The Brief: Asia's economy, 23 September 2026
What moved across Asia overnight: 16 stories on economies, markets, banking and industry, read in five minutes.
Economies
SBF Launches Future Ready Business Index, Targets 500 Firms by 2027: The Singapore Business Federation, in partnership with Boston Consulting Group, unveiled a new diagnostic tool today to help companies identify capability gaps and prioritise transformation efforts.
Singapore Q2 2026 Layoffs Climb to Highest Since 2020: Singapore's Ministry of Manpower reported 4,620 retrenchments in Q2 2026, a significant rise driven by business restructuring in key outward-oriented sectors.
South Korea's Early September Exports Jump 78% on Chip Sales: Outbound shipments hit a record $71.4 billion in the first 20 days of September, driven by a 259% surge in semiconductor sales, according to Korea Customs Service data.
Markets
Apollo Funds US$585m for Executive Centre's Asia-Pacific Growth: The debt financing package supports the workspace operator's expansion across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, alongside refinancing existing obligations.
Iambic Therapeutics, backed by Nvidia and QIA, files for US IPO: The drug developer, which has raised $461.8 million, joins a series of biotech listings capitalising on drug advancements and M&A activity this year.
Seoul Stocks Climb on Tech Strength, Samsung Electronics Up 3.26%: The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 0.93% to 6,958.32 on Monday, with chipmakers leading gains despite elevated crude oil prices.
Turkish Authorities Freeze Fund Executives' Assets Amid Market Turmoil: Turkiye's Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced asset freezes for executives at several investment firms, expanding an investigation into a fund-industry crisis that has seen billions of liras wiped from market value.
Tata Group Shares Plunge ₹52,000 Cr on Boardroom Row, RBI Mandate: Investor losses followed Tata Trusts' opposition to N Chandrasekaran's reappointment and the Reserve Bank of India's decision pushing for a Tata Sons public listing.
Banking & Fintech
LexisNexis Risk Solutions AI Tool Doubles Dell's Fraud Capture: The Emailage Adaptive system, designed for real-time adaptation to evolving fraud schemes, also cut Dell's low-risk manual reviews by 83%.
StashAway First Investment Platform in yuu Rewards Club: Over two million yuu members in Singapore can now accrue points and vouchers for consistent investments through the platform.
Industries
Singapore's Tollyjoy Baby Brand Closes After 55 Years: The homegrown baby and mother-care product manufacturer announced its winding down on 15 September, offering remaining stock at reduced prices through retail partners.
Safran Landing Systems launches US$22 million MRO facility in Singapore: The new 7,500 square metre site increases Singapore's role as a global aviation MRO hub for landing gear and will create 100 new jobs by 2030, boosting capacity by 40 per cent.
Rebellions AI Chips Drive SK Telecom to 4 Billion Daily Tokens: South Korean AI chipmaker Rebellions expanded its neural processing units across four SK Telecom commercial offerings, now handling 14 million real-time requests each day.
True Fitness Closure Signals Pressure on Singapore Mid-Market Gyms: True Fitness and True Yoga closed all Singapore studios this month, showing how rising exercise rates do not help mid-market gyms facing niche and budget rivals.
Atlas Motion Systems invests $300,000 in Philippine robotics plant, targets 40,000 motors: The US-based defence technology firm aims for monthly production of 40,000 units by year-end 2026, backed by $11.5 million in US investor funding.
Chinese Gold Jewellers Target Middle East, India as Domestic Demand Falls 34%: The World Gold Council reports local consumption has dropped, prompting firms to seek new markets with advanced crafting techniques.
Each item above was reported and checked separately; this brief collects the overnight session in one place. Follow any headline through for the figures and the source they came from. The Week Ahead maps the week's data and central-bank dates every Sunday.
This article is journalism, not investment advice; consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions. Market data is indicative, may be delayed, and should be verified with your broker or exchange before use.
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