Hong Kong – 2nd September 2024 : – The Pacific Basin Economic Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Anthony Chan, CEO of Isola Capital to its board of directors, with immediate effect. “I have had the privilege of getting to know Anthony over the past 3 years and witnessed at first-hand his passion and generosity for engaging his clients and fellow PBEC members. He has been an active participant at our roundtable dialogues and public events as an…
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Provided by Dow Jones QBE Insurance Group said its interim net profit doubled and it raised its dividend, amid continued premium renewal rate increases and lower catastrophe costs. The Australia-listed insurer, which reports in U.S. dollars, said earnings for the six months through June were $802 million, compared to $400 million the previous year. Revenue rose by 5% on year to $10.44 billion. “We have seen a positive start to the year, highlighted by further improvement in underwriting performance and…
Peter is PBEC’s immediate past Board of Director who recently stepped down to take up a new role as China Britain Business Council Chief Executive. “It is a little more than a week since I collected my lanyard and security pass and joined the talented team of the China-Britain Business Council as the new CEO. I am acutely conscious of the 70 year history and the rich legacy that have been passed my way. CBBC has a reputation for membership…
Author: PBEC’s Accounting & Tax subject matter experts ICAEW Insights While formal training programmes play a key part in continuous development, some of the most impactful learning comes through one-to-one conversations, sometimes in a formal environment, but often not. Such mentoring support is central to helping advisers both technically and on their career journey. It’s about more than individuals: it’s about developing a culture of mentoring as an essential part of a firm’s DNA. This will shape the future leaders…
Author: PBEC’s Accounting & Tax subject matter experts ICAEW Insights The rapid growth of generative AI (Gen-AI) platforms, which are enabling millions of everyday people to use AI in creative ways, has taken the world by storm. In the coming years, these tools are likely to be used increasingly by us all. But with that widespread use of sophisticated technology comes a number of ethical hurdles – some of which will be examined on 4 October at ICAEW’s 2024 Annual…
Project Rake uses the Surf Rake, a beach cleaning machine capable of picking up and holding 3,500 pounds of marine debris. It moves across the sand, leaving behind fine sand and a cleaner beach. The Memorandum of Understanding outlines how Aboitiz Land lends the Surf Rake to neighboring communities, eliminating the need for hand labor and saving time and money, making it a cost-efficient solution. The Surf Rake is reliable, easy to use, maintain, and environmentally friendly, making it the…
The listed holding company, with interests in power, banking, food and infrastructure, is more than doubling its capital spending in 2024 to 153 billion pesos ($2.6 billion). About half will be used to build a solar power plant and a wind farm while roughly a quarter will go to AEV’s headline-grabbing $1.8 billion acquisition of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines in partnership with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, completed in February. AEV will also break ground on a fourth industrial estate. AEV’s banking unit,…
CityUHK launched the HK Tech 300 SEA Competition in Kuala Lumpur in May 2023. Its aim is to support Southeast Asian start-ups to expand their business to Hong Kong and the mainland, help Hong Kong start-ups explore opportunities in SEA, and attract overseas tech talent to the city. Over 100 start-ups, joined the competition through the partnering universities and incubators in the region. Presiding over the Award Ceremony were Professor Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of…
PBEC’s subject matter expert Ben Simpfendorfer of Oliver Wyman spoke to China Daily journalists Ouyang Shijia and Ma Qing “The foundations are there for recovery.” While China’s growth target of around 5 percent for this year seems challenging, Simpfendorfer said he believes the goal is “still achievable if the real estate sector begins to stabilize”. Dismissing the speculation that China’s economy is showing signs of peaking, he said the “long-term growth prospects still look very good”. “China hasn’t peaked. It’s…
Author: Kati Suominen is a Research Fellow at the Hinrich Foundation a PBEC Corporate Member and partner Foundation – July 2024 Created in 2022, the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, or IPEF, was the Biden administration’s response to the Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The IPEF is non-binding and fails to deliver any market access, such as lowering tariffs and non-tariff barriers like subsidies and import quotas. It also does not meaningfully address digital trade rules. In…