8 m. ago How Indonesian fintech firm is bridging funding gaps for women entrepreneurs

Across Indonesia’s vast archipelago, millions of women running small businesses in rural areas remain locked out of traditional banking – a gap increasingly filled by fintech firms offering microloans as economic pressures mount. One of the most prominent players in this space is Amartha, a Jakarta-based lending platform that connects borrowers in remote communities with financial institutions. Founded in 2010, it now counts about 3 million active borrowers – 99 per cent of them women operating...

Economics

68 m. ago Chinese man, 35, refuses to work or get married, lives in a cave for 4 years

A 35-year-old man in China who believes work and marriage are redundant notions has been living in a cave for four years. Min Hengcai from southwestern China’s Sichuan province calls home the adapted cavern in the town where he was raised. At the end of 2021, he gave up a ride-hailing driving job, which earned him 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) a month in the city, and returned home to live a life of seclusion. Min said he found work meaningless. He had previously worked for 10 hours a day to repay a...

Politics

1 hour ago Chinese aircraft carriers in Pacific show country's 'expansionist' aims, Taiwan says

Chinese aircraft carriers in Pacific show country's 'expansionist' aims, Taiwan says  Reuters

Transport

2 h. ago GoPro rival Insta360 eyes global expansion after strong Shanghai IPO

Insta360, the Chinese action camera maker challenging GoPro, surged 285 per cent in its trading debut on Shanghai’s Star Market after raising 1.9 billion yuan (US$264.5 million) in the city’s largest initial public offering (IPO) in 17 months. Max Richter, who co-founded the company with 34-year-old Chinese entrepreneur Liu Jingkang in 2015, said Insta360 is “committed to expanding [its] global presence and elevating brand influence to boost [its] market share worldwide”. He identified China,...

Politics

3 h. ago CNBC's The China Connection newsletter: AI hits an already weak jobs market

CNBC's The China Connection newsletter: AI hits an already weak jobs market  CNBC

Events

5 h. ago T1 warning to remain in force as tropical depression brings rain to Hong Kong

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. The No 1 typhoon warning signal issued in the early hours of Wednesday will remain in effect throughout the day, the Hong Kong Observatory has said, as showers hit the city. The weather forecaster issued the standby signal at 12.40am and said it would assess whether to raise it to No 3 in the...

Events

5 h. ago T1 signal to remain in force as Tropical Depression Wutip brings rain to Hong Kong

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. The No 1 typhoon warning signal issued in the early hours of Wednesday will remain in effect throughout the day, the Hong Kong Observatory has said, as showers hit the city. The weather forecaster issued the standby signal at 12.40am and said it would assess whether to raise it to No 3 in the...

Politics

6 h. ago Trump tariffs live updates: US, China agree on plan to ease trade tensions as US appeals court allows tariffs to remain in effect

Trump tariffs live updates: US, China agree on plan to ease trade tensions as US appeals court allows tariffs to remain in effect  Yahoo Finance

Events

7 h. ago Chinese EV battery maker Eve Energy jumps on Hong Kong IPO bandwagon

Eve Energy, China’s fifth-largest producer of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, plans to raise fresh capital on the Hong Kong stock exchange, following the lead of its bigger rival Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) as international investors show a growing appetite for the country’s industrial gems. The Shenzhen-listed company said on Tuesday that its board had endorsed a fundraising plan aimed at bolstering its international expansion, but details about the share offering were still in the...

Science

11 h. ago Stock market today: S&P 500, Nasdaq have records back in sight as stocks gain amid US

Stock market today: S&P 500, Nasdaq have records back in sight as stocks gain amid US-China trade talks  Yahoo Finance

Economics

13 h. ago S&P 500 Gains on Trade Hopes Before Inflation Data: Markets Wrap

S&P 500 Gains on Trade Hopes Before Inflation Data: Markets Wrap  Bloomberg

Economics

14 h. ago Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq edge higher in wait for clues on US

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq edge higher in wait for clues on US-China trade talks  Yahoo Finance

Politics

14 h. ago Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq little changed in wait for clues on US

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq little changed in wait for clues on US-China trade talks  Yahoo Finance

Politics

14 h. ago Stock Market Today: Dow, S&P 500 Edge Higher; Investors Eye U.S.

Stock Market Today: Dow, S&P 500 Edge Higher; Investors Eye U.S.-China Trade Talks — Live Updates  WSJ

Economics

17 h. ago Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq tread water in wait for clues on US

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq tread water in wait for clues on US-China trade talks  Yahoo Finance

Politics

18 h. ago Eye on the prize: bags of rice, daily essentials up for grabs at Japanese arcade

An amusement centre in Japan is drawing crowds by offering bags of rice as claw machine prizes – a quirky marketing move that has struck a chord with consumers grappling with rising food costs. Since late May, the arcade in Kawagoe city, Saitama prefecture, has stocked its machines with 900-gram bags of rice to entice players with a shot at winning an increasingly expensive daily staple. The rice bags are the latest additions to the prizes customers can win at the machines. Over the past six...

Politics

19 h. ago India expected to maintain robust growth despite Pakistan tensions, trade woes

India is poised to remain the world’s fastest-growing major economy this year, analysts have said, with a recent jumbo rate cut by its central bank expected to boost consumption and investment, even as the country contends with fresh military tensions with Pakistan and an uncertain global trade environment. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last week delivered a larger-than-expected interest rate cut of 50 basis points and reduced the cash reserve ratio – the minimum amount of capital banks must...

Events

19 h. ago Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures tread water as US

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures tread water as US-China trade talks enter second day  Yahoo Finance

Politics

22 h. ago TikTok adds 500 UK jobs in expansion as US fate remains uncertain

TikTok, the short video app owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, is expanding in the United Kingdom, adding a new office and more than 500 jobs, while its fate in the US remains uncertain as a June 19 sell-or-ban deadline approaches. The new 135,000 sq ft office in Barbican, London, is set to open early next year, according to a statement published on TikTok’s website on Monday. The additional jobs will grow its UK workforce to 3,000 this year, the company said. In addition to its existing 88,500...

Politics

26 h. ago Hong Kong to mark July 1 anniversary with 71,000 free MTR tickets: John Lee

More than 70,000 free MTR tickets will be up for grabs on July 1 as part of citywide celebrations to commemorate the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule, the chief executive has said. City leader John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Tuesday he would bring forward his annual policy address by a month to September, in light of the Legislative Council election scheduled for the end of this year. Public consultation is set to kick off on Monday next week. He said the government would...

Politics