge with bank-like protections: Visa survey Telegraph
BlackRock says AI agents could drive stablecoin and crypto adoption Desk
Perpetuals pioneer BitMEX shuts down after 11 years Desk Telegraph
US lawmakers from gaming states urge SCOTUS to take up Kalshi case Telegraph
Kalshi says it is not being investigated by the CFTC over trading activity Desk
CFTC warns about cheating in ‘mention markets’ on prediction platforms Desk Telegraph
Ex-SEC acting chair: Agency dropped crypto cases to avoid issues with credibility Telegraph
Inside the FBI’s little-known annual crypto crime gathering Desk
Raiffeisen to offer crypto trading across 11 European markets via Bitpanda Telegraph
ESMA to prioritise EU-wide AI and tokenisation supervision in 2027 Telegraph
EU watchdogs warn quantum computers could pick crypto’s locks Telegraph
Stablecoin cross-border flows surge 78%, defying crypto bear market Telegraph

M&A

AMS acquires full stake in Aluprecision Star
Empire Sushi operator keeps F&B acquisition door open amid expansion push Edge
Carimin acquires property in Sarawak worth RM21.12m Edge Reserve NST Star
AYS Ventures to sell 74% stake in Steelaris for SGD5.18m Star
Australian competition regulator blocks IAG’s RAC Insurance takeover NST
Royal Caribbean acquires stake in resort operator Sandals for USD3b Reuters
MoonPay to acquire SEC-registered North Capital in USD60m all-stock deal Desk Telegraph
Barry Diller’s People withdraws bid for MGM Resorts Reuters
Canada’s oil patch on track for biggest M&A wave in a decade Yahoo

Malaysia

S&P: Malaysia among Asia-Pacific markets lifted by AI tech boom Star
ADB raises GDP forecasts on robust tech exports; lifts 2027 inflation outlook Edge Star
Property market soft in 1H2026 with 60% of developers reporting unsold units Mail
Food security a major risk in 2027 over low availability ranking NST
China’s AgiBot commits to RM1b potential investment, creation of 5k jobs Edge
Direct selling company directors charged with promoting pyramid scheme Edge

Asian markets

Singapore inflation up for third month to highest since 2024 Edge
Singapore’s record AI boom unlikely to move MAS: Analysts Star
Singapore firms, households can beat financial shocks Star
Singapore wants AI to shop but with strict limits, study shows Edge
Indonesia holds rate, boosting hedging incentives for rupiah Edge Star
Indonesia land reform law raises risk for plantation, property Edge
Singapore’s BDx launches DC project in Java Star
Trade surplus due to competitiveness Star
Hong Kong’s Paul Chan rejects ‘race to bottom’ with Singapore Edge Star
South Korean prosecutors want 15-year jail term for Kakao founder Edge
Sri Lanka economy resilient but risks remain tilted to downside, IMF says Edge Mail
Microsoft plans USD10b-plus Gulf investment with focus on resilience Reuters
Data centres not for emerging markets — World Bank president Edge
Asia to face ongoing inflation pressure into 2027, ADB warns Star
Geopolitics, rates, AI demand to shape APAC markets in 2026 NST

Other markets

There’s a reason Trump is the only one talking about 1% interest rates Yahoo Reuters
Fed’s Barr says more rate hikes are needed to bring down inflation Yahoo
Kevin Hassett voices concern against Fed officials’ recent call for rate hikes Yahoo
Goldman Sachs’ interest rate prediction hinges on oil prices Yahoo
Global inflation will linger and Fed will hike rates again, OECD says Edge
Inflation pressures raise prospect of Fed rate hike on eve of elections Reuters
US business activity at more than 5-year high; inflation pressures building Edge Reuters
Corporate finance chiefs lift inflation outlook, cite rates as concern – Fed survey Reuters
Single-client hedge funds attract growing share of capital, Goldman report says Reuters
US to either reform IEA on climate issues or leave group, energy secretary says Edge
US, China agree to extend trade truce by 2 months, work on bigger deal Reuters
US to fund USD7b of Argentina mineral, energy projects NST
BOE officials leave London for Leeds to set interest rates Edge
BofA forecasts 2 BOE rate hikes as energy prices stoke inflation concerns Reuters
UK business activity cools as inflation pressure ramps up ahead of budget Edge
EU answer to US banking deregulation triggers political pushback Edge
Europe’s economy resilient amid war-driven energy shock, surveys show Reuters
EU could recoup third of US economic lead with bigger firms, ECB says Reuters
Eurozone business activity hits 3-year high on services Edge
Swiss upper house votes for 90% CET1 capital backing plan, in blow to UBS Edge
Tech: The economics of hyperscalers and frontier AI labs Edge
Space investment more than doubled to USD23b in year to Jun, report says Reuters