This afternoon I was watching a great Bloomberg Originals video on the Japanese economy and why, according to the authors, it is now at a real tipping point. The core idea is simple but powerful. If Japanese companies return to innovating with the same intensity that made them global leaders in the 1980s, the country can grow in a heal...

This morning I was reading Money Stuff by Matt Levine on Bloomberg, and it got me thinking about how risk can be hedged today in ways that simply didn’t exist in the past. For most people in developed countries, life is economically concentrated around two main assets: their job and their home. The first is exposed to cycles, technolog...

I was reading an article on Nikkei this afternoon about the impressive GDP growth of Vietnam 🇻🇳 in 2025. Vietnam is rapidly emerging as the third economic powerhouse in Southeast Asia, after Indonesia and Singapore. As already observed months ago, the country has been a clear beneficiary of reciprocal tariffs. In 2025, exports expanded...

Back from a few days off and intentionally restarting from the big picture before diving back into business details, I came across an insightful article in The Business Times on Indonesia. It reinforced a strong conviction: Indonesia is one of the most powerful growth stories in Asia over the next five years. In the short term, however...

This morning I was reading the Business Times of Singapore about EV sales figures, and I have to say I was genuinely impressed. In 2025, 43% of new car registrations in Singapore are electric vehicles, up from 33.8% in 2024. That’s a remarkable jump in just one year. Singapore is, after all, the perfect environment for EV adoption: sho...

One of the questions I’ve always asked myself is how AI will ultimately impact the BPO industry—especially in countries like India and the Philippines, where BPO is such a significant economic pillar. At first, I was convinced that this technology would inevitably lead to substantial job cuts. After all, BPOs typically handle the “dirt...

- SL

AI data-center investments are exploding, largely driven by FOMO. We can expect ASEAN governments to launch even larger AI funding programs in 2026. The real question is whether all this computing power will eventually exceed demand—or whether AI adoption will scale enough to justify the massive capacity now being built. If it does, se...

Today I was reading in The Straits Times about the investments Singapore is making to prepare for the next pandemic. PM Wong compares pandemic preparedness to “taking out an insurance policy.” And it’s true — it works exactly like insurance. When things are going well, the spending feels unnecessary; but when a crisis hits, the first q...

Today I was reading a comment by Louis Gallois — a veteran of French industry and former Airbus CEO — on how slow the European Union has become in making decisions, and how far behind China we are in technology, especially in the electric vehicle sector. What struck me most was his remark: “We are the emerging market,” he told BFM TV. ...

I was reading a very interesting article this morning on Nikkei. Vietnam maintains ‘strong demand’ as production base despite Trump tariffs – Nikkei Asia I had the confirmation on my thoughts: Vietnam is gaining momentum thanks to tariffs. They are shifting from low labour cost production to tech high margin powered by China and US dri...

AI-assisted coding or Vibe, cause driven more by creativity than technical skills, “it is like eating empty calories” You think to learn, but you stay at the surface. Super Episode of Lex with DHH interview: - SL

What’s not immediately visible, though, are the numbers — and they’re massive. The U.S. economy stands at about $29 trillion, compared to $2.3 trillion for Italy. Can it really sustain that scale of debt? There’s enough leverage there to shake entire nations. And yet, the system keeps working. Because America borrows in its own currenc...

Chinese autonomous vehicle brands are making decisive moves toward robotaxis. Rather than trying to dominate the entire ecosystem like Tesla, they’re advancing through strategic partnerships — linking ride-hailing platforms with car manufacturers. In my view, Tesla’s weak spot lies in its sensor philosophy. Musk insists on relying sole...

I was reading an article about Grab and its recent tech partnerships — including equity investments in the U.S. autonomous vehicle company May Mobility Inc. and the Chinese robotaxi firm WeRide Inc. The first autonomous cars are expected to arrive in Singapore by 2026. In the meantime, Grab has started reskilling programs to help drive...

Great FT Free Lunch newsletter today. It explores political polarization — taken to extremes in the US, but increasingly visible in Europe and across the democratic world. Much attention is given to its social dimension, yet the economic damage is equally significant. For several reasons: • It fuels political obstructionism driven by i...