Banks
Economy
China’s banks are using AI tokens to assess credit. Is it risky?
China’s banks are using AI token consumption as a new metric for offering credit. But without neutral data and stable pricing, can measuring compute usage really substitute for traditional collateral? Academics Mingyang Jian and Jiang Kun analyse the matter.
Mingyang Jian, Jiang Kun
12 Oct 2026
Economy
The RMB’s offshore revival is real — so are its limits
The RMB has become more useful for trade, treasury management and selected funding transactions within China’s commercial orbit, but this does not mean that it has become a currency that central banks or global investors choose to hold at scale, observes EAI visiting senior research fellow Jason Bedford.
Jason Bedford
01 Oct 2026
Economy
As gold goes digital, Hong Kong vies for London’s crown
As geopolitical shifts challenge London’s dominance of physical bullion, tokenised gold is reshaping how the commodity is stored, traded and used — with Hong Kong moving fast to capture the next phase of the market.
Caixin Global
11 Sep 2026
Society
[Video] How Singapore travellers can navigate cashless payment in China
As Singaporeans surge into China, navigating its cashless economy is a key challenge. From card integration to cross-border app remittances, Lianhe Zaobao business journalist Thomas Li Tao breaks down the costs, limits and strategies involved for seamless spending.
Thomas Li Tao
27 Aug 2026
Economy
Singapore and Hong Kong open a new gold race
Singapore and Hong Kong are ramping up major policy initiatives to become world-class gold hubs. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tobby Siew takes a look at how the two financial centres are looking to meet the demands of Asia’s gold trade.
Tobby Siew Woei Yang
18 Aug 2026
Economy
Why Chinese banks now act like local governments
China’s banks are increasingly shaped by state-directed targets, whitelists and performance indicators, pushing them to prioritise policy goals over market logic and resemble local governments in their behaviour. Economist Chen Kang warns of the systemic risks in trading market pricing for rigid policy-driven lists.
Chen Kang
23 Jun 2026
Economy
Shadow banking under fire: AVIC Trust’s collapse
Trust companies in China have become a major source of financing outside the banking system. AVIC Trust’s failure shows how weak oversight, high-risk lending and a slumping property market can bring even state-owned institutions down. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Li Kang tells us more.
Li Kang
05 Feb 2026
Economy
[Big read] How UOB’s Wee Ee Cheong masters the long game
UOB CEO Wee Ee Cheong reflects on family legacy, succession planning and banking strategy. From AI forecasts to nurturing talent at work and home, he shows that calm, steady leadership and patience often win the long game, observes Lianhe Zaobao business editor Shen Yue.
Shen Yue
18 Dec 2025
Economy
Why the RMB is not trying to topple the dollar
China is steadily increasing the global footprint of the RMB, quietly reshaping financial networks in ways that are strategic, incremental, and far more nuanced than a direct challenge to the dollar. Academic Hao Nan gives his analysis.
Hao Nan
13 Nov 2025
Economy
Inside China’s housing crisis: The shadow industry ‘saving’ homes from default
As mortgage defaults surge, a new “house retention” business promises Chinese homeowners a way to keep their properties — by buying back their own bad debts. But behind the quick fix lies a growing financial fault line in China’s real estate system. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Li Kang finds out more.
Li Kang
22 Oct 2025
Economy
The SCO development bank: China’s answer to Western financial hegemony?
China’s push for an SCO development bank aims to offer Eurasia a non-dollar, low-conditionality alternative to Western finance. But governance challenges, funding gaps and divergent interests may stall its ambition before it takes flight. Researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May discusses the issue.
Genevieve Donnellon-May
29 Sep 2025