FinanceAsia Awards 2025: Southeast Asia winners announced | FinanceAsia

As the world is still yet out of the tariff woods, leading financial institutions across Asia Pacific (Apac) continue to navigate the uncertain tides and have made waves in the uncertain time. In the meantime, It was another challenging year for institutions in Asia as the global economy continues to recover after the Covid-19 pandemic, with sluggish economic growth. 

It is worth pausing to celebrate people, teams and organisations that have withstood the test of another challenging, if not difficult, year. Not only does geopolitcal complexity persist, each market is on their unique mission towards recovery, sustainability, digitalisation, restructuring, or innovation. 

The FinanceAsia team invited banks, brokers, ratings agencies and other financial institutions, to showcase their capabilities when supporting their clients. Our awards process celebrates those institutions that showed determination to deliver desirable outcomes, through the display of commercial and technical acumen.

 This year marks the 29th iteration of our FinanceAsia awards and celebrates activity that took place during the 12 months of 2024. 

Read on for details of the winners and finalists (entrants whose submissions were ((Highly commended by our jury) for North Asia. Full write-ups explaining the rationale behind winner selection will be published the Awards edition of FinanceAsia, with subsequent syndication online.

Congratulations to all of our winners in the Southeast Asian (SEA) markets: 

BRUNEI DOMESTIC

 

BEST BANK

 

Baiduri Bank

 

INDONESIA DOMESTIC

 

BEST BANK

 

PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

 

Highly commended – Bank BRI

 

BEST BANK FOR FINANCIAL INCLUSION

 

Bank BRI

 

BEST BROKER

 

PT CGS International Sekuritas Indonesia

 

BEST COMMERCIAL BANK – SMES

 

Bank BRI

 

BEST CORPORATE BANK – LARGE CORP & MNCS

 

PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

 

BEST CUSTODIAN BANK

 

Bank BRI

 

Highly commended – PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

 

BEST DCM HOUSE

 

PT Indo Premier Sekuritas

 

BEST ESG CONSULTANT

 

UMBRA – Strategic Legal Solutions

 

BEST LAW FIRM

 

UMBRA – Strategic Legal Solutions

 

BEST PRIVATE BANK

 

Bank BRI

 

BEST RETAIL BANK

 

PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

 

BEST STRATEGIC INITIATIVE – BANKS

 

PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

 

Highly commended – PT Bank Syariah Indonesia Tbk

 

BEST SUSTAINABLE BANK

 

PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

 

BIGGEST SUSTAINABLE IMPACT – BANKS

 

PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

 

MOST DEI PROGRESSIVE – BANKS

 

 PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

 

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY – BANKS

 

PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

 

Highly commended – Bank Saqu

 

INDONESIA INTERNATIONAL

 

BEST BANK

 

BNP Paribas

 

BEST COMMERCIAL BANK – SMES

 

OCBC

 

BEST DCM HOUSE

 

DBS Bank

 

BEST ECM HOUSE

 

UBS

 

BEST INVESTMENT BANK

 

Deutsche Bank

 

Highly commended – UBS

 

BEST M&A HOUSE

 

 UBS

 

BEST SUSTAINABLE BANK

 

DBS Bank

 

BIGGEST SUSTAINABLE IMPACT – NONBANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

 

Credit Guarantee and Investment Facility (CGIF)

 

MALAYSIA DOMESTIC

 

BEST BROKER

 

CGS International Securities Malaysia

 

BEST COMMERCIAL BANK – SMES

 

Alliance Bank Malaysia

 

BEST CORPORATE BANK – LARGE CORP & MNCS

 

Maybank

 

BEST DCM HOUSE

 

CIMB

 

Highly commended – Maybank Investment Bank

 

BEST ECM HOUSE

 

CIMB

 

BEST INVESTMENT BANK

 

CIMB

 

BEST M&A HOUSE

 

CIMB

 

BEST SUSTAINABLE BANK

 

 Maybank Investment Bank

 

BIGGEST SUSTAINABLE IMPACT – NONBANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

 

AmInvest

 

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY – BANKS

 

Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad

 

MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL

 

BEST BANK

 

 UOB Malaysia

 

BEST COMMERCIAL BANK – SMES

 

OCBC

 

BEST M&A HOUSE

 

UBS

 

BEST SUSTAINABLE BANK

 

UOB Malaysia

 

MYANMAR DOMESTIC

 

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY – BANKS

 

KBZ Bank

 

PHILIPPINES DOMESTIC

 

BEST BANK

 

BDO Unibank

 

Highly commended – Bank of the Philippine Islands

 

BEST BANK FOR FINANCIAL INCLUSION

 

BPI Foundation, Inc.

 

BEST BROKER

 

First Metro Securities Brokerage Corporation

 

BEST COMMERCIAL BANK – SMES

 

Security Bank Corporation

 

BEST CORPORATE BANK – LARGE CORP & MNCS

 

Bank of the Philippine Islands

 

BEST DCM HOUSE

 

First Metro Investment Corporation

 

BEST ECM HOUSE

 

BPI Capital Corporation

 

BEST INVESTMENT BANK

 

 BPI Capital Corporation

 

Highly commended – Security Bank Capital Investment Corporation

 

BEST RETAIL BANK

 

 Bank of the Philippine Islands

 

BEST SUSTAINABLE BANK

 

Bank of the Philippine Islands

 

BIGGEST SUSTAINABLE IMPACT – BANKS

 

Bank of the Philippine Islands

 

PHILIPPINES INTERNATIONAL

 

BEST BANK

 

HSBC

 

BEST BANK FOR PUBLIC SECTOR CLIENTS

 

Citibank N.A

.

BEST CORPORATE BANK – LARGE CORP & MNCS

 

 Citibank N.A.

 

BEST CORRESPONDENT BANK

 

 Citibank N.A.

 

BEST CUSTODIAN BANK

 

HSBC

 

BEST DCM HOUSE

 

UBS

 

BEST ECM HOUSE

 

UBS

 

BEST INVESTMENT BANK

 

UBS

 

BEST M&A HOUSE

 

UBS

 

BEST STRATEGIC INITIATIVE – NONBANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

 

 FinVolution Group

 

SINGAPORE DOMESTIC

 

BEST BANK

 

 United Overseas Bank

 

BEST BROKER

 

 Maybank Securities Singapore (MSSG)

 

BEST COMMERCIAL BANK – SMES

 

OCBC

 

BEST DCM HOUSE

 

United Overseas Bank Limited

 

BEST ECM HOUSE

 

DBS Bank

 

BEST INVESTMENT BANK

 

DBS Bank

 

BEST LAW FIRM

 

Allen & Gledhill

 

BEST M&A HOUSE

 

United Overseas Bank Limited

 

BEST SUSTAINABLE BANK

 

DBS Bank

 

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY – BANKS

 

OCBC

 

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY – NONBANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

 

UOB Asset Management

 

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL

 

BEST BANK

 

 Citi Singapore

 

BEST DCM HOUSE

 

 UBS

 

BEST INVESTMENT BANK

 

Citi Singapore

 

BEST M&A HOUSE

 

 UBS

 

BEST SUSTAINABLE BANK

 

ANZ

 

MOST DEI PROGRESSIVE – NONBANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

 

Aberdeen Investments

 

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY – BANKS

 

 CIMB Singapore

 

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY – NONBANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

 

 Aberdeen Investments

 

Highly commended – Marex Solutions

 

THAILAND DOMESTIC

 

BEST BROKER

 

CGS International Securities Thailand

 

BEST DCM HOUSE

 

KASIKORNBANK PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED

 

BEST ECM HOUSE

 

Kiatnakin Phatra Securities Public Company Limited

 

BEST INVESTMENT BANK

 

Kiatnakin Phatra Securities Public Company Limited

 

BEST LAW FIRM

 

Weerawong, Chinnavat and Partners

 

BEST M&A HOUSE

 

Kiatnakin Phatra Securities Public Company Limited

 

BEST SUSTAINABLE BANK

 

Bangkok Bank PCL

 

THAILAND INTERNATIONAL

 

BEST BANK

 

HSBC Thailand

 

BEST ECM HOUSE

 

 UBS

 

Highly commended – Maybank Investment Bank

 

BEST INVESTMENT BANK

 

UBS

 

BEST M&A HOUSE

 

UBS

 

BEST SUSTAINABLE BANK

 

UOB Thailand

 

BIGGEST SUSTAINABLE IMPACT – BANKS

 

UOB Thailand

 

VIETNAM DOMESTIC

 

BEST BANK

 

Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank)

 

Highly commended – Asia Commercial Bank

 

BEST BANK FOR PUBLIC SECTOR CLIENTS

 

Saigon-Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB)

 

BEST BROKER

 

SSI Securities Corporation

 

BEST DCM HOUSE

 

SSI Securities Corporation

 

BEST INVESTMENT BANK

 

SSI Securities Corporation

 

BEST LAW FIRM

 

YKVN LLC

 

BEST SUSTAINABLE BANK

 

Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank)

 

Highly commended – OCB

 

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY – NONBANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

 

Techcom Securities Joint Stock Company

 

VIETNAM INTERNATIONAL

 

BEST BANK

 

HSBC

 

BEST COMMERCIAL BANK – SMES

 

Citi Vietnam

 

BEST CORPORATE BANK – LARGE CORP & MNCS

 

Citi Vietnam

 

BEST DCM HOUSE

 

HSBC

 

BEST ECM HOUSE

 

 HSBC

 

Highly commended – UBS

 

BEST INVESTMENT BANK

 

UBS

 

BEST M&A HOUSE

 

UBS

 

BEST SUSTAINABLE BANK

 

Citi Vietnam

 

BIGGEST SUSTAINABLE IMPACT – BANKS

 

HSBC

 

BIGGEST SUSTAINABLE IMPACT – NONBANK FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

 

Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG)

 

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY – BANKS

 

HSBC

 


¬ Haymarket Media Limited. All rights reserved.

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Rollback of diversity programmes will ‘deepen divisions’ and ‘exacerbate inequality’: Edwin Tong

A&#; SINGAPORE: The reduction of diversity, equity, and inclusion ( DEI ) programs will “deepen divisions” and “exacerbate inequality,” according to a report from DEI. Edwin Tong, the minister for culture, community, and youth, said on Friday ( Apr 11 ).

US President Donald Trump’s administration has reverted almost 80 professional orders from the Trump era, many of which were in favor of La programs, since taking office in January.

Big firms like Pepsi, General Motors, and others In response, Google, Disney, Intel, and PayPal have all cut back on or removed DEI links from their quarterly reports to traders.

Dismissing   Defined as” a risk” in La structures “rives risks sending the wrong message to the rest of the world at a time when there are growing conflicts and polarizations, casting doubt on gender equality and equity as an international priority,” Mr. Tong said. at a dinner to raise money for SG Her Empowerment ( SHE), a non-profit organization.

He added that launching a divisive rhetoric of “us” vs.” them” does end years of fought-for benefits.  

He claimed that in recent months, global standards and discussion have been attacked.

There has been a “massive reset” of La programs in the US federal government as a result of changes in the US political leadership, he said, adding that this has spilt into the private business as a result.

The secretary noted that it can include transnational results, particularly when some businesses have operations abroad.

He cited a Financial Times document that claimed some of the biggest players in the S&& market. Since Mr. Trump’s re-election, the P 500 Index has reduced or eliminated DEI words in its annual reports.

What’s troubling me the most is that these businesses have actually axed their La programs because of the shift in social attitudes and mindsets, which suggests to me that the La programs were only created because of optics, and I don’t believe that is acceptable,” he said.

Della supporters defend it on the grounds that it is unfair and ; should be replaced with a “color blind and merit-based ” society, according to Mr. Tong.

This totally misses the purpose of DEI, he continued.

We are aware of the existence of administrative discrimination and invisible biases that prevent the creation of a really fair and meritocratic society in Singapore.

This disregards the lived experience of those that DEI was meant to serve and gain by assuming that the playing area is level to begin with, which may sometimes not be the case. “

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GE2025: People’s Power Party to contest in Ang Mo Kio GRC, led by party treasurer William Lim

SINGAPORE: The People’s Power Party ( PPP ) officially declared on Saturday ( Apr 5 ) that it would contest Ang Mo Kio GRC in the upcoming General Election.

Its staff may become led by party manager William Lim, with different applicants to be announced later.

The opposition group also introduced three new eyes that “may or may not” become individuals, said group key Goh Meng Seng following a night haywire at the Chong Boon Market and Food Centre in Ang Mo Kio. &nbsp,

Mr Goh said the party decided to run in the GRC as its manifesto takes aim at the “mismanagement” of population policies for the past 20 years under Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The People’s Action Party ( PAP ) team in Ang Mo Kio is currently helmed by Mr Lee. In the 2020 election, the PAP secured 71.91 per cent of the votes in Ang Mo Kio GRC against the Reform Party.

Mr Goh said PPP has a “pretty good chance” in the upcoming GE. &nbsp,

He also said Mr Lee “got a very good showing” in the last election as he was the prime minister and the country was facing a crisis then due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

” Singaporeans are very rational voters. If I don’t vote for PAP, we may not have a prime minister ( the ) next day. So, I think most of his support comes from this group of people”, said Mr Goh.

” But now that he has stepped down, it is about time for him to take his real report card from the people … I will say that even if we don’t win, we will get one of the best results in the Ang Mo Kio GRC history”.

Another opposition party, Singapore United Party, has indicated its interest in contesting Ang Mo Kio GRC, said Mr Goh, adding that he has made” some offer” to SUP’s secretary-general Andy Zhu to avoid a three-corner fight.

MANIFESTO TARGETED AT POPULATION AND GOVERNANCE

The PPP on Friday launched its manifesto with several proposals to address issues related to population and governance.

As part of its “pro-family policy proposals” aimed at tackling falling fertility rates, it suggested protecting” children from materials which promote lifestyles or narratives that are contrary to the basic fundamental definition of marriage between a man and a woman”.

” We shall not interfere with the LGBTQ community for their way of life. But for a pro-family society, we should prohibit the promotion of LGBTQ as a lifestyle choice to our impressionable young minds under the pretext of ‘ inclusiveness'”, the manifesto said.

Elaborating on that, Mr Goh said the party feels “certain things like the LGBT agenda should not be pushed at this stage” in view of the country’s low total fertility rate.

” We do not agree with the DEI, the diversity, equality, inclusiveness system that the Western world is pushing. Even ( US President Donald ) Trump doesn’t agree with it”, he said, describing it as “detrimental” to Singapore’s” social construct as an Asian population” and its risk in starting a” cultural war”.

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Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs will hurt literally everyone – Asia Times

It resembled a reality TV suspense. Some folks had never even heard of taxes up until recently. There has been a lot of life foreign policy of so-called” Liberation Day,” as US President Donald Trump laid out taxes that will be imposed on nations all over the world.

Trump just announced that a new “baseline” 10 % tax would apply to goods into the United States from all nations just hours ago. US Customs and Border Protection will charge an additional tax on items that cross the border.

The higher mutual tariffs on personal nations are anticipated to start on April 5 and the lower ones on April 9 respectively. That eliminates the opportunity for companies to update their supply stores.

What might the upcoming “episode” have in store for the rest of the world? We can anticipate that some nations will retaliate, imposing tariffs and other customary tariffs. That has its dangers.

Taxes on the entire world

No nation, including many of the US’s standard friends, has been spared from the current benchmark taxes.

Vietnam will be one of the hardest hit countries, coming in at 46 % price. The most recent statement will also have an impact on China, South Korea, and Japan, which are all tariff-exempt. 20 % is applicable to the European Union.

Numerous nations already vowed to react.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, stated in a recent statement that” all tools are on the board.” She added that the EU members ‘” safe harbor” is the single market.

Apparently, Canada was spared from the original 10 % price. However, it still has to deal with the recently announced 25 % taxes on the electrical and other industries.

Nothing in terms of reprisal has been said by Canada’s new prime minister, Mark Carney, as “nothing is off the board.”

significant levies in Asia

China’s 34 % tax is a more deterioration to already tense relations between the world’s two largest economy.

Vietnam has been attempting to avoid tax risks because it relies a lot on the US market. Jailed Taiwanese citizens from the US have also been made in unprecedented numbers as a result.

Up until this point, Vietnam had benefited from conflicts between the US and China. These new, enormous tariffs will have significant ripple effects not only on Vietnam, but also on less economically developed countries like Myanmar and Cambodia ( 49 % tariff ) and Myanmar ( 44 % tariff ).

Vietnam has a 46 % tax on it. Luong Thai Linh / EPA via The Talk

Is it worthwhile to fight again?

Resilient nations might not have the means to fight back. Given the resource gap, it is difficult to think what influence Cambodia or Myanmar might have on the US.

Different nations believe it is unworthy of the battle. Australia, for instance, is right to wonder if a tit-for-tat approach is successful or will only increase the issue.

Russia is one of the nations that has flocked under the sensor. Russian industry is limited and subject to sanctions. However, according to US press reports, Trump wants to bolster the buying relationship in the future.

The US Postal Service had a dream.

What business experts refer to as the “de minimis” law as one of the interesting side effects of Trump’s disclosures is that typically, if you make a small order online, you don’t have to spend transfer taxes when the product arrives in your state.

Trump fixed this flaw in February. Even if the price is below the “de minimis” quantity of US$ 800, US tariffs still apply to all.

This won’t really be a problem for offline retailers. Every minute, roughly 100 000 little parcels travel to the US. Taxes will now be calculated for each item and coordinated with US Customs and Border Protection.

The new taxes will also apply to small imported deals that were previously exempt.  Photo: Nati Harnik / AP via The Talk

Retaliation and strikes

We may anticipate a rise in consumer reaction both locally and globally. One example of the “elbows up” activity in Canada is.

Consumers are now making a decision to turn their attention away from US products, criticizing the Trump administration’s policies on business, variety, equality, environmental protection, sex rights, and other issues.

Buyers should be cautious about jumping on the bandwagon without doing their homework, though. The local franchise owner will also be affected by boycotting a US fast food restaurant, which may make you feel better ( and admittedly may be better for your health ).

Killing Americans in large numbers is also not effective because many Americans are seriously upset about what is happening.

claiming success while paying more to customers

One of Trump’s mantras that was made famous in the most recent film, The Apprentice, is the imminent state of success.

After Trump’s earlier price announcements this year, the US trade deficit increased as importers scrambled to hoard supplies ahead of price increases. Because the taxes go into effect in only three days, this can happen this time.

If exports return to normal, the regular business gap will decrease, giving Trump a chance to assert that the policies are effective, even if it is just a rebound effect.

However, these taxes did harm rather than assist regular Americans. A$ 20 t-shirt could soon go up to almost$ 30, devoid of US sales taxes, as a result of everyday purchases like clothing ( made in places like Vietnam, Cambodia, and China ).

The world may be prepared for more episodes, more cliffhangers, and more doubt as this business drama in the style of reality TV continues to develop.

Professor of Law at UNSW Sydney is Lisa Toohey.

This content was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the text of the content.

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Asia’s Best Companies Poll 2025: Market winners | FinanceAsia

For a 25th year, FinanceAsia publishes its highly regarded benchmark of Asia’s best companies.

Based on nomination by Asia’s active community of influential investors and financial analysts, the poll evaluates the corporate behaviour and performance of Asian peers over the past 12 months.

The FA team is delighted to announce the 2025 winners below for the market categories.The industry winners can be found here

Once again, following positive market participation, we have decided to award up to three medals per category to reflect corporate achievements. Gold, Silver and Bronze medallists are detailed where applicable.

Congratulations to all the winners. Read on for the winning companies in the following markets:  

BEST MANAGED COMPANY

China
Gold – China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd
Silver – China Telecom
Bronze – China Mobile

Hong Kong SAR

Gold – Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd

Silver – Link REIT

Silver – Sino Land

Bronze – MTR Corporation Limited

 

India

Gold – Tata Motors

Silver – Axis Capital

Bronze – Bajaj Finance

 

Indonesia

Gold – PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk

Silver – Astra International

Silver – PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

Bronze – GoTo Gojek Tokopedia

 

Malaysia

Gold – Maybank

Silver – CIMB Bank Berhad

Bronze – AmFunds Investment Management Berhad

Bronze – YTL Corporation Berhad

 

Philippines

Gold – Ayala Corporation

Silver – Bank of the Philippine Islands

Silver – Megawide Construction Corporation

Bronze – Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation

 

Singapore

Gold – DBS Bank

Silver – Singapore Airlines

Bronze – CapitaLand

 

South Korea

Gold – SK Hynix

Silver – Samsung Electronics

Bronze – Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

 

Taiwan

Gold – Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd

Silver – CTBC Financial Holding

Silver – MediaTek Inc.

Bronze – Far Eastern New Century Corporation

Bronze – Sercomm Corporation

 

Thailand

Gold – B. Grimm Power PCL

Silver – Global Power Synergy PCL

Silver – Thai Oil Public Company Limited 

Bronze – Central Pattana

Bronze – Gulf Energy Development PCL

 

MOST COMMITTED TO ESG

 

China

Gold – Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd

Silver – China Telecom

Bronze – China Mobile

Bronze – Trip.com

 

Hong Kong SAR

Gold – Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd

Silver – Link REIT

Bronze – Hengan International Group Company, Ltd.

 

India

Gold – Axis Capital

Silver – Bajaj Finance

Bronze – Tata Consultancy Services Ltd

 

Indonesia

Gold – PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

Silver – PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk

Bronze – GoTo Gojek Tokopedia

 

Malaysia

Gold – Yinson Holdings Berhad

Silver – Maybank

Bronze – AmFunds Investment Management Berhad

 

Philippines

Gold – Ayala Corporation

Silver – Megawide Construction Corporation

Bronze – SM Investments Corporation

 

Singapore

Gold – OCBC Bank

Silver – City Developments Limited

Bronze – Seatrium

 

South Korea

Gold – Samsung Electronics

Silver – Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Bronze – Hanwha Ocean

 

Taiwan

Gold – Wistron NeWeb Corporation

Silver – CTBC Financial Holding

Bronze – Sercomm Corporation

 

Thailand

Gold – Global Power Synergy PCL

Silver – B. Grimm Power PCL

Bronze – Gulf Energy Development PCL

 

Vietnam

Gold – Vingroup

Silver – Masan Group

Bronze – THACO Group

 

BEST INVESTOR RELATIONS

China

Gold – China Telecom

Silver – China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd

Bronze – China Mobile

 

Hong Kong SAR

Gold – Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd

Silver – Link REIT

Silver – MTR Corporation Limited

Bronze – Midea International Corp Co Ltd

 

India

Gold – ICICI Bank Ltd

Silver – HDFC Bank Ltd

 

Indonesia

Gold – PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk

Silver – GoTo Gojek Tokopedia

Bronze – PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

 

Malaysia

Gold – CIMB Bank Berhad

Silver – Maybank

Bronze – Yinson Holdings Berhad

 

Philippines

Gold – Bloomberry Resorts Corporation

Silver – Ayala Corporation

Silver – SM Investments Corporation

Bronze – Meralco

 

Singapore

Gold – CapitaLand

Silver – SATS Ltd

Bronze – Mapletree Investments

 

South Korea

Gold – Hanwha Ocean

Silver – LG Electronics

Bronze – SK Hynix

 

Taiwan

Gold – Wistron NeWeb Corporation

Silver – Far Eastern New Century Corporation

Bronze – Sercomm Corporation

 

Thailand

Gold – PTT Public Company Limited

Silver – B. Grimm Power PCL

Bronze – Global Power Synergy PCL

Bronze – Gulf Energy Development PCL

 

Vietnam

Gold – Vingroup

Silver – Masan Group

Bronze – Mobile World Investment Corporation

 

BEST LARGE CAP COMPANY

 

China

Gold – China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd

Silver – China Telecom

Bronze – China Mobile

 

Hong Kong SAR

Gold – Link REIT

Silver – Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd

Bronze – CLP Holdings Ltd

 

India

Gold – Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd

Silver – HDFC Bank Ltd

Bronze – Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd

Bronze – Tata Consultancy Services Ltd

 

Indonesia

Gold – PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

Silver – PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk

Bronze – Astra International

 

Malaysia

Gold – Maybank

 

Philippines

Gold – SM Investments Corporation

Silver – International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

Bronze – SM Prime Holdings, Inc.

 

South Korea

Gold – Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Silver – Hanwha Ocean

Silver – POSCO

Bronze – Samsung Biologics

 

Taiwan

Gold – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd

Silver – MediaTek Inc.

Bronze – EVA Airways Corporation

Bronze – Far EasTone Telecommunications Co., Ltd

 

Thailand

Gold – Bangkok Dusit Medical Services PCL

Silver – PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP)

Bronze – Advanced Info Service PCL

 

BEST MID CAP COMPANY

China

Gold – AsiaInfo Technologies Limited

 

Hong Kong SAR

Gold – CIMC Enric Holdings Ltd

Silver – Fortune REIT

 

India

Gold – Prestige Estates Projects Ltd

Silver – ICICI Securities Ltd

 

Indonesia

Gold – GoTo Gojek Tokopedia

 

Malaysia

Gold – Sunway Berhad

Silver – YTL Corporation Berhad

Bronze – Hap Seng Consolidated Berhad

 

Philippines

Gold – Manila Water Company, Inc.

Silver – Jollibee Foods Corporation

Bronze – Aboitiz Power

 

South Korea

Gold – LG Electronics

Silver – KIWOOM Securities

 

Taiwan

Gold – Far Eastern New Century Corporation

Silver – Arcadyan Technology Corporation

Bronze – Elite Material Co Ltd

 

Thailand

Gold – Minor International PCL

Silver – Global Power Synergy PCL

Bronze – WHA Corporation PCL

 

Vietnam

Gold – Vingroup

Silver – Masan Group

Bronze – Mobile World Investment Corporation

 

BEST SMALL CAP COMPANY

 

China

Gold – Digital China Holdings

 

Hong Kong SAR

Gold – Far East Consortium International Limited

Silver – Vitasoy International Holdings Limited

Bronze – SF REIT

 

India

Gold – Aavas Financiers

Silver – Indian Energy Exchange Ltd

 

Malaysia

Gold – Yinson Holdings Berhad

Silver – Top Glove Corporation Berhad

 

Philippines

Gold – Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation

Silver – Bloomberry Resorts Corporation

Silver – Megawide Construction Corporation

Bronze – D&L Industries Inc.

 

Taiwan

Gold – Sercomm Corporation

Silver – Fositek Corporation

Bronze – Merida Industry Co., Ltd

 

Thailand

Gold – Ratch Group PCL

Silver – Bangkok Chain Hospital PCL

Bronze – Central Plaza Hotel PCL

 

Vietnam

Gold – Vinh Hoan Corporation

Silver – CMC Corporation

Silver – International Dairy Products JSC

Bronze – GELEX Group

 

BEST CEO

 

China

Gold – Zhongyue Chen – China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd

Silver – Jie Yang – China Mobile

Bronze – Xiaowei Luan – China Communications Services

Bronze – Biao He – China Mobile

 

Hong Kong SAR

Gold – Raymond Kwok – Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd

Silver – George Hongchoy – Link REIT

Bronze – Shixian Lai  – ANTA Sports Products Ltd

 

India

Gold – Deepak C. Mehta – Deepak Nitrite Ltd

Silver – T.V. Narendran – Tata Steel

 

Indonesia

Gold – Sunarso – PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk

Silver – Darmawan Junaidi – PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

Silver – Royke Tumilaar  – PT BNI (Persero) Tbk

Bronze – Ali Rukmijah  – Bank Sahabat Sampoerna

 

Malaysia

Gold – Khairussaleh Ramli – Maybank

Silver – Tony Fernandes  – Capital A Berhad

Bronze – Novan, Amirudin – CIMB Bank Berhad

 

Philippines

Gold – Edgar B. Saavedra – Megawide Construction Corporation

Silver – Teresita Sy-Coson – BDO Unibank

Silver – Oliver Y. Tan – Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation

Bronze – Jeffrey Lim – SM Prime Holdings, Inc.

 

Singapore

Gold – Piyush Gupta – DBS Bank

Silver – Loh Boon Chye – Singapore Exchange

 

South Korea

Gold – Chey Tae-won – SK Group

Silver – Han Jong-hee – Samsung Electronics

Bronze – Kim Seung-youn – Hanwha Group

 

Taiwan

Gold – C. C. Wei – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd

Silver – Suming, Chen – Universal Microwave Technology, Inc.

Bronze – Vivian Ling – Caliway Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd

Bronze – Chee Ching – Far Eastone Telecommunications Co., Ltd

 

Thailand

Gold – Dr. Harald Link – B. Grimm Power PCL

Silver – Niwat Adirek – BCPG PCL

Silver – Sarath Ratanavadi – Gulf Energy Development PCL

Bronze – Dr. Chalerm Harnphanich – Bangkok Chain Hospital PCL

Bronze – Dr. Poramaporn Prasarttong-osoth – Bangkok Dusit Medical Services PCL

 

Vietnam

Gold – Danny Le – Masan Group

 

BEST CFO 

China

Gold – Yuzhuo Li – China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd

Silver – Ronghua Li – China Mobile

Bronze – Aqiang Shen – China Communications Services

 

Hong Kong SAR

Gold – Toby Xu – Alibaba Group (HK)

Silver – Alexandre Jean Keisser – CLP Holdings Ltd

 

India

Gold – Samir Seksaria – Tata Consultancy Services Ltd

 

Indonesia

Gold – Sigit Prastowo – PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

Silver – Viviana Dyah Ayu Retno Kumalasari – PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk

Bronze – Henky Suryaputra – Bank Sahabat Sampoerna

 

Malaysia

Gold – Malique Firdauz Ahmad Sidique – Maybank

Silver – Joyce Tan  – Sunway Berhad

Bronze – Chek Wu Kong – Duopharma Biotech Berhad

Bronze – Guillaume François Jest – Yinson Holdings Berhad

 

Philippines

Gold – John Nai Peng Ong – SM Prime Holdings, Inc.

Silver – Jez G. dela Cruz – Megawide Construction Corporation

Bronze – Estella Tuason-Occeña – Bloomberry Resorts Corporation

Bronze – Richard Shin – Jollibee Foods Corporation

 

Singapore

Gold – Yuen Kuan Moon – Singtel

Silver – Koo Chung Chang  – AIA Group

Bronze – Lim Hock Chye – Keppel Corporation

 

Taiwan

Gold – Henry Hao Jen Wang – Fubon Bank

Silver – Wendell Huang  – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd

Bronze – David (Chien Cheng) Wang  – Far Eastern New Century Corporation

 

Thailand

Gold – Chanamas Sasnanand – PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP)

Silver – Yupapin Wangviwat – Gulf Energy Development PCL

Bronze – Siriwong Borvornboonrutai – B. Grimm Power PCL

 

Vietnam

Gold – Max Sunarcia – THACO Group

Silver – Do Thi Quynh Trang  – Masan Group

 

BEST COO

 

China

Gold – Jian Qin – China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd

Silver – Zhanwei Cui – China Communications Services

 

Malaysia

Gold – Ariff Azahar  – Maybank

 

Philippines

Gold – Carlos Cruz – International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

 

South Korea

Bronze – Nam Seok-Woo  – Samsung Electronics

 

Taiwan

Gold – Tungyi Wu – Universal Microwave Technology, Inc.

Silver – Ben Lin – Sercomm Corporation

Bronze – Jeffrey Gau – Wistron NeWeb Corporation

 

Thailand

Bronze – Nopadej Karnasuta – B. Grimm Power PCL

 

Vietnam

Silver – Metha Pingsuthiwong – Tisco Group

 

BEST CTO

China

Gold – Jun Zhi, Wang – China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd

 

Taiwan

Gold – Jyh-Shing Roger Jang – E-Sun

 

Thailand

Bronze – Woottichai Jarernpol  – Krungthai Card PCL

 

Indonesia

Gold – Arga M. Nugraha  – PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk

 

Thailand

Gold – Dennis Thorsten Trawnitschek – SCB X PCL

 

Taiwan

Silver – Chris Lin – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd

 

Thailand

Silver – Sutthikan Rungsrithong – TMBThanachart Bank Plc.

 

MOST COMMITTED TO DEI

 

China

Gold – China Telecom

Silver – China Mobile

Bronze – China Communications Services

 

Hong Kong SAR

Gold – Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd

Silver – Henderson Land Development Co., Ltd

Bronze – Link REIT

 

India

Gold – Travelogy India Pvt Ltd

 

Indonesia

Gold – PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk

Silver – PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk

Bronze – GoTo Gojek Tokopedia

 

Malaysia

Gold – CIMB Bank Berhad

Silver – Maybank

Bronze – Top Glove Corporation Berhad

 

Philippines

Gold – Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation

Silver – Ayala Corporation

Bronze – International Container Terminal Services, Inc.

 

South Korea

Gold – Hanwha Ocean

Silver – Samsung Electronics

Bronze – SK Hynix

 

Taiwan

Gold – Wistron NeWeb Corporation

Silver – CTBC Financial Holding

Bronze – Sercomm Corporation

 

Thailand

Gold – Gulf Energy Development PCL

Silver – Global Power Synergy PCL

Bronze – B. Grimm Power PCL

 

Vietnam

Gold – Vingroup

Silver – Mobile World Investment Corporation

Bronze – Masan Group

 

BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY

China

Gold – China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd

Silver – China Telecom

Bronze – China Mobile

 

Hong Kong SAR

Gold – CIMC Enric Holdings Ltd

Silver – Hongkong Land Holdings Limited

Bronze – Swire Properties

 

India

Gold – Dito Telecommunity Corporation

Silver – Sun Telecommunication

 

Indonesia

Gold – GoTo Gojek Tokopedia

Silver – PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk

Bronze – Telkom

 

Malaysia

Gold – KPJ Healthcare Berhad

Silver – Yinson Holdings Berhad

Bronze – Uzma Berhad

 

Philippines

Gold – Bank of the Philippine Islands

Silver – Union Bank

Bronze – Globe Telecom, Inc.

 

South Korea

Gold – Samsung Biologics

Silver – Hanwha Ocean

Bronze – SK Hynix

 

Taiwan

Gold – Sercomm Corporation

Silver – MediaTek Inc.

Bronze – Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd

 

Thailand

Gold – SCB X PCL

Silver – Advanced Info Service PCL

Bronze – TMBThanachart Bank Plc.

 

Vietnam

Gold – Vingroup

Silver – Masan Group

Bronze – FPT Corporation

 


¬ Haymarket Media Limited. All rights reserved.

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Commentary: If DEI were truly about real change, would it crumble this easily?

FROM DIVERSITY TO INCLUSIVENESS

A major effect of political and social swings in the US is the decentralisation of DEI initiatives within international companies. As US-based businesses face increasing pressure to scale back their DEI initiatives, regional headquarters are taking a more localised method.

In many cases, these foreign branches are expanding their La strategies to coincide with regional cultural values, regulation requirements and workplace expectations.

For example, while cultural diversity has been a strong DEI focus in the US, several Asian companies prioritise factors such as economic mobility, language inclusion and intercultural accommodation. This positioning may indicate that one of the shortcomings of previous DEI efforts was their desire to use Western-centric systems worldwide without adapting to local realities.

Therefore, while La efforts may become contracting in the US, they are evolving in Asia and other parts of the world, with a key change being from variety to inclusiveness.

Variety features and honors differences- quite as culture, gender and culture- while equality goes a step further, fostering a sense of belonging for all. Inclusiveness ensures that anyone, regardless of their background, feels valued and essential to the area. Several businesses in Asia already get for an approach.

For example, Singapore is a very diversified culture with a mix of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian cultural groups, along with a variety of religious communities- Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and Hindus, to name a few.

Companies here often emphasise multicultural inclusivity, language policies and religious accommodations. Most local and even US firms operating in Singapore ensure that prayer rooms are available for Muslim employees and that company policies respect the diverse cultural festivals of different ethnic groups.

This suggests that companies that take a more holistic, culturally attuned approach to DEI may be better positioned to sustain their commitments regardless of political pressure, because their efforts are seen as necessary to business rather than reactive branding exercises.

Even if the DEI focus is on gender, Asian countries take a different approach to US firms. Japan, for example, has one of the lowest female workforce participation rates among developed countries. Still, instead of adopting Western-style gender quotas, companies there focus on work-life balance and parental leave policies to encourage women to stay in the workforce.

Meanwhile, LGBTQ rights may be central DEI priorities in Europe and the US, but Asia’s more conservative approach necessitates that DEI strategies be adapted to align with local cultural and societal norms.

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US’ DEI curbs spark local fears

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One as he departs from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, March 14, 2025. (Reuters photo)
On March 14, 2025, US President Donald Trump leaves Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and boardeers Air Force One. ( Reuters image )

Indian advocates for female equality and anti-discrimination have been enraged by US President Donald Trump’s current executive order to destroy US federal laws of diversity, equity, and inclusion ( DEI), which has prompted them to need people to adhere to anti-discriminatory guidelines, especially in the workplace, as a means of advancing both business and the public interest.

The president’s executive order, which comes as he places a 90-day charitable delay on foreign aid, shocked the entire world, not the least of which is Thailand, where civic organizations are promoting the rights of the LGBTQ community.

They have expressed concern that the walk might have an impact on some of the most susceptible members of society.

According to Natthineethiti Phinyapincha, chairman of Trans Consulting Group, a diversity firm,” We view Trump’s professional attempt to destroy DEI initiatives as not merely backward but as suggestive of a larger problem: the misapplication of DEI over the past decades.” In some organizations, the principle is seen as unfair rather than a means of achieving equality in the workplace.

” DE I has faced resistance from those who view it as performative, divisive, or disconnected from core business outcomes for years. This is a chance to reevaluate, reevaluate, and reframe DEI for the future, she said.

According to Ms. Natthineethiti,” Trump’s action may lead Thai businesses, especially those in the multinational sector, to view DEI as a liability rather than a strategic asset” as many local businesses rely on surface-level strategies like awareness campaigns, short-term training, or token diversity hires.

Sulaiporn Chonwilai, a Tamtang Group advocacy officer, concurred that Mr. Trump’s executive order might serve as a blueprint for anti-DE I initiatives in some Thai organizations.

Additionally, it has the potential to influence discriminatory discourse around the world, particularly among conservative Thai policymakers who are unwilling to accept Mr. Trump’s decision to support domestic legal revision efforts.

The project manager for Tamtang Group, Chinthita Kraisrikul, expressed concern that Thailand might adopt the US’s example when ratifying international laws governing human rights.

She cited the Trump administration’s re-ratification of the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a global anti-abortion treaty with about 40 nations as signatories, in January.

The paper does not have any legal ramifications on member states. However, Ms. Chinthita said the paper suggests that members repeal their abortion laws, which have the phrase” The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state,” which might be perceived as a counterproductive position to a family unit run by same-sex couples in contemporary society.

According to Ms. Chinthita, the US has been lobbying for other nations to sign the agreement. Thailand’s potential signing of this agreement is very high, she continued.

HEALTH WORRIES

In the meantime, Mr. Trump’s decision to halt humanitarian aid has sparked concerns among Thai activists leading the fight against HIV/AIDS, particularly in the LGBTQ community.

The decision by Mr. Trump to stop providing humanitarian aid had an impact on health services to the LGBTQ community, particularly in terms of HIV/Aids protection and awareness efforts, according to Kittinun Daramadhaj, president of the Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand.

Thanks to US funding, he said,” Many LGBTQ organizations in Thailand are able to provide HIV or STIs]sexually transmitted infections ] tests free of charge.”

With their outreach capabilities and inclusive mindset, these organizations are crucial in putting an end to Thailand’s HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Some organizations have stopped operating following the funding suspension. In the wake of this, LGBTQ people who have long experienced stigma when receiving medical care from state institutions continue to be treated differently in the healthcare system.

According to Mr. Kittinun,” Trump’s action may be viewed as an indirect attempt to end lives.”

Due to the pause of the US humanitarian fund, Jarunee Siriphan, director of the Foundation for Action on Inclusion Rights ( Fair ) and the founder of the People’s Movement to Eliminate Discrimination ( MovED), was forced to suspend her project” GO MovED” ( Government’s Movement to Eliminate Discrimination ).

A project called GO MovED aims to end discrimination against those who have HIV.

Ms. Jarunee claimed that no money was given to her project by the Thai government. Foreign donors frequently provided sponsorship, with the US being one of the largest donors, she said.

Due to the executive order, and because the project is related to DEI, we were forced to stop working on it on January 24. We are not certain whether we can resume it after the 3-month funding pause, she said.

Apcom, a Thai company whose work focuses on HIV issues, claimed that funding for the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief ( Pepfar ) had also been halted.

The organization claimed that a number of projects, including those aimed at reducing harm, harm reduction, and basic HIV services, have completely been stopped as a result of the funding freeze. The five-year global project EpiC Program, which Pepfar and USAID have funded, aims to combat the HIV epidemic.

The President Trump’s executive order to stop Pepfar and USAID from providing foreign aid has unsettling consequences. It is crucial that we stand even closer and support one another in these uncertain times. We will overcome this challenge as well, according to Midnight Poonkasetwattana, Apcom Executive Director, by fostering trust, cooperating, and exchanging information.

Sulaiporn: Warns of the blueprint for anti-DE I policies

Sulaiporn: Warns of the blueprint for anti-DE I policies

Natthineethiti:

Natthineethiti:” Many rely on awareness campaigns.

Chinthita: Concerned about legal restrictions.

Chinthita: Concerned about legal restrictions.

Kittinun: Life is saved by American funding.

Kittinun: Life is saved by American funding.

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IWD: The importance of female sustainable finance leaders | FinanceAsia

From a minute departure from the Paris Agreement to an emphasis on oil and gas drilling through declaring an energy emergency, to decisions as relatively small as reintroducing plastic straws, the Trump administration has made an’ economic U-turn’ in the world’s largest economy. The results will ripple across the world, probably sending sustainable financing, second gaining momentum in 2018, up years. &nbsp,

¬ Capitol Media Limited. All rights reserved.

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Trump ideology looking a lot like 1960s China – Asia Times

Despite&nbsp, regular GDP growth, low prices, low poverty, and record high investment costs, Americans told pollsters in 2024 that they were deeply unhappy with how Joe Biden had handled the US market. But they elected Donald Trump, who promised to lower costs for regular Americans, make a new age of US manufacturing and home purchase, and so on.

How is that working out? Also, the Atlanta Fed now projects that the US economy will shrink at an annualized rate of 2.8 % in the first quarter of Trump’s presidency:

Origin: &nbsp, Atlanta Fed

The estimates was good until it became apparent a few days ago that Trump’s levies on Canada and Mexico had really come into effect.

Now, this is just one estimates, the actual number might be less considerably bad. The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, a review of current financial signals, suggests that progress will&nbsp, shop out but never go bad. But it’s very clear that tariffs are the driving force behind the slowdown.

I mean…what else could it be? Bloomberg&nbsp, cites&nbsp,” Elon Musk’s cuts to the federal workforce, the clampdown on immigration, and a potential drag on business investment amid so much policy uncertainty”.

But while I’m worried that Elon’s ideological purge of the civil service will damage America’s state capacity, the amount of government spending that DOGE has cut so far is&nbsp, incredibly small, in fact, government spending has actually&nbsp, gone&nbsp, up&nbsp, slightly&nbsp, since Trump took office.

And the Atlanta Fed’s forecast for private-sector GDP in the first quarter &nbsp, fell by substantially more&nbsp, than its forecast for total GDP, government spending is actually propping up the economy, while businesses suffer.

Nor is it likely that the immigration clampdown is having much of an effect. Curbing immigration&nbsp, does have a small negative effect&nbsp, on GDP, but it takes a while to manifest, it’s unlikely that American businesses were dependent on harnessing the asylum seekers pouring over the southern border.

Policy uncertainty is almost certainly a huge factor. Uncertainty is now greater than at any point in recent American history except for the early pandemic — even higher than at the height of the 2008 financial crisis:

Source: EPU

Alex Tabarrok has &nbsp, a great post about this. What we’re seeing not just uncertainty about specific policies, but about America’s whole policy approach ( or “regime” ) going forward. That sort of radical uncertainty bites a lot harder. As a business, how the heck are you supposed to make long-term investment plans when you don’t even know what America’s basic approach to economic policy is going to look like in six months?

Policy uncertainty could be partially about DOGE, or the effects of Trump’s Ukraine betrayal on defense exports, etc. But every business that’s pulling back their investment plans is just&nbsp, screaming tariffs, tariffs, tariffs:

It’s no coincidence that American manufacturers are the ones yelling the loudest about tariffs. They’re the ones who most stand to be hurt. Tariffs on imported materials and components&nbsp, hurt American manufacturers more than they help, because they raise costs by more than they raise domestic demand for manufactured products.

This is exactly&nbsp, what’s happening right now:

US factory activity last month edged closer to stagnation as orders and employment contracted, while a gauge of prices paid for materials surged to the highest since June 2022 as tariff concerns mounted.

The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index slipped by 0.6 point in February to 50.3, according to data released Monday. Readings above 50 indicate growth. The group’s price measure increased 7.5 points to 62.4.

It’s just input prices, input prices, input prices:

Source: Bloomberg

And small businesses — a reliable GOP constituency — are &nbsp, going to get hurt the worst. They’re heavily reliant on imported inputs:

Source: Bloomberg

Anguished complaints&nbsp, from small businesses dependent on imported inputs are pouring in to newspapers across the country.

You can tell tariffs are going to hurt private business, because they’re crushing the stock market. As of this writing, the S&amp, P 500 has fallen 6 % over the past month:

Other stock market indices are doing just as badly or worse. The NASDAQ is&nbsp, down 8 %. American stocks are &nbsp, badly underperforming&nbsp, their European counterparts.

In fact, there ‘s&nbsp, a fun video&nbsp, where you can see the market tank in real time as Trump makes it clear that his tariffs are going into effect:

Trump&nbsp, blamed “globalists” &nbsp, for the stock price decline.

It’s not just business investment that’s suffering, either. Every component of economic activity is taking a hit from tariffs:

Source: &nbsp, Atlanta Fed

Private consumption is stagnating or falling, as you’d expect from tariffs&nbsp, making consumption more expensive&nbsp, — the Wall Street Journal has &nbsp, a good rundown&nbsp, of just a few of the things that are going to get more expensive for regular Americans ( gasoline, food, electricity, home goods ). Residential investment is stagnating or falling, because building houses requires imported inputs too.

Exports are stagnating or falling, because tariffs&nbsp, make the US dollar less competitive, and because Canada, Mexico, Europe, and China are bound to retaliate. After all, the countries that Trump is putting tariffs on are the same countries that buy the most U. S. exports:

Source: OEC

Anyway, this is all very basic economics. Tariffs are taxes. They create&nbsp, deadweight losses. Tariffs make a country’s exchange rate&nbsp, less competitive. &nbsp, Targeted tariffs against a few strategic products are &nbsp, usually not very harmful, but broad tariffs just clobber a modern economy. Never say economists didn’t warn you.

When it first became apparent that tariffs were tanking the market, Trump’s online defenders launched into a blizzard of incoherent rationalizations. Here ‘s&nbsp, just one example:

This is, of course, total nonsense. A recession lowers GDP ( and thus reduces tax revenue ) without lowering debt, making debt&nbsp, harder&nbsp, to pay off. Interest rates might go down if this were a&nbsp, demand-induced&nbsp, recession, like the Volcker recessions of the early 1980s — but a tariff recession would be a&nbsp, supply-induced&nbsp, recession, more similar to the oil shocks of the 1970s that made imports more expensive.

That will tend to create&nbsp, stagflation, forcing interest rates higher and making the debt harder to pay off. 1&nbsp, As for investment in the U. S., it will be hurt by policy uncertainty, lower consumption, and more expensive inputs.

Some Trump apparatchiks &nbsp, tried to claim&nbsp, that the data showing a good economy before Trump were fake. In fact, I do expect the administration to try to&nbsp, gut the federal agencies&nbsp, that produce America’s economic statistics, in an attempt to hide bad data from the public. ( Record grain harvests, comrade! )

But this will backfire, people know when their businesses fail, when prices at the grocery store and the gas station go up, when they&nbsp, get laid off, and when the value of their stock portfolios go down. The only thing that monkeying with the official statistics will do is to make Trump and his people less able to respond to what’s actually going on in the economy.

When it became clear that none of these hastily invented excuses were going to fly, Trump’s supporters started telling Americans that they were just going to have to endure some economic pain. Manu Raju&nbsp, reports:

Some Rs acknowledge that there could be higher prices with Trump’s Mexico and Canada tariffs but believe their constituents would be willing to stomach that to back Trump’s policies…Sen. Markwayne Mullin told me” of course” he’s worried tariffs could impact his state but argued that his constituents are willing to “do what it takes” to support the president’s policy …” Are the American people ready to get the country back on track and do what it takes to make that happen? Absolutely … It’s going to affect a lot of companies. We’re going to have to adjust some prices for it, but the president is tired of people taking advantage of our country” .…Asked if his constituents are ready to pay higher prices, Mullin said:” I think our constituents are going to do what it takes to get America back on track. We’re tired of countries taking advantage of us” .…Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri told me he thinks tariffs are “going to have an impact”, particularly on farmers…. Asked if he thinks his constituents feel the same way about shouldering some of the costs, Alford said:” I think so”.

Some touted&nbsp, the jobs making T-shirts and shoes&nbsp, that Americans could look forward to getting. Others proclaimed that&nbsp, stock declines were good, because they’d allow younger Americans to buy into the market more cheaply. None of these were particularly appealing prospects to&nbsp, Trump supporters in the business community, who already own stocks, and who are probably not that enthused about getting a job in an American sweatshop.

In one darkly hilarious moment, Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture told Americans to deal with sky-high egg prices by&nbsp, raising chickens in their back yard:

How did we go from” Make America Great Again” to” Everyone needs to become a backyard chicken farmer”? Did&nbsp, Mao Zedong&nbsp, rise from the dead and take over the U. S. A. while I wasn’t looking?

In fact, I&nbsp, do &nbsp, think something a little like that is happening. Unless Trump is being paid by America’s enemies to destroy the country’s economy— something I think is pretty unlikely — what we’re looking at here is an&nbsp, ideological project. Like Mao did in China in the 1960s, Trump is taking a baseball bat to the US economy in order to follow his deeply held ideological beliefs.

But which ideology? I wrote that&nbsp, DOGE is an ideological project, but that’s all about anti-wokeness. Trump’s ideology isn’t the same as Elon’s, he isn’t raising tariffs in order to get rid of DEI or kick trans people off of women’s sports teams. Although his motives are always a bit murky, my best guess is that this is about a different ideology. This is about&nbsp, economic self-reliance.

Many types of ideological regimes emphasize a desire for self-sufficiency. North Korea has &nbsp, juche. Stalin had&nbsp, the Iron Curtain. Juan Peron had&nbsp, Peronism&nbsp, in Argentina. Franco had his&nbsp, autarky policy. China ‘s&nbsp, Ming Dynasty&nbsp, and the&nbsp, Tokugawa shoguns&nbsp, of Japan had closed-country policies. Even Xi Jinping has emphasized&nbsp, economic self-reliance&nbsp, over rapid growth.

Trump ultimately isn’t much different. His inherent suspicion of other countries makes him want to be less dependent on them. To Trump, this goal is much more important than Americans ‘ prosperity. It’s more important than manufacturing strength or the fate of the working class. It’s a political goal whose value to Trump can’t be measured in dollars or jobs or production numbers.

This is American juche. Our own Iron Curtain. America won the Cold War, then we looked at the country that lost and decided to be more like them.

Anyway, I waited two days to write this post, because I suspected that Trump’s commitment to his policy wouldn’t be absolute, and there might be some hasty walkbacks — as there were&nbsp, a month ago.

In fact, I was partially right — Trump has now&nbsp, delayed the tariffs on Mexico&nbsp, for another month, and will also delay some tariffs that impact&nbsp, the auto industry &nbsp, specifically. ( Update: Trump has now&nbsp, paused tariffs on Canada&nbsp, too. ) Naturally, the same apparatchiks who cheered the tariffs a couple of days ago are now cheering the delay, praising Trump for the” art of the deal”.

But the more Trump uses these kind of last-minute delays and special exemptions, the less relief they’re going to create among the business community and among investors. It’s now clear that Trump’s tariffs were never a bluff, that he really means to enact as many of them as he can, and that his delaying tactics are just a way to ease America into the pain of being a poorer, more economically isolated country.

It’s only going to get worse. And the uncertainty of exactly when and whom the tariffs are going to bite simply adds to the overall climate of fear and uncertainty.

America voted for a guy they thought would deregulate the economy and fix inflation — a modern-day Reagan. Instead they got a dime-store Mao, who would be happy to impoverish his nation just to see it be less reliant on the rest of the world. I think a little buyer’s remorse is in order.

Notes:

1 Actually, &nbsp, there is a theory&nbsp, that the anticipation of future supply shocks causes negative demand shocks today, in which case inflation could temporarily go down.

This article was first published on Noah Smith’s Noahpinion&nbsp, Substack under a different headline and is republished with kind permission. Become a Noahopinion&nbsp, subscriber&nbsp, here.

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Cruel hoax: the political economy of anti-immigration – Asia Times

If citizens have been properly cultivated by decades of demonizing and scapegoating them, deporting immigrants may win them political victories. For its patients, the atrocities involved are tragic.

But for repatriation makes little sense financially. It is a poorly understood immigration finance software that has the potential to destroy the nation. What once “made America great” ( at least for the majority light people ) were its successive waves of refugees.

What highlighted the strength of the British economy was its capacity to withstand those ripples despite tensions between them: a truly effective melting pot. Through my PhD, my National education stressed these items.

What therefore caused such a favorable perception of emigration to change? What otherwise made immigration a pressing threat to American greatness? What lets Trump pose as “protecting” us by strongly reducing immigration and substantially deporting refugees?

I’m referring to the vast majority of people who are poor and meet the working class at lower rates of pay. Foreign-born US citizens comprise about 14 % of the total population or around 46 million. About 12 million of them are undocumented. )

The social sector of emigration provides answers to these questions. However, those responses and the political economy that underpin them are utterly excluded from mainstream discussions and consciousness. The Republican party’s subsequent years of anti-immigration language and the policies in place for immigrant imprisonment during the last three presidencies serve as examples of this absence.

Deportation is a necessary response to the” costly invasions” of immigrants ( often equated to criminals ) by many politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties. Proof for this marginalization system has been very indisputable. Its supporters appear to be mainly ignorant of the realities of immigration.

The majority of immigrants to the United States are younger people. The adolescent can best handle migration’s difficulties and dangers. They are most likely to be able to find the hardest work under the least amount of money because of their precarious and fragile surroundings. The illegal among them are the most susceptible.

When companies take advantage of and misuse them, they dare not complain to the police or another government officials. Immigrants often send portions of their wages ( “remittances” ) back to the countries they left.

Payments help care for children, the old, and others who remained there and partially compensate those countries of origin for losing their migrants ‘ performance.

Before older refugees arrived in the United States, their education was supported by their countries of origin. Their individuals and institutions spent considerable amount feeding, clothes, hiding, educating, etc., them from beginning to 15-18 years of age.

Because the younger people immigrated to the United States, they “invested” in their young individuals but made little money from that purchase. Their decades of production benefitted the US market, not the economies of the nations that made investments in them.

Prior to becoming full-time individuals, Americans who were born and raised in the country are already paying high financial costs to the US economy. US people partly cover those costs ( foods, clothing, and shelter ). The federal, state, and local institutions cover different parts of those expenses ( people teaching, public services, etc. ).

The US economy benefits from its child performance as a profit on its expense in their upbringing because comparatively few Americans immigrate. The United States increases the efficiency of immigrants they didn’t engage in, adding to that payoff.

The emigration of their residents to the United States is a rebate from and paid for by the poor because many of the nations where immigrants frequently reside are among the poorer nations. The globalization of socialism is not only reflected in its global imbalances, but it also makes them worse.

The child performance that migrants ‘ countries of origin lacks is what they most depend on. The wealthy nations that the least have them are transferred those rewards.

Numerous decades of large and successive waves of refugees made up the “great” National past that MAGA celebrates. The grants provided by refugees contributed a lot to the US’s amazing GDP growth in the 19th and 20th ages.

First waves of refugees stimulated economic growth that in turn attracted, welcomed, and integrated after waves. Each american wave faced difficulties, and the majority of them finally rose to higher wages. Some yet left the working class and became employed. Immigration and expansion were able to coexist in a routine that some perceived as “exceptional.”

As each expat flood arrived, its members tended to have the worst jobs, the lowest wages, and lived in the worst neighborhoods, including underserved ones like the poor schools for their children. When the next flood arrived, its people accepted the equal.

The economic expansion that earlier waves of refugees contributed eventually allowed their fights for better work, pay, and cover to achieve. Additionally, this development made it possible for the after waves of immigrants to take the place of the previous ones at the lowest echelons of the social scale.

Thus, nearly all immigrants could fairly anticipate better years back. The United States could boast of having a remarkable level of” social mobility.” Carefully exaggerated by “rags to riches” fables like those in the many novels of Horatio Adler ( 1832–1899 ), working-class belief in social mobility served social peace and often blunted socialism’s appeal.

Migration has not yet been considered in terms of its regional or economic effects by this analysis. Migration furthermore has economic effects: its effects on the employee-employer relationship. Immigration is typically less lucrative than what native-born people will recognize. Still less is accepted by illegal refugees.

Because immigrants may indicate a real economical threat, the native-born, better-paid workers is fear, hate, and oppose their appearance. Demagogs frequently use their reflection and reinforcement to bolster their hate and opposition to win seats.

If the migrants display “racial” differences, demagogues can integrate racism ( traditional or new ) to aggravate the competition between immigrant and native-born employees.

Companies have frequently pitted immigrants against native-born workers and illegal immigrants against both. Employers ‘ divide and conquer strategies have stifled native and immigrant employees ‘ collective actions and stifled or destroyed labor unions and strikes.

On the other hand, in recent years, significant portions of the US labor movement have revived partly by pointedly unifying immigrant ( documented and undocumented ) and non-immigrant employees and, thereby, defeating employers. Not surprisingly, some companies, worried about a reviving work activity, cultivated a reaction to strengthen groups among employees.

They were persuaded to reject emigration. Denunciations of and demands to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion ( DEI ) commitments became popular covers for and companions to anti-immigrant agitation.

New American presidents have criticized immigrants and used hostile language and actions as votes in the country. Those leaders ‘ plans and the resulting arrests were a response to several years of significant immigration. Whites and demagogues in politics used their common functions.

Trump lifted them into his efforts and congresses. His next term is intended to be the largest imprisonment in US history.

US companies will be disappointed that the persecution have reduced the number of profitable and low-paying immigrant workers (especially those who are undocumented ). Of course, companies retain their usual solution of technology: replacing actually more employees with computers, drones, and AI.

Millions of people who have been denied government jobs ( as a result of Trump, Musk, and DOGE ) will compete for shrinking job opportunities in the US private sector.

The Trumpian goal is a working class purged of refugees, organizations and La differences. It is a MAGA earth that has properly resubordinated most non-whites, people, refugees, and all others deemed inferior by the likes of Trump and Musk, and those they select.

Immigration has always been primarily responsible for the demands of US socialism. Migration was generally expensive, dangerous, and painful to the migrants who generally lacked additional ways to survive. The US working class was frequently threatened by emigration, which cast a negative light on it, but it lacked the democratic will to cease it.

On the other hand, the working group was also appreciative of the opportunities and life that immigration provided for their ancestors and people. In that way, they saw immigration favorably.

Over many subsequent years, slow, uneven economic development redistributed US wealth and income forward. A declining US empire, rising global competition (especially from China ), climate change’s escalating effects, and subsequent global conflicts, all combined, led to significant journeys to the country as its jobs, wages, and prospects were being stifled.

Immigration’s perceived bad results came to overshadow the good ones. Enough about the US working class’s support and appreciation of immigration prevented right-wing demagogues from snooping on their most recent great opportunity.

The working class’s changing circumstances and sentiments helped the populists shake up US politics. During the upsurge of the US dynasty in the 19th and 20th centuries, regular executive orders have stifled the political consensus that existed between the GOP and Democratic institutions.

Republicans and Democrats have since turned ever more harshly against one another as the US empire and socialism have begun their socially expanding drop. In terrible conflicts, their ancient social structure fell apart.

Immigration became one battlefield, one way to create a new democratic way out of the wane that no gathering official would dare to acknowledge. Trump has so far greatest grasped the opportunity to drive an extraordinary place on immigration—mass deportation—to energy. But, since it will soon became apparent that deporting immigrants solves small and worsens the US drop, the political program’s prospects are uncertain.

Much the same applies to the other initiatives that he and Elon Musk have in mind. These include neocolonialist plans to retake control of Greenland, Gaza, and the Panama Canal and make Canada the nation’s 51st position. Additionally, these include imposing tariffs on all countries and preventing the United States from participating in global efforts to combat climate change and health ( WHO ).

Abandoning the Ukraine war and shifting its prices to the Europeans does cause their opposition and expected frustration, which Trump and Musk may face.

As with immigration, the political economy of other Trump-Musk jobs ( and much of Project 2025 ) raise similar profound questions about their logic, blind spots and unintended consequences.

The deep contradictions of anti-immigration—and other projects —are not overcome by hiding them under the veneer of slogans like” America First”. The British version of what the term “declining kingdom” means is still present.

Richard D. Wolff is visiting professor in the student programme in foreign affairs at New School University in New York and professor of economics professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Wolff’s regular show, “Economic Update”, is syndicated by more than 100 television channels and goes to millions via various TV systems and YouTube. Understanding Capitalism ( 2024 ), his most recent book, is a response to readers ‘ requests for his earlier books,” Understanding Socialism” and” Understanding Marxism.”

The Independent Media Institute’s Market for All project produced this content. It is reproduced around with kind agreement.

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