India's Civil Aviation Ministry is examining ways to simplify and expedite no-objection certificates for construction near airports, including the possibility of urban local bodies issuing NOCs. The minister has set a 15-day timeline for officials to work out modalities for a more automated, transpa
A shop at USJ Sentral 3 in Subang Jaya, Selangor, was sold for RM3 million in a deal completed on 29 Jan 2026. The 8,232 sq ft six-storey unit changed hands at RM358.36 psf after six months on the market.
Ayala Land will integrate its Urban Estates and Regional Estines businesses under the AyalaLand Estates Group effective 1 Jan 2027. The reorganiation is intended to strengthen long-term growth strategy, with Jaime Z. Urquijo appointed to lead the combined unit.
The Philippine hotel industry expects 150 new hospitality projects adding 40,000 rooms over the next five years, according to the Philippine Hotel Owners Association. International arrivals reached 4.11 million in the first eight months of 2026, up 3.7% year-on-year but still below pre-pandemic leve
AB Capital Investment has acquired the 161-room Residence Hotel Stripe Sapporo, adding a 15th hospitality property to its Japan portfolio. The apartment-style hotel near Hokkaido University and JR Sapporo Station will be refurbished and repositioned under an operating partner.
German life sciences firm Eppendorf SE has leased an 11.82-acre site at Bandar Cassia Technology Park in Penang from the Penang Development Corporation for 60 years. The company plans to invest about €40 million (RM186 million) in a greenfield facility, with production expected to start gradually in
Think City managing director Datuk Hamdan Abdul Majeed says Seberang Perai will drive Penang’s growth over the next 50 to 100 years as the island runs out of land. The mainland, which contributes nearly half of Penang’s manufacturing value and houses more than half its workforce, is shifting from an
Frasers Property has bought the Cuppage Terrace conservation shophouses on Orchard Road for S$175 million. The developer plans to integrate the 17-unit enclave with the adjacent The Centrepoint to create a larger lifestyle precinct aligned with the government's rejuvenation plans for the shopping di
Moody's Ratings has identified energy security shortcomings as a key bottleneck for the Philippines' data centre industry, which has not scaled to the extent of its regional counterparts. The Philippines and Vietnam are classed as "early-stage" markets, while Malaysia and Singapore have captured the
The World Trade Center Association says Philippine economic zones that combine infrastructure, incentives and investment support are well-placed to attract data centre investment. The recent lifting of the moratorium on new IT park applications in Metro Manila could also drive growth.
Eight commercial tenants at The Animal Lodge in Sungei Tengah will lose their leases when they expire in December 2026 after failing to meet minimum requirements in a tender exercise. Seven are dog breeders and one operates a pet boarding facility. The remaining 27 tenants will be allowed to stay un
More than 50 tenants at City Sprouts' Punggol East container park must cease operations by 31 Oct 2026, as the land is returned to the Singapore Land Authority. The social enterprise received notice in May and has secured alternative space at Pasir Ris Park, but tenants say the short notice has left
The Philippine Association of National Advertisers has opened entries for the PANATA Awards 2026, now in its 17th year. The awards recognise advertiser-led campaigns that deliver measurable business results while upholding high standards of strategy, creativity and responsible stewardship.
The Philippine Association of National Advertisers and Certified Digital Marketer will host Brand Masters Collab 2026 on 9 Sept at Makati Diamond Residences. The one-day forum themed 'Human Edge: Brand Building in the Age of AI' will gather over 200 brand leaders to examine the role of human judgmen
Sephora Singapore launches the Olive Young K-Beauty Edit on Sep 2, bringing over 180 products from 20-plus Korean beauty brands to stores. The partnership debuts in Southeast Asia with Sephora Ion Orchard serving as a regional K-Beauty Discovery Launchpad.
BYD and Denza have launched a lifestyle card for selected customers, offering perks at 88 brands including Adidas, KFC and mewatch. The BYD and Denza Lifestyle Privilege Programme was announced on 31 Aug 2026, with eligible customers receiving their cards progressively from Tuesday.
The Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) has become the first ministry in Malaysia to receive a GreenRE Gold Rating for its 38-storey office building in Putrajaya. Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the certification reflects KPKT’s commitment to leading by example in
A government valuation officer told the High Court that the RM1.39 million compensation paid for 263.272 acres of prime Duta Enclave land in 1956 was more than adequate. Semantan Estate seeks higher compensation, but the valuer argued the payment exceeded his own estimate of RM875,000 based on compa
Steven Tan, President of SM Supermalls, has been named one of 10 honorees at The Business Manual's annual CEO Awards. The award recognises his transformational leadership in redefining the shopping centre experience and fostering community growth in the Philippines.
Marina Square Shopping Mall will close on 31 Mar 2027 as part of a S$3 billion redevelopment by Singapore Land Group. The project will add 204 luxury homes, a 304-room hotel, 260 serviced apartments and Grade A offices, with completion targeted by 2031.
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority has granted original proponent status to a consortium of Maynilad Water Services and Korea Water Resources Corp. for a P14.8-billion water and wastewater project in New Clark City, Tarlac. The project is expected to support upcoming residential, commerc
China Merchants Commercial REIT has teamed up with a BentallGreenOak-backed fund to acquire The Quad, a 205-bed student hostel in Hung Hom, for HK$528.5 million, reflecting a 40 per cent discount from the original owner's total investment cost of HK$880 million. The deal marks the REIT's second stud
Dexus fund manager Brad Collier will join Blackstone, Brookfield and DWS executives at the Mingtiandi Australia Forum on 15 September at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney. More than 200 industry leaders are expected to attend the inaugural event, which covers commercial, industrial, living and hospit
Singapore developer Hoi Hup has paid A$201.8 million to acquire the Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Central Park from US private equity firm KSL Capital Partners. The 309-room hotel in Chippendale marks Hoi Hup's first commercial property investment in Australia.
Japan International Cooperation Agency is set to turnover the Imus retarding basin to the provincial government of Cavite. The flood mitigation project is part of a P3-billion risk management masterplan covering three river systems.
Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. has proposed geofencing around 3 million hectares of agricultural land, particularly rice-growing areas, to prevent them from being converted into solar farms. The Department of Agriculture will digitally map priority agricultural zones a
The Philippine government expects 46 economic zones proclaimed under the Marcos administration to attract P141.2 billion in investments and create nearly 189,000 jobs, Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto announced. Four new proclamations expanding zones in Cavite, Batangas and Negros Oriental are pro
The Philippine Overseas Construction Board and the Department of Migrant Workers have signed a memorandum of agreement to help upskill Filipino construction workers deployed overseas. The partnership will explore programs tied to projects won by POCB-registered contractors, aiming to boost global co
Bitcoin miner IREN reported AI Cloud Services revenue rose from US$16.4m in fiscal 2025 to US$128.8m in fiscal 2026, reflecting a shift from mining to cloud computing. The trend highlights growing convergence between cryptocurrency mining and AI infrastructure, both dependent on data centres and ene
Tay Ninh Provincial People's Committee has approved the investment policy for Tan Lan 3 Industrial Park, selecting IMG Long An Joint Stock Company as the investor. The 336-hectare multi-sector park in Tan Lan Commune requires VND8.45 trillion in total investment and will have a 50-year operating ter
OpenAI has been issued warrants estimated at US$5.5 billion in power infrastructure firm SB Energy, according to draft IPO documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. SoftBank Group and OpenAI are planned tenants in three SB Energy data centers, the report adds.
Raphael Arndt will step down as chief executive of Australia's Future Fund at year's end after growing AUM to A$356 billion. Mapletree Industrial Trust Management appoints Anand Tze Ming Chandran as CEO from 1 Oct. ESR names Dalmar Sheikh as CEO of its data centres unit.
China's coastal rocket hub Wenchang is pushing to turn crowds drawn by launches into longer-stay visitors and a broader aerospace industry. The city now hosts 673 aerospace companies and aims to become an internationally first-class aerospace city, but faces challenges from launch delays and fleetin
The Delhi government has notified the Delhi Fire Service (Amendment) Rules, 2026, introducing 18 categories of mandatory fire prevention and safety measures for all buildings. The rules link minimum standards to building height and occupancy, require six-metre clear access routes for fire engines, a
Vietnam's Central Highlands farmers are moving from coffee to durian, with planted area surging fivefold to 200,000ha in a decade. Vietnam overtook Thailand last year as China's top durian supplier by volume, with exports forecast to hit US$4 billion in 2026.
Penang’s medical tourism revenue rose 26.6% year-on-year to RM1.14 billion in 2025, with 527,176 foreign patients treated across 16 private hospitals. The sector now accounts for about 45% of Malaysia’s medical tourism revenue, driving developer interest in hospital-anchored residential and mixed-us
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam and the Da Nang People’s Committee have announced a US$379 million renovation and expansion of Terminal 1 at Da Nang International Airport, with construction set to begin in August 2027. The project will raise annual capacity to 14 million passengers and includes
A commercial real estate advisor argues that companies should not start with the buy-versus-lease question. Instead, they should first ask where the business is heading, with the B.E.S.T. Framework covering business strategy, economics, scalability and timing.
Selangor and Johor accounted for 59.2% of Malaysia's RM218.5 billion in approved investments in the first half of 2026. The real estate subsector recorded RM33.5 billion in approved investments, part of the services sector's RM149.6 billion total.
KLCC (Holdings) has opened Ombak KLCC, the final component of the KLCC Precinct in Kuala Lumpur. The 420,000 sq ft mall features a cantilevered section housing Galeri PETRONAS, which is slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2027.
WCT Holdings Bhd has secured a RM600.89 million contract to build a 41-storey office building at Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) in Kuala Lumpur. The project, awarded by Pelangi Pasifik Sdn Bhd, will commence on Dec 1, 2026.
Japan's acclaimed live show Dinosaur Odyssey will stage its first large-scale indoor production outside the country at Resorts World Sentosa from 3 to 6 Dec 2026. The production features 15 ultra-realistic dinosaurs, including a T-rex, that move within arm's reach of audiences, with tickets priced f
Australian data centre developer NextDC reported higher water and energy consumption in the past year, with both key efficiency ratios worsening for a third consecutive year. The company swung to an A$82.1 million profit, beating forecasts, as demand for computing capacity surged.
Universal Studios Japan plans to spend ¥200 billion to ¥300 billion (S$1.26 billion to S$1.88 billion) to build new attractions on a 60,000 sqm site adjacent to the park, the Nikkei newspaper reported on 28 Aug. The expansion, the park's first since opening in 2001, aims to lift annual attendance be
VITRO REIT and PLDT Global Corp have signed a colocation agreement with Singapore-based wholesale telecoms carrier SG.GS Pte. Ltd. The deal will see SG.GS deploy network infrastructure within VITRO's carrier-neutral facilities in the Philippines, enhancing regional interconnection across Asia-Pacifi
Converge ICT Solutions said its Angeles data centre has secured a green lane certificate from the DTI-BOI, fast-tracking regulatory approvals. The facility is classified as a strategic investment under Executive Order No. 18.
South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix held a groundbreaking ceremony for a US$4 billion advanced packaging and research facility at Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, Indiana. The plant, producing high-bandwidth memory for AI applications, will begin cleanroom operations in the second half of 2028 an
Brookfield has acquired Cornerstone Logistics Estate, a A$225m multi-unit project in Sydney's Penrith, lifting its ANZ logistics platform to 10 investments worth A$3bn. The 47,000 sqm estate is being developed with Precinct Capital at Nepean Business Park, targeting completion by mid-2027.
Half of the P1-billion budget for Project NOAH will go toward acquiring 55 LiDAR drones and other equipment for high-resolution hazard mapping. The project aims to map 20 major river basins in a year and develop decision-support tools for disaster planning.
Orix JREIT is paying ¥29.4 billion ($185 million) for a half-stake in Toyosu Prime Square in Tokyo and ¥10.6 billion to take full ownership of the Naha Shin-Toshin Center Building in Okinawa. The two acquisitions total ¥40 billion and are expected to enhance unitholder value, the trust's manager sai
