Category: Business

Business

It Has a Pool, Restaurant and Dementia Garden—Singapore’s New Senior Living Model Could Change How the Wealthy Grow Old

SINGAPORE — A swimming pool, karaoke lounge, mahjong room, restaurant and private apartments may sound more like the features of an upscale condominium than an eldercare facility. But that is exactly the model behind Perennial Living, Singapore’s first private assisted living development, which officially began operations on August 18, 2026, offering seniors a new option between living independently at home and moving into a traditional nursing home. Located at 28 Parry Avenue, the sprawling 1

August 19, 2026

Business

China’s E-Bike Giants Are Racing Overseas as Growth at Home Slows

SHANGHAI — China built the world’s biggest electric-bike industry on the back of crowded cities, booming delivery services and millions of commuters looking for a cheap way to beat traffic. Now, after dominating its home market, Chinese manufacturers are increasingly turning to the rest of the world for their next wave of growth. Electric two-wheelers have become woven into daily life across many Chinese cities. From food couriers rushing between apartment blocks to commuters navigating Shangha

August 19, 2026

Business

Unitree’s IPO Was Already Oversubscribed Thousands of Times—What Happened on Its Shanghai Debut Took the Robot Frenzy Even Further

SHANGHAI — China’s humanoid robot boom has moved from technology showcases to the stock market — and investors are showing just how much they are willing to pay for a piece of it. Unitree Robotics, one of China’s best-known makers of humanoid robots and robotic dogs, was set for an extraordinary debut on Shanghai’s STAR Market on Wednesday, August 19, with pre-open indications pointing to its shares opening more than 600% above their IPO price. The dramatic move puts a spotlight not only on Un

August 19, 2026

Business

That Scar Cream May Not Be Doing What You Think—Doctors Reveal What Actually Works and When It’s Too Late to Wait

SINGAPORE — From silicone sheets and petroleum jelly to Vitamin E creams, retinoids, steroid injections and expensive laser procedures, consumers have no shortage of products promising to make scars less noticeable. But dermatologists say there is one uncomfortable reality behind the booming scar-treatment market: no treatment can simply make every scar disappear. What doctors can often do, however, is make scars flatter, smoother, less discoloured and considerably less conspicuous — particula

August 19, 2026

Business

Leyte Farmers Used to Throw These Coconut Parts Away—Now DTI Says They Could Become Their Next Business

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — What farmers once threw away could become their next source of income. In Leyte's coconut-growing communities, discarded husks and shells are being reconsidered as raw materials for new products and businesses as the government pushes farmers beyond traditional coconut production and deeper into value-added processing. The Department of Trade and Industry's Leyte Provincial Office is working with coconut farmers, cooperatives and young people to transform coconut b

August 19, 2026

Business

Ferrari Removed the Engine From Its Most Radical Gamble—Then One Collector Paid a Record $40 Million

MONTEREY, California — Ferrari's controversial leap into the electric era has just produced an extraordinary result: US$40 million for a single car. A one-of-a-kind version of the Ferrari Luce, the Italian marque's first fully electric production vehicle, sold for US$40 million at a charity auction during Monterey Car Week, establishing a record for a new car sold at auction. The result is particularly striking because the Luce arrived amid debate over whether an electric, four-door Ferrari co

August 19, 2026

Business

This Katsudon Shop Started With a Simple Japanese Rice Bowl—Now It’s Quietly Expanding Across Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines — In a Metro Manila dining scene crowded with ramen shops, sushi counters and sprawling Japanese restaurant chains, one homegrown concept has built its identity around something considerably simpler: a crispy cutlet, egg, sauce and rice. Katsudonya Saiko has emerged as one of the notable names in Manila’s Japanese comfort-food scene, betting heavily on the humble katsudon rather than trying to offer an encyclopedic Japanese menu. And that tightly focused strategy appears to

August 18, 2026

Business

Velaura AI Becomes a $1 Billion Unicorn as Investors Bet Big on the AI Power Problem

SANTA CLARA, California — The artificial-intelligence chip race may no longer be just about building faster processors. Increasingly, the battle is about something far more basic: how much electricity those chips consume. That shift has helped propel Velaura AI into unicorn territory. The Silicon Valley chip-design startup has raised $110 million in a Series A funding round, pushing its valuation above $1 billion as investors place a major bet on technology designed to slash the enormous power

August 18, 2026

Business

He Has Designed 200+ Hotels—But Bill Bensley’s Next Projects Could Be His Wildest Yet

From a 200-year-old sake brewery in Japan to a 99-room palace in India and his first-ever museum, legendary hotel designer Bill Bensley is doubling down on a philosophy that has made him one of Asia’s most distinctive creative forces: luxury should never be boring. In a hospitality industry increasingly filled with polished minimalism, neutral interiors and hotels seemingly designed to photograph the same way on social media, Bill Bensley has spent decades heading decisively in the opposite dir

August 18, 2026

Business

ABS-CBN Has ₱6 Billion Coming In — But Who Really Benefits From the Rescue? The Answer Could Reshape the Network

MANILA — ABS-CBN Corporation is getting a financial lifeline, but the biggest question is no longer whether fresh money is coming in. It is what happens to that money once it arrives. The Lopez-led media company has announced plans to raise ₱6 billion in new equity, marking one of the most consequential financial moves in its post-franchise history. The capital raising will involve I&C Holdings Corp., which is committing ₱3.5 billion, while three Lopez family investment vehicles and Lopez Inc.

August 18, 2026