On 26 August, a wall of ice, rock and water tore through the Tibet-Nepal border and ran 72 kilometres down the Trishuli valley. It killed more than 1,400 people and damaged 12 hydropower plants, knocking out about a tenth of Nepal’s generating capacity. The country had spent a decade turning its glacier-fed rivers into an ... “A warning to the world”
Outbound investment screening impacted corporate investment and M&A activity in recent years, but it now is also fundamentally altering how private capital operates across Asia. With strict legislative screening targeting critical technology sectors—including artificial intelligence, quantum information technologies, and semiconductors—private equity fund managers face a trade-off: offer binding covenants that restrict investment discretion or face ... Capital controls: a catch-22 for Asian private equity
Asia was supposed to be weaning itself off coal. Instead, it is buying more of it. Seaborne thermal coal imports across the region recorded its highest level in July since the Middle East conflict disrupted global energy supply chains in March. China, India and Indonesia are all leaning harder on coal, even as they continue ... Asia’s coal conundrum
Asia’s sovereign debt burden is not a background concern any longer. A volatile mix of the Iran war energy shock, a higher global rate environment and localised currency stress has drained fiscal headroom across the region just when the governments require more of it. This report examines the fallout, why this shock looks different from ... Asia’s sovereign debt burden
Asia is pouring hundreds of billions into chip fabs and data centres, but building them on a foundation that is quietly running dry. Around 70% of the world’s major aquifers are in long-term decline, and by 2050, a third of global GDP could be under high water stress. From Taiwan’s drought-exposed fabs to India’s competing ... Water, water, everywhere?
Amid growing fears of an AI bubble, the possible impacts for Southeast Asia could be significant. This paper by Samantha Cheh, senior editor at StoneBench, looks at who wins — and who loses — if the AI crash does come to fruition
In the global rush to secure critical minerals supply and rare earth supply chains, ASEAN has entered the limelight as an alternative source, a new position that could position the region as a new geopolitical powerbroker, but at what cost? This paper by Samantha Cheh, senior editor at StoneBench, explores how these shifting dynamics could have a transformative impact on the region
Nepal’s dramatic fall in poverty defies conventional wisdom, driven less by growth or remittances than by hundreds of small, community-level interventions. This StoneBench paper, written in partnership with John Donaldson, associate professor of political science at Singapore Management University, explores the issue
Given the current macroeconomic and geopolitical backdrop, what are the implications of the upgraded ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement? This StoneBench whitepaper, written in partnership with Priyanka Kishore, founder of Asia Decoded and Stephen Olson, visiting senior fellow at ISEAS, explores
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is at an inflection point. This StoneBench white paper, written in partnership with Public Policy Advisory Asia, looks at the challenges ASEAN faces, and provides strategic recommendations
The Global South is gaining currency once again. This StoneBench white paper looks at why, and what its implications could be on global policymaking.
A StoneBench report that discusses the adoption of regulatory sandboxes against the backdrop of accelerated fintech growth in Southeast Asia