On financial and regulatory support for renewable energy projects in Asia What obstacles must be overcome for Asia to meet its long-term energy needs through renewables? ALLARD NOOY: In Asia, 45% of all projects – and even more in the infrastructure space and, more importantly to us, in the renewable energy space – are either marginally bankable or not bankable at all. This is due, in part,…
Strolling through Bonifacio Global City on a sunny Saturday, it is easy to spot the groups of smiley teenagers self-learning slick K-Pop dance moves in the shadows of gilded skyscrapers and leafy parks. This joyful scene in a privileged enclave of Metro Manila is replicated every weekend across the sprawling cities of South-east Asia, as teens continue to ride the seemingly unstoppable “Korean Wave”.…
As the rhetoric from the US White House swerves from combative to compromise and back again, uncertainty in the global trading environment is creating potential pitfalls for emerging markets the world over. In the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which counts China as its largest trading partner, member states watch with trepidation as President Donald Trump ramps up threats of levies…
COMMUNICATIONS: The country code for the UAE is +971, followed by Sharjah’s dialling code 06. There are three local telecoms providers, du, Etisalat and Virgin Mobile. Pay as-you-go SIM cards for du, Etisalat and Virgin Mobile can be obtained at most shopping malls upon presentation of a valid passport. CURRENCY: The UAE dirham (Dh) is pegged to the US dollar at $1:Dh3.67. ATMs are widely…
Some 20 years after the Asian financial crisis brought many Southeast Asian nations to their knees, business sentiment is buoyant in a region that now functions as one of the primary engines of global growth, according to the results of our inaugural Business Barometer: OBG in ASEAN CEO Survey. Around 84% of executives surveyed across six ASEAN states – Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,…
Business Barometer: OBG in ASEAN CEO Survey Copyright (c). All rights reserved. This survey has been designed to assess business sentiment amongst business leaders (Chief Executives orequivalent) and their outlook for the next 12 months. Unlike many surveys, the OBG Business Barometer is conducted by OBG staff on a face-to-face basis, across the full range of industries, company sizes and…
On acceleratinginfrastructure development in the region What do you think is driving the growing infrastructure gaps throughout emerging and developing economies in Asia? LEE: The three main driving forces are demographics, economics and politics, which are interdependent. If you look at demographics, you can see a lot of similarities between parts of Asia and Africa, where there is also…
Etiquette Dress Emiratis attach great importance to hospitality. Long greetings before a meeting, either business or social, are important. In Abu Dhabi it is common to give handshakes in business settings, but it is advisable not to shake a woman’s hand unless she initiates the gesture. Honorific titles also play an important role: one should use “His Excellency” for government ministers,…
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