In May 2020, Indonesia’s government made significant changes to the 2009 Mining Law – including the introduction of several new licenses – with the aim of encouraging more investment into the country’s downstream mining industry.
Val-d’Or, a sub-arctic town in North Quebec,is isolated from the global economic crisis: its economy is booming; fueled by rich gold deposits from the massive Canadian Malartic mine – and gold prices are surging, having reached over $1800, up from about $1300 last year.
SINGAPORE: Access Asia Group (“AAG”) is pleased to welcome George McLeod as a new Managing Partner. George will be based in between Thailand and Canada and will drive AAG’s continued expansion as a leading investigations provider. He brings over 20 years’ experience to AAG that includes serving as PwC’s regional head of Corporate Intelligence. He also served as a financial journalist and a United Nations spokesman. “We are thrilled to bring George on board. Access Asia Group is a fast-growing firm in the investigative due diligence sector; positioned in a region leading the world in growth, innovation and opportunity. George […]
COVID-19 has slowed global trade and disrupted supply chains, starting in China – the “factory of the world” – and resulting in a ripple effect as businesses struggle to source raw inputs. This has had short-term impacts on Vietnam, like everywhere else, but the country is strongly positioned for a rebound as economies restart.
Taiwan’s advantages as a place to do business are manifold: it’s strategically located within easy reach of China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. It has a massive industrial base – Taiwan is the world’s fourth largest electronics producer – with significant research and development (R&D) supported by public spending. It also has a highly educated and skilled workforce.
By most measurements, the Cambodian economy is healthy. The Asian Development Bank forecasts economic growth of 7% in 2019 and 6.8% for 2020, while the World Bank considers economic growth to be “better than expected” because of increasing exports, growing internal demand, and consistency in foreign investment. But structural problems persist. Cambodia is repeatedly ranked as one of the worst countries in Southeast Asia for corruption. Money laundering remains rife, especially in the gaming and property sectors. The global money-laundering watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FAFT) put Cambodia on its list of countries “highly vulnerable to money laundering” in February. Meanwhile, almost all international financial institutions recommend faster diversification away from low-cost, low-skilled manufacturing, and for Cambodia to carve a niche in high-skilled assembly before others nations in Southeast Asia, namely Thailand and Vietnam, dominate certain industries.