Andrew Tjaardstra

As the war in Iran drags on, the Small Industries Development Bank of India has been handed a capital infusion to improve credit flow to MSMEs in rural areas, support technology initiatives and to partner with local banks.

Digital Edge has closed its first $575m HoldCo financing as the data centre firm expands its footprint across South Korea, Japan, India and Southeast Asia; the deal, which swiftly follows a $880m green loan in Thailand, has a feature to convert into a SLL.

The expansion of the blended finance programme under Singapore’s Financing Asia’s Transition Partnership, includes funding for hard-to-abate sectors from BII. The IEA has also issued a warning around the huge funding required for SEA's transition from coal.

The central bank said the surprise decision is a "pre-emptive" measure to keep inflation in check and to stablise the rupiah as the Iran war drags on. Exports of "strategic natural resources" will need to go through state-owned enterprises.

Philip Kam, APLMA's CEO, believes that SLLs shouldn't "drown businesses in paperwork".

From the use of antibiotics, to biodiversity, to battery makers, to data centres, to shipping, the region's firms are teaming up with banks to help support a wide range of sustainability efforts with clearer targets.

The solar power plant, awarded under the Corporate Green Power Programme, will be in the state of Kedah, with BNP Paribas providing $37m of funding. TotalEnergies is also building a plant in the Philippines.

April's US inflation reading was the highest since May 2023. The Philippines has also been hit with inflation of 7.2% in April as the result of the high oil price as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked.

The drawdown loans for Central Yards on Hong Kong Island are for HK$50m from Hang Seng Bank and HSBC, respectively; the focus will be on urban biodiversity restoration and conservation.

The link is available at businesses and is between Indonesia’s Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) and apps from Alipay and UnionPay International.

The central bank has tightened rules on cash purchases of foreign currency to help stabilise the rupiah; government spending in Q1 helped spur the country's strongest GDP in several years.

The bonds will be used to stockpile bauxite, refinance debt, to invest in overseas projects, share repurchases and for general corporate purposes; the aluminium giant also issued a concurrent share repurchase.