Industry News

Menarini Asia-Pacific has entered a 10-year exclusive partnership with Pharmacosmos to bring Cosela® (trilaciclib), a first-in-class oncology supportive care therapy, to the Asia-Pacific region. This collaboration excludes China and India and is set to address chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression (CIM), a significant side effect for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

Cosela® is designed to protect bone marrow from CIM, a condition that compromises the production of healthy blood cells and can disrupt cancer treatment. Already approved by the FDA, Cosela® is marketed in the US and China, with registration underway in Europe. The first launch in the Asia-Pacific is anticipated in Hong Kong in 2028, followed by Singapore and Thailand in 2029, with other markets such as Australia to follow.

Glen Godresse, CEO of Menarini Asia-Pacific, stated, “Cosela® represents an important advancement in oncology supportive care and the kind of innovation that can make a meaningful difference for patients.” Klaus Abel, Vice President of Global Commercial Partnerships at Pharmacosmos, added, “Menarini Asia-Pacific’s deep local market expertise and patient-focused approach make them the ideal partner.”

The partnership builds on a previous agreement between the two companies to commercialise Monofer®, an innovative iron infusion, across key Asia-Pacific markets. This collaboration underscores Menarini’s commitment to expanding access to innovative therapies in the region, leveraging its comprehensive capabilities from registration to patient access.

Neuberger, a global investment manager, has appointed Bertrand Ng as Alternative Product Specialist for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Based in Singapore, Ng will join the Client Coverage team and report to Jose Cosio, Head of Intermediary for EMEA, LatAm, and APAC. Ng brings a wealth of experience from his previous role as CEO of iCapital SG Pte. Ltd., where he expanded the firm’s private markets platform across Asia.

Ng’s extensive background includes over a decade at JPMorgan Private Bank in Singapore and Hong Kong, where he specialised in alternative investments such as private equity, venture capital, and real estate. His career also includes a tenure at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Singapore.

Jose Cosio expressed enthusiasm about Ng’s appointment, stating, “Bertrand’s deep understanding of private markets, combined with his experience working across wealth management and alternative investment platforms in Asia, will be a significant asset as we continue to expand our private markets capabilities.”

In his new role, Ng will collaborate with clients and distribution partners across Asia to promote Neuberger’s private markets capabilities and investment solutions. This appointment highlights Neuberger’s commitment to strengthening its presence in Asia and meeting the evolving needs of investors.

Neuberger, founded in 1939, is an employee-owned investment manager with approximately 3,000 employees across 26 countries. The firm manages $613b in various asset classes, including equities, fixed income, and private equity.

UOB has teamed up with Visa to introduce new Visa Infinite Privilege and Visa Infinite Private card tiers across ASEAN, marking a significant multi-market launch. This initiative will see more than 300,000 UOB Visa Infinite cardholders in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam upgraded to higher card tiers, granting them access to a broader range of premium benefits.

The collaboration positions UOB as the first Visa issuer in ASEAN to execute such a large-scale launch, setting a new standard for regional card offerings. This move comes as affluent spending in the region continues to grow, with UOB reporting a more than 10% increase in new affluent cardholders and a 25% surge in card billings in 2025.

Visa’s refreshed Visa Infinite offering, unveiled on 16 July 2026, introduces a three-tier card suite designed to meet the evolving needs of affluent consumers. The new tiers offer greater flexibility, personalisation, and differentiated benefits. Selected UOB cardholders will enjoy exclusive privileges, including access to luxury travel experiences and rare timepieces.

Pratik Bhattacharjee, Head of Group Cards and Payment Products at UOB, stated, “Our partnership with Visa marks a significant milestone, allowing us to deepen our engagement with affluent customers by curating exclusive experiences that money cannot buy.”

T.R. Ramachandran, Head of Products & Solutions for Asia Pacific at Visa, added, “The refreshed Visa Infinite portfolio is designed to meet the changing expectations of affluent consumers, offering more personalised, seamless, and relevant experiences.”

This partnership aligns with UOB’s strategy to integrate banking, wealth, and lifestyle services, reinforcing its ambition to be the Bank of Choice for customers across ASEAN.

ASEAN has solidified its position as a major global investment destination, with foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows reaching a record $244b in 2025, according to a report by UOB Global Economics and Markets Research. This 10% year-on-year increase highlights the region’s growing appeal amidst global supply chain shifts and capital reallocation.

Singapore led the charge, attracting $151b, or 62% of the total ASEAN inflows, making it one of the top five FDI destinations worldwide. Malaysia and Thailand also saw significant growth in FDI inflows, with increases of 51% and 30% respectively. In contrast, Indonesia experienced a 14% decline in FDI inflows, although it remained a leader in merger and acquisition activity, greenfield investments, and project finance.

Despite the uneven distribution of FDI across the region, ASEAN’s overall performance outpaced global FDI growth, which stood at 6% year-on-year. The bloc’s focus on digital infrastructure, green industries, and downstream processing is reshaping its investment landscape. “ASEAN’s total investment capture is now approaching that of Europe,” the report noted, underscoring the region’s strategic importance.

Looking ahead, ASEAN is intensifying its investment promotion strategies, with a focus on green and digital transitions. The ASEAN Regional FDI Investment Promotion Action Plan 2025–2030 aims to enhance the region’s attractiveness to global investors, supporting sustained FDI growth over the medium term. This strategic focus is expected to further bolster ASEAN’s role in global supply chains and investment flows.

Investment in Asia-Pacific’s living sectors has surged, nearly tripling over the past decade to reach US$21b by 2025, according to Knight Frank’s latest report. The report identifies student accommodation, co-living, and build-to-rent as key growth areas, driven by operational investment and adaptive reuse strategies to address supply shortages.

Despite housing 60% of the global population, the region attracted just 12% of global living-sector capital in 2025, highlighting a significant investment gap. Knight Frank’s analysis reveals unmet demand for professionally managed rental housing in major cities like Seoul, Singapore, and Hong Kong, presenting long-term opportunities for investors.

In Singapore, the co-living market is gaining traction due to tight housing supply and regulatory clarity. Knight Frank projects the sector could support 35,000 to 40,000 keys by 2028. Meanwhile, Hong Kong faces a projected shortfall of 137,000 student beds by 2028/29, prompting hotel-to-student accommodation conversions.

Australia’s build-to-rent sector is expanding, with over 16,000 completed flats and more under construction. The sector’s growth is bolstered by international and local investment, including Australian super funds.

India’s student housing sector is emerging as a significant opportunity, with a growing youth population and rising university participation. Knight Frank estimates that 12 million students may require accommodation by 2035.

James Mannix of Knight Frank notes, “Asia-Pacific offers expanding opportunities across living sectors, with investors combining capital with local partnerships and expertise.” Dan Dixon adds that supply-demand imbalances will continue to drive growth in co-living, build-to-rent, and student accommodation sectors.

Generative AI has been identified as the most critical skill for finance professionals in Southeast Asia over the next five years, according to a survey by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ). Despite this, most organisations in the region lack formal training programmes to develop these skills.

The survey, which included 1,600 finance professionals globally, revealed that 39% of Southeast Asian respondents ranked GenAI tools as a top-three skill, surpassing data visualisation (34%) and process automation (29%). However, traditional skills like programming and database management were rated much lower.

This focus on AI skills comes as regional regulators, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore, push for more structured AI governance. Despite the growing importance of AI, 93% of finance professionals globally express concerns about the integrity and verifiability of AI-generated insights, citing issues such as inaccuracies and lack of transparency.

Helen Brand, ACCA Chief Executive, emphasised the need for upskilling, stating, “CFOs and finance teams need to lead in the responsible adoption of AI across organisations.” Ainslie van Onselen, CEO of CA ANZ, added that AI should be used to enhance judgement and value, not just speed up processes.

The report highlights a skills gap, with 72% of respondents having only basic or no GenAI skills, though 41% are pursuing training independently. As finance roles evolve, bridging this gap through structured learning and collaboration with IT and data teams is crucial for leveraging AI effectively.

Industrious, a leading flexible workplace experience company, has announced the appointment of Melvin Vu as Managing Director for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, effective immediately. Vu will oversee operations, commercial strategy, and growth, succeeding Su Anne Mi, who co-founded The Great Room, acquired by Industrious in May 2022.

Vu brings over two decades of leadership experience in Southeast Asia, having previously served as CEO of Good Doctor Technology. His career includes senior roles at Grab, SATS-Creuers Cruise Services, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Singapore Cruise Centre, and the Singapore Tourism Board. This extensive background positions him well to drive Industrious’ unified brand strategy across APAC, meeting the increasing demand for consistent, hospitality-driven workplace solutions.

The appointment is part of Industrious’ strategy to strengthen its presence in the region, following the recent unification of its brand across Asia-Pacific. This move aims to cater to the growing enterprise demand for a global workplace provider capable of delivering a seamless experience across various markets.

Vu’s leadership is expected to enhance Industrious’ ability to provide flexible workspace solutions that align with the evolving needs of businesses in the region. As the company continues to expand its footprint, Vu’s expertise will be instrumental in navigating the dynamic APAC market landscape.

ThreatBook has unveiled its inaugural “2026 Mid-Year Asia-Pacific Threat Landscape Report,” revealing a significant rise in cybersecurity risks across the region. The report, based on an analysis of 15,205 security incidents from June 2025 to June 2026, highlights the evolving threat landscape in over 19 markets.

The report identifies four primary types of cyber threats: data breaches, ransomware, phishing, and state-affiliated Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). Data breaches accounted for 39.9% of all attacks, with ransomware and phishing each making up 18.3%, and APTs comprising 17.9%. The Asia-Pacific region has become a major target for ransomware, with over half of ransom payments exceeding $1 million.

China, India, Australia, Japan, and South Korea are the most targeted markets, accounting for 61.78% of all attacks. China alone faced 15.4% of the incidents. Government entities are the most targeted, followed by the technology and financial services sectors. Russia and North Korea are identified as the top perpetrators of these attacks.

Hong Kong experiences a higher prevalence of APT attacks, focusing on espionage and intellectual property theft. In contrast, Singapore’s threat landscape is shaped by its role as a regional business hub, with attacks targeting multinational headquarters and financial flows.

ThreatBook’s Co-founder and CEO, Feng Xue, noted the increasing use of artificial intelligence in phishing attacks, which now account for 80% of phishing activity. He emphasised the need for intelligence-led threat hunting to keep pace with the rapidly evolving threat environment.

The report underscores the importance of staying informed about current threats, as attackers often reuse successful techniques across different markets.

Southeast Asia’s fintech sector maintained a steady funding level of $682m in the first half of 2026, as reported by Tracxn Technologies Limited. This figure marks a slight decline of 4% from the second half of 2025 and 3% from the first half of 2025, indicating a stable yet unremarkable funding landscape.

The report highlights a significant shift in investment patterns, with seed-stage funding experiencing a notable increase of 32% from the previous half, reaching $78.1m. In contrast, early-stage funding saw a decline of 28%, dropping to $153m. This trend suggests that investors are increasingly favouring smaller, initial investments whilst pulling back from more substantial early-stage commitments.

Two major funding rounds dominated the period: Airwallex’s $320m Series H and Edena Capital’s $100m Series D, together accounting for 62% of the total capital raised. Without these, the sector’s funding would have been closer to $260m, highlighting the concentration of capital in a few large deals.

Acquisitions in the fintech sector decreased to six, a 25% drop from the previous half, with HCL Technologies’ $14.7m acquisition of Finergic being the largest. Notably, Singapore continued to dominate the region’s fintech funding, securing 79% of the total, with Taguig trailing at 9%.

The report underscores the evolving dynamics within Southeast Asia’s fintech ecosystem, where seed investments are rising, but overall market growth remains constrained.

CIMB Bank Berhad has unveiled CIMB Private Wealth, a new segment aimed at affluent clients across ASEAN, offering tailored financial solutions and exclusive experiences. This initiative, announced on 20 July 2026, seeks to address the evolving needs of high-net-worth individuals and business clients in the region.

CIMB Private Wealth combines institutional financial solutions with bespoke advisory services to support clients in achieving growth, wealth preservation, and legacy planning. The offering is part of CIMB’s Forward30 ambition, designed to cater to the complex wealth management needs of today’s affluent clients. Haniz Nazlan, CEO of Group Consumer Banking at CIMB Group, highlighted the importance of trusted partnerships in navigating the complexities of wealth management, stating, “We are seeing a great rewiring of wealth, especially in the ASEAN region.”

The ASEAN economy, valued at $4t, is experiencing significant growth, with affluent households expected to increase by 5% to 6% annually. CIMB Private Wealth aims to leverage this growth by providing clients with access to a comprehensive ecosystem of investment, lending, and protection products, alongside wealth advisory services.

Clients will benefit from regional recognition and privileges, supported by CIMB’s robust commercial and wholesale banking solutions. The service also includes personalised advice from senior relationship managers and investment advisers, backed by CIMB’s Chief Investment Office.

CIMB’s initiative reflects the growing demand for sophisticated wealth management solutions in ASEAN, positioning the bank as a key player in the region’s financial landscape.