ASEAN to sign MoU on regional power grid implementation
ASEAN member states are set to sign an MoU on the implementation of the ASEAN Power Grid during the bloc’s Energy Ministers’ Meeting this October.
A power grid system. Photo courtesy of Business Today.
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the MoU will outline a roadmap for the ASEAN Power Grid (APG), including the harmonization of standards and regulations, as well as a business model for cross-border energy exchange among member states.
Fadillah, who is also Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, said ASEAN had long discussed the APG. During his tenure as co-chair of the Energy Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane last year, member states agreed to revisit the initiative and ensure that the APG becomes a central focus moving forward.
He expressed his hope that the current MoU will evolve into a formal agreement, marking a significant step towards implementing the APG.
Fadillah said 2025 will be a pivotal turning point for ASEAN’s energy cooperation, marking the culmination of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) Phase II (2021–2025), and the beginning of APAEC 2026-2030.
- Read More
Vietnam overtakes Thailand to become world's second-largest rice exporter
Vietnam has outranked Thailand as the world’s second-largest rice exporter in the first half of 2025, Thai PBS reported on August 3, citing the Thai Rice Exporters Association.
Companies - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 12:41 pm GMT+7
Vietnam posts trade surplus of $10.18 bln in 7 months
Vietnam’s export earnings grew by 14.8% to $262.44 billion in the first seven months of this year, while its import turnover rose by 17.9% to $252.26 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $10.18 billion.
Economy - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 12:19 pm GMT+7
Malaysia pledges big purchases, investments with US
Malaysia has agreed to buy and invest over $240 billion (MYR1.02 trillion) in the U.S. to help reduce the trade gap between the two countries.
Southeast Asia - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 12:08 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's leading property developer Novaland to issue 152 mln shares to settle $229 mln debt
Novaland, a major real estate developer in Vietnam, plans to issue nearly 152 million new shares to swap more than VND6 trillion ($228.8 million) worth of bond principal.
Companies - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 10:11 am GMT+7
Vietnam's FDI capital disbursement hits five-year record high despite US tariff turmoil
Disbursed foreign direct investment (FDI) capital in Vietnam reached $13.6 billion in Jan-July, up 8.4% year-on-year, despite U.S. tariff concerns.
Economy - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 9:57 am GMT+7
Malaysia steps up efforts to explore nuclear energy potential
Malaysia’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Chang Lih Kang on Wednesday reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) in exploring the potential of nuclear energy.
Southeast Asia - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 8:10 am GMT+7
Indonesia's economy grows faster than expected
Indonesia's economy expanded by 5.12% year-on-year in Q2/2025, up from 4.87% in the previous quarter, exceeding the forecasts of many economic organizations, which had previously projected a rate of less than 5%, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).
Southeast Asia - Thu, August 7, 2025 | 8:07 am GMT+7
Philippine energy group eyes investment in Vietnam’s power sector
AboitizPower wants to invest in Vietnam’s electricity industry, especially in transmission infrastructure, said Danel Aboitiz, executive director of the corporation.
Energy - Wed, August 6, 2025 | 11:11 pm GMT+7
Vietnam seeks 8.3-8.5% economic expansion for 2025
The Government has requested the State Bank of Vietnam to proactively adjust the credit growth aim for this year in line with a GDP expansion target of 8.3-8.5%.
Economy - Wed, August 6, 2025 | 10:41 pm GMT+7
Japanese investment in Vietnam shifts toward service, trade, and technology: bank exec
Japanese investment in Vietnam is seeing a notable shift, with sharp increases in the services, trade, and technology sectors, while investment in manufacturing has slowed, said Abe Ryota, a senior economist at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC).
Economy - Wed, August 6, 2025 | 4:06 pm GMT+7
State-controlled machinery firm VEAM pockets $233 mln from Honda, Ford joint ventures in H1
State-controlled Vietnam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Corporation (VEAM) reported VND6.11 trillion ($233 million) in dividends and profit sharing from its joint ventures with Honda and Ford Vietnam in the first half of 2025.
Companies - Wed, August 6, 2025 | 3:51 pm GMT+7
Power projects in Vietnam face challenges under adjusted power development plan VIII
Power generation and grid projects in Vietnam are facing an array of challenges during their implementation under the Adjusted Power Development Plan VIII (PDP VIII).
Energy - Wed, August 6, 2025 | 3:34 pm GMT+7
Digital asset business to be part of Military Bank ecosystem
Hanoi-based Military Bank (MB) Group is including digital asset business in its ecosystem, leveraging its partnership with a world's Top 3 company in this field.
Banking - Wed, August 6, 2025 | 2:59 pm GMT+7
Q2 remains lucrative for Vietnam’s industrial park developers despite tariff concerns
Vietnam’s industrial real estate firms thrived in Q2, shrugging off concerns that U.S. reciprocal tariffs would weigh on the sector.
Industrial real estate - Wed, August 6, 2025 | 9:09 am GMT+7
Vietnam's top pharma firms report increased profits
Major Vietnamese drugmakers, including DHG Pharma, Traphaco, and Imexpharm, posted profit gains in Q2 and H1/2025 from a year earlier.
Companies - Wed, August 6, 2025 | 8:34 am GMT+7
Market uptrend reinforced as VN-Index, transaction value hit new peaks: broker
Although the VN-Index closed Tuesday down significantly from the peak of 1,584 recorded at one point in the session, there were "many positive bright spots that reinforced the market's uptrend", according to Truong Hien Phuong, a senior director at KIS Vietnam Securities.
Finance - Tue, August 5, 2025 | 7:38 pm GMT+7
