Author: Journalist

Sea was founded in May 2009 by Mr Forrest Li, who is also the chief executive and chairman of the company. Originally focused on online gaming under the name Garena, Sea now also runs e-commerce platform Shopee and owns MariBank, one of the five digital banks in Singapore. “We chose the name Monee because it is simple, cute, and just like Sea, easy to write and pronounce,” said Mr Li. “By carrying the same sound as ‘money’, its name instantly connects to what the business is about,” he said, adding that Monee seeks to better the lives of consumers and…

Coca-Cola has agreed to make a series of changes to the recycling claims on its plastic bottles, according to a statement today by the European Commission, following a greenwashing complaint made by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC). The agreement follows an alert issued in November 2023 by the BEUC, along with member organizations from 13 countires against bottling companies including Coca-Cola, Danone and Nestlé, reporting that the companies were making misleading commercial claims about the recyclability of their products. The BEUC specifically highlighted three claims of concern, including “100% recyclable,”  noting that recyclability depended on factors such as the available…

Carbon accounting startup Zevero announced the launch of its new ESG Disclosure Reporting solution, aimed at enabling companies to meet sustainability reporting obligations across frameworks including B Corp, CDP, and CSRD. Founded in 2021, UK-based Zevero offers companies tools to understand the impact of their emissions, enabling them to determine how and where they can reduce that impact, as well as better comply with regulations that may affect them. The launch of the new solution follows a $7 million funding round by the company last year, with proceeds aimed at supporting the enhancement of its products and services and its…

If the on-again, off-again tariff announcements by President Donald Trump have struck you as unusual, that’s for good reason. Nothing like this has ever happened before.That’s the estimation of Dartmouth economic historian Douglas Irwin, whose 2017 book, Clashing Over Commerce: A History Of US Trade Policy, is the leading work on the subject. I called him for perspective. He told me that what we were experiencing was way outside the historical norm. One man alone has risked the first global trade war since the 1930s by raising tariffs to levels unseen for more than a century. The president’s actions, he…

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, who goes by CZ, and Tron founder Justin Sun strongly denied a Wall Street Journal report claiming Zhao agreed to provide evidence against Sun as part of his 2023 plea deal with U.S. authorities.Citing unnamed sources, the Journal reported Friday that Zhao, who served four months in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering violations, had committed to testifying against Sun in exchange for leniency.A day before the WSJ article was published, Zhao posted about how a certain “baseless hit piece” about him was in the works. Multiple people have told me again WSJ is…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Swiss trading house Mercuria is preparing to invest even more in its rapidly expanding metals division and buy further stakes in mines, according to top executives at the company.The Geneva-based group, which has roots in oil trading, has been snapping up copper supplies around the world as it challenges incumbent traders such as Trafigura and Glencore, after launching a metals unit last year.Mercuria chief executive Marco Dunand said that the company’s metals business could eventually rival its oil trading operations in size.“The…

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange on March 24, 2025.Jeenah Moon | ReutersThe S&P 500 posted a slim gain on Tuesday as investors built on the previous session’s gains, which were largely sparked by hopes of U.S. tariffs being narrower in scope. The broad market index added 0.16% to close at 5,776.65, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.46% and ended at 18,271.86. The Dow Jones Industrial Average crept higher by 4.18 points, or 0.01%, to settle at 42,587.50.Investors largely looked past the March consumer confidence data released Tuesday, which reflected a significant drop in U.S. consumers’…

SINGAPORE – Financial services platform Chocolate Finance has paid out all withdrawal requests made between March 10 and March 18, the firm announced on March 21. Customers received 100 per cent of their capital and all earned returns, it noted, adding that withdrawal requests continue to be processed in an “orderly fashion”, in line with the “standard three to six business days processing time”. Previously, withdrawals of up to $20,000 – or multiple withdrawals totalling that amount in a single day – were paid out instantly. Amounts above $20,000 were processed within three to 10 business days.The firm told The…

Despite a pullback amid political hostility, investors and business leaders still recognise that corporate behaviour that benefits the environment also benefits the bottom lineAS A concept, environmentally responsible investing is in its flop era. Right-wing backlash has turned “ESG” into a four-letter word in terrified corporate boardrooms. Donald “Drill, Baby, Drill” Trump is returning to the White House. Bitcoin, possibly the least environmentally responsible investment on the planet, is at US$100,000 and climbing. But the flop is always floppiest before the dawn, as the kids (absolutely do not) say. Whisper it, but investors and business leaders are still checking the…

With rising energy demand and an increasing focus on renewable energy to achieve net-zero targets, South-east Asia – blessed with abundant sunshine and advancements in solar technology – offers significant opportunities for renewable energy financing.Despite the promising potential of the region’s renewable energy sector, international financiers and investors eager to tap into the region’s opportunities often find themselves navigating a maze of challenges, according to a banking executive.From regulatory uncertainties and infrastructure bottlenecks, to the credit risks common in emerging markets, the road to renewable investment is anything but smooth, observed Rino Donosepoetro, Standard Chartered’s cluster chief executive for Indonesia…