News

APEC Data trasnfer certified image

: APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules Go Global

On April 21, 2022, the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Chinese Taipei published a declaration (the “Declaration”) establishing the Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules Forum (the “Global CBPR Forum”). The Global CBPR Forum will establish an international certification system based on the existing APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules (“CBPR”) and Privacy Recognition for Processors (“PRP”) Systems, enabling participation beyond APEC member economies. The Global CBPR and PRP Systems, as they will be known, are designed…

: Indonesia’s B20 Task-Force Pushes Forward Priority Issues At Inception Meeting

Jakarta, February, 2022 The Indonesian B20 Task Force has held the first meeting in the series of B20 Indonesia Presidency 2022, where a number of crucial issues such as eliminating digital inequality, sharing green economy financing, and fighting global cybercrime became the main discussion. The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) held the Inception Meeting of B20 Indonesia Presidency 2022 on January 27-28 in Jakarta. The two-days forum was attended by more than 2,000 participants and government delegations from…

: “We will not sit and wait idly while the planet burns”

We speak with the Philippines’ secretary of finance about the importance of sustainable finance and some long-term lessons from the pandemic An interview with: Carlos G Dominguez III Finance Secretary of the Philippines Heavy monsoon rain linked to Typhoon In-fa causes severe flooding on residential property near Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines in July 2021. Photo by Shutterstock. In the first part of this interview, we spoke about the fiscal pressures brought about by COVID-19 on the Philippines, the country’s monetary and…

: The Philippines’ fiscal response to COVID-19

We speak with the Philippines’ secretary of finance about how the country withstood the impacts of the pandemic and continues to remain competitive An interview with: Carlos G Dominguez III Finance Secretary of the Philippines Carlos G Dominguez III, the Philippines’ secretary of finance, speaks with Unravel. COVID-19 continues to impact societies and economies globally. As days have stretched to months and months to years, the world is slowly pivoting towards “living with the virus”. Asia’s COVID story is a…

Value Prop

: Episode 10: What Aboitiz in the Philippines? – A dialogue with Luis Miguel Aboitiz, Director of Aboitiz Power Corp (Stock Code: ABZPY)

  Description: This month we catch up with PBEC Board Member Luis Miguel Aboitiz who previously served as a Director of Unionbank and as Executive Vice President – Chief Strategy Officer of Aboitiz Group, before his retirement on April 30, 2020. He was also Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer – Corporate Business Group of AboitizPower from 2016 to 2018, and Senior Vice President-Power Marketing and Trading from 2009 to 2015. Miguel is currently a Director of Aboitiz Power…

thediplomat article image

: Omicron Threatens to Derail Cambodia’s ASEAN Agenda

Zoom conferencing won’t work if the Southeast Asian bloc is to tackle the big issues by Luke Hunt The rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 across Southeast Asia is threatening to derail Cambodia’s ambitious agenda as this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which hinges on face to face meetings and backroom in-person negotiations among bureaucrats. Topping Prime Minister Hun Sen’s agenda are the “peace” talks with the junta in Myanmar and his plans…

IFC invest in Vietnam HD Bank image

: IFC, LeapFrog Investments and DEG Invest in Vietnam’s HDBank to Help Accelerate Economic Recovery, Expand Lending to Smaller Businesses, and Boost Resiliency of the Banking Sector

Investment will increase access to credit, with specific focus on women entrepreneurs As Vietnam accelerates economic recovery amid COVID-19, IFC, LeapFrog Investments, and DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft have invested $165 million in convertible Tier 2 bonds issued by Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank), a leading Vietnamese private retail and SME bank. While strengthening the bank’s capital base, the funding will help increase lending to retail and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including women-owned…

img-iaw-wto

: Now is the time to think big on customs reform

“Customs has a key role in making trade seamless, safe and secure,” stated WTO Deputy Director-General Anabel González at a 20 January hearing of the European Union’s Wise Persons Group on Challenges Facing the Customs Union. DDG González observed that customs authorities need to respond and adjust to changes in the global trade landscape brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid technological developments, geopolitical tensions and climate change. She added that the role of customs was becoming increasingly complex, and…

Russia shuts down Crypto mining

: Here’s why experts say the crypto market will be just fine despite a possible Russian ban on everything from mining to trading

When the central bank of Russia proposed a sweeping ban Thursday on crypto activity, digital assets barely skipped a beat. Bitcoin even rose around 5% at one point during New York trading hours. “There are bigger concerns right now in crypto right now,” Chris Vecchio of DailyFX told Insider. “What’s happening is much more closely tied to global stimulus conditions and central banks pulling back their pandemic era efforts. That, to me, is the prevailing story here.” John Wu, president…

g20-indonesia

: G20 presidency kicks into high gear

THE nation kicks its presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) into high gear this month with a flurry of activities and events, including forums for CEOs of companies from member countries where they will discuss issues from sustainable development to women’s empowerment. The Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister, which is responsible for the scheduling and substance of Indonesia’s G20 presidency, said that on Jan 27, representatives of companies from the 20 member countries and another 40 from non-member…