Asian Development Bank and World Bank Introduce Cofinancing Framework for Pacific Islands Manila, December 4, 2025 – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank have launched two major projects in the Pacific Islands under a first-of-its-kind cofinancing model, designed to streamline lending processes and accelerate project delivery. The launch follows approval of the

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China Introduces Streamlined Export Licenses for Rare Earths Beijing, December 4, 2025 – China announced it is issuing streamlined export licenses for rare earth elements, a move aimed at facilitating global trade after easing tensions between the U.S. and China. The announcement, reported by state media Xinhua, follows a high-level meeting between U.S. President Donald

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SINGAPORE/LONDON – Global equities inched up on Thursday, bolstered by expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week following data showing a slowdown in employment. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar fell for a tenth consecutive day, heading for its longest losing streak in more than 50 years. Key Market Moves Currency and

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Brussels, Belgium – The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms over the deployment of artificial intelligence features within its messaging app WhatsApp, highlighting growing regulatory scrutiny of Big Tech and generative AI in Europe. The probe focuses on Meta’s new policy regarding AI providers’ access to WhatsApp, following the integration

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New York, US – Private equity firms in the United States are set for a second consecutive year of recovery in exit activity, as buyout firms increasingly cash out their investments, according to a new report by PitchBook. While the sector shows signs of a rebound, analysts warn that additional transaction activity is needed to

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London, UK – British investors continued a record-extending streak of stock selling in November, with net withdrawals from equity funds totaling £3 billion ($4 billion), according to data from funds network Calastone. This marked the sixth consecutive month of net selling, bringing the total outflows over the period to £10.4 billion ($13.87 billion). November’s outflow

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Frankfurt, Germany – European stock markets rose modestly on Thursday, driven by strong performance in industrial and automotive sectors, as investor risk appetite improved following two sessions of muted trading. The STOXX Europe 600 index advanced 0.1% to 576.94 points, marking its third consecutive session of gains. Industrials Boost European Indexes Industrial stocks saw the

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New York, USA – ProShares, a leading provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), has withdrawn registration requests for certain highly leveraged ETFs after receiving a warning from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The regulator flagged potential risk exposures and temporarily paused the review of these innovative products. The SEC’s letters, sent on Tuesday to

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Brussels, Belgium – Meta Platforms Inc., the U.S. tech giant behind WhatsApp, is set to face an antitrust investigation by the European Union regarding its use of artificial intelligence (AI) services on the popular messaging platform, according to sources familiar with the matter. The probe is expected to be formally announced on Thursday. The investigation

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