The Brief: Asia's economy, 18 September 2026

Economies

Vietnam Coffee Exports Hit $6B, Value Falls Despite Volume Rise: Vietnam's coffee exports reached over US$6 billion in the first eight months of 2026. This represented a 10% volume increase year-on-year, yet an 11.2% value decline due to lower prices.

Singapore Tightens Political Salary Bonus Criteria: Singapore’s government revised political salary performance metrics. Targets for unemployment, income growth, and real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth will tighten, reflecting a long-term economic outlook.

Markets

Kotak Securities analyst names three Indian stock picks: Amol Athawale, VP of Technical Research at Kotak Securities, recommends MFSL, HDFC Life, and Britannia for short-term gains as India's Nifty 50 shows recovery signs.

GSK secures global rights to Chimagen cancer drug in US$750 million deal: British pharmaceutical firm GSK announced on Tuesday its acquisition of global rights to a T-cell engager from Chengdu-based Chimagen Biosciences for treating multiple myeloma.

India's Gift Nifty Falls on US Yields, Crude Prices: India's Gift Nifty showed a negative start today as rising US bond yields and elevated crude prices weighed on sentiment, following Tuesday's broad declines.

Prasol Chemicals IPO Opens, Grey Market Premium Points to 8% Gain: Prasol Chemicals' ₹500 crore initial public offering (IPO) began bidding today. The speciality chemicals firm aims to raise capital. Grey market premiums (GMP) point to a potential 8% listing gain. Initial subscription levels remain modest.

Banking & Fintech

DBS Expands Gold Storage as SGX Prepares Gold Clearing: DBS has increased its Singapore gold storage capacity following client demand, ahead of the Singapore Exchange's planned launch of an over-the-counter gold clearing system by late 2026.

DBS Launches Chromo, TravelLah! Cards for Young Singaporeans: DBS introduced new Chromo credit and TravelLah! debit cards, targeting younger Singaporean customers. These products offer tailored cashback and fee-free overseas spending features.

Singapore's covered bond market reaches S$29.8 billion: The Monetary Authority of Singapore reported that new issuance reached a record S$11 billion in 2025, with the market growing 15% annually since 2021.

Marex Names Robert Cheeseman Asia Prime Services Head: London-headquartered financial services firm Marex appointed Robert Cheeseman as its Asia head of prime services. He will operate from Hong Kong, bringing experience from HKEX and major banks.

Industries

Plaud doubles Singapore AI investment to US$20 million: The US wearable AI firm has expanded its Marina Bay Financial Centre headquarters and local engineering team, targeting 12 regional markets for multilingual conversation tools.

Samsung Electronics Gains From Memory Chip Prices, Smartphone Outlook: Samsung Electronics will fare better than most smartphone makers this year, Mizuho Securities reported. Rising memory chip prices support its semiconductor division, while a flagship phone focus helps absorb higher costs.

Singapore Transport Minister Siow: SIA Air India Investment Not Affecting Local Services: Singapore's Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow stated that Singapore Airlines' (SIA) investment in Air India has not compromised its ability to provide essential services locally. This follows a reported US$1.5 billion equity call for the Indian carrier.

Meta develops camera-free smart glasses to ease privacy worries: The US tech firm's design choice aims to remove a social hurdle, potentially accelerating adoption in the rapidly expanding wearable device market.

Coupang Rejects Korea's W3.37 Trillion Data Breach Payout: The e-commerce giant notified the Consumer Dispute Mediation Commission it would not accept the 100,000 won per user recommendation for 33.7 million affected customers.

Wealth

Vingroup's Pham Thu Huong Wealth Surpasses Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift: Pham Thu Huong, Vingroup's Vice Chairwoman, now holds a US$4.4 billion net worth. This places her as Southeast Asia's second-richest woman, ahead of global figures like Oprah Winfrey and Taylor Swift on Forbes' real-time billionaire list, driven by Vingroup's share performance.