UBS predicts a 15% increase in China's mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions by 2025 as activity begins to bounce back from an all-time low. The bank reported a 10% drop in the volume of China's M&A deals in November compared to the same time the previous year, totaling $297 billion.

According to UBS, based on information from Dealogic, the merger and acquisition activity in China dropped by 10% to US$297 billion in the first 11 months of 2024 compared to the same period the previous year. This sets it on course for a third consecutive yearly decline. The sum, which includes figures from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, is the lowest it's been in a minimum of ten years, as per the report.

According to Samson Lambert Lo, co-leader of Mergers and Acquisitions for the Asia-Pacific region at UBS, the upcoming year is poised for a comeback. This anticipated recovery is due to reduced interest rates encouraging private equity funds to enhance their deal-making initiatives and engage in the privatization of public companies in Hong Kong.

"Next year, it will certainly rise, with the volume of transactions growing by 15 per cent or even higher," he stated.

The topic of privatizing companies has gained significant attention in Asia, particularly in struggling markets such as Hong Kong, according to a presentation by the bank on Tuesday.

DJI, a company from China that manufactures drones, is struggling to remove its association with the 'military'. The Financial Times highlighted DJI in a video they released on November 22, asking the question, 'Should the US prohibit Chinese drones?'

DJI, a drone manufacturer from China, is striving to demonstrate that it has no connections with the nation's armed forces. This claim has led to sanctions from the US. In the face of the ongoing US-China political competition, DJI persists in its legal and reputational struggles.

Despite the global leading drone manufacturer's refutation of its drones being designed for military operations following allegations of their deployment on Ukrainian combat zones, and disclaiming any association with China's People's Liberation Army, the Shenzhen-headquartered firm continues to face rigorous examination.

The Financial Times (FT) highlighted DJI in a video released on November 22, with the title "Should the US ban Chinese drones". The video presented a snapshot of DJI staff standing before "a military training camp", which was pointed out as a potential concern for Washington.

A representative from DJI clarified on Monday that the event was merely a team-bonding exercise, akin to the military-style training that many Western companies provide for their executives.

In the 23-minute video clip that was shared on YouTube, Adam Welsh, the chief of global policy at DJI, can be seen stating that it was a company event and not a sign of military collaboration.

The concept of craft is about creating with a sense of inquisitiveness, according to Gerald Tan, the founder of the digital platform for agricultural commodities. Tan, who is also the CEO of Agridence, a supply chain solutions company, uses careful attention to detail and innovative approaches to address the challenges he has encountered in the sector.

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Gerald Tan from Agridence discusses growing his company: 'I needed to maintain perpetual positivity'

"Problem-solving through solution creation is an art," states Gerald Tan, an entrepreneur from Singapore. This principle is what motivated him to establish Agridence, a digital platform designed for the procurement and trading of agricultural commodities.

The idea to start the company was planted when Tan assumed control of his family's business in 2011, making him the fourth consecutive generation to do so, following his father. He had imagined leveraging his position to bring about creative and significant transformations.

By then, he had gained a deep understanding of the difficulties associated with buying and selling in the agricultural commodities sector. "The procedures were entirely hands-on and monotonous, with no system in place to monitor and record transactions," he recalls.

"I recall being extremely irritated, desiring a unified platform for interacting with industry professionals, and for the simple uploading and downloading of information."

Tan clarifies that his goal was driven by personal reasons. He wanted to establish a system that could redistribute the wealth generated in the latter stages of the supply chain, where goods are transported from producers to consumers, back to the initial stages involving raw material providers. His plan also incorporated the countless small-scale farmers, whose contributions are essential in producing these raw materials.

In the end, Tan and his crew aspire to enhance the living standards and long-term viability of these farmers.

Amazon's cloud service is posing a competition to Nvidia with its new AI chips, which are set to be utilized by Apple. According to Amazon, their ability to link more chips together surpasses that of Nvidia, providing customers with a cost-saving advantage.

The CEO of AWS, Matt Garman, has also stated that the company's latest AI chip, known as Trainium3, is set to launch next year.

Shares in Hong Kong are trading close to their highest level in nearly three weeks, driven by SMIC and Trip.com. Investors are balancing the risk of escalating trade disputes between the US and China against the potential benefits of further economic stimulus measures.

The Hang Seng Index experienced a minor decline of less than 0.1 per cent, closing at 19,742.46 in fluctuating trade conditions. The Hang Seng Tech Index decreased by 0.3 per cent. The CSI 300 Index saw a 0.5 per cent fall, while the Shanghai Composite Index dropped by 0.4 per cent.

UOB Kay Hian, a brokerage firm, predicts that the market may experience a surge in unpredictability during the initial half of 2025. This is anticipated as the United States gears up for another phase of trade realignment with China through the implementation of elevated tariffs. The firm also anticipates that, in response, China will introduce growth-stimulating strategies, adding to the already announced de-risking plans.

The brokerage has established a goal of 68 for the MSCI China Index, suggesting an approximate 6 per cent increase from the measure's closing on Tuesday. The index could potentially drop to 51 if a severe trade conflict ensues, according to the brokerage.

Tencent has unveiled its own version of OpenAI’s Sora text-to-video software. The HunyuanVideo is accessible at no cost to both businesses and personal users.

HunyuanVideo has been offered at no cost to both business and personal users, the firm proclaimed on Tuesday. Boasting more than 13 billion parameters, which represent the variables in an AI system while in training, HunyuanVideo stands as the biggest open-source model for creating videos globally, according to the company's statement.

Tencent declares that HunyuanVideo is aimed at generating superior quality, ultra-realistic videos, effectively depicting varying camera perspectives and reflections. A sample video showcases a surfer skillfully maneuvering a large wave and performing a spin. Another footage features several hot air balloons gradually ascending into the sky as fires from campsites blaze on the ground.

Tencent, the proprietor of China's most popular social media platform and the global leader in video game revenues, is the newest player from China's tech industry to join the race in AI-powered video creation. This comes after OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, launched Sora in February.

Mitsubishi is reportedly down by $90 million in China due to an alleged fraud committed by a copper trader, according to sources. Gong Huayong, a copper trader based in Shanghai working for one of Mitsubishi's China branches, was let go after the company discovered he had been engaging in unauthorized transactions with local firms.

Mitsubishi Corporation has reportedly lost over $90 million in China due to an alleged fraud committed by one of its copper traders, as per sources close to the situation.

This setback is just one of many recent instances of supposed misconduct impacting a large commodity trading firm, underlining the potential threat of individual traders, who manage billions in commodities, attempting to profit personally at the detriment of their respective companies.

In October, the Trafigura Group announced that it was dealing with a $1.1 billion problem in Mongolia due to potential misconduct by its staff. Even though the financial impact on Mitsubishi is significantly less, it has still caused concern in the large yet traditional Japanese trading company.

Mitsubishi has let go of Gong Huayong, a copper trader based in Shanghai working for one of its Chinese divisions, following the discovery that he was involved in unauthorized transactions with local firms, some of which he had connections with, according to insiders. These sources, who wished to remain anonymous as they aren't permitted to make public comments, stated that the losses totaled more than 600 million yuan (US$82.8 million).

Mitsubishi reported a loss of 13.8 billion yen ($92.2 million) in its latest quarterly earnings, attributing it to "losses in Chinese trading business" without giving any additional details. The individuals in the know attributed this major blow primarily to Gong's activities. Following the news, Mitsubishi Corp.'s stocks dropped by up to 2.1 per cent, however, they managed to regain some of their value, trading 1.2 per cent lower at approximately 10:15 am Singapore time.

A representative from Mitsubishi verified Gong's termination from the Chinese branch and mentioned a legal complaint had been lodged. The firm is prepared to fully assist law enforcement, stated the representative, refraining from making any additional comments on what is now a criminal investigation.

Attempts to reach Gong via his cell phone were unsuccessful, with calls and texts failing to connect. Furthermore, an email sent to his corporate address was not accepted. Numerous business associates in China, previously linked with Gong, admitted that they too were unable to contact him. These individuals requested anonymity due to the delicate nature of the situation.

SenseTime, a leader in Chinese facial recognition, is shifting its focus to GenAI as part of a business overhaul. The company aims to more effectively navigate both the promising prospects and difficulties posed by the AI 2.0 era.

The company listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange is shifting to a "1 plus X" framework. In this context, "1" symbolizes the company's fundamental activities of constructing AI models and cloud technology. Meanwhile, "X" denotes industry-specific solutions for sectors such as automotive, healthcare, robotics, and retail, as revealed by SenseTime in a stock exchange document submitted in the city on Wednesday.

The company stated that the overhaul "represents a shift in the firm's strategic focus and principal business sectors to more effectively tackle both the possibilities and difficulties presented by the AI 2.0 era".

GenAI comprises various algorithms that are capable of generating content, such as written text or videos, based on brief instructions.

StanChart plans to recruit additional wealth managers in Hong Kong and Singapore as part of a US$1.5 billion strategy. This UK-based financial institution aims to attract new customers who have upwards of US$10 million in assets in their preferred markets.

Standard Chartered plans to recruit additional relationship managers in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of a five-year strategy to manage an extra US$200 billion in client funds, following an impressive performance in the previous quarter.

"The expansion of our private bank will occur in Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE, and it's worth noting that we have a consulting center in London," stated Judy Hsu, the head of wealth and retail banking. She further added, "A large part of our investment will be directed towards improving the services that cater to our clients' global banking requirements," which includes boosting our staff by 50 per cent by the year 2028.

In the last quarter, Hong Kong emerged as the highest earning market for Standard Chartered, contributing to 34.4% of its pre-tax underlying profit of US$1.8 billion, as per the results released in October. Meanwhile, Singapore and the UAE made up 17.4% and 5.4% of the profit, respectively.

Looking at the different sectors of the business, the division encompassing wealth management and retail banking supplied 41% of the group's total earnings, with the help of an all-time high income from wealth solutions. However, the sector dealing with corporate and investment banking was the largest benefactor, contributing 76% to the profit.

NXP, a chipmaker from the Netherlands, along with an associate of TSMC, have plans to enlarge their joint venture in Singapore, valued at US$7.8 billion. In addition, NXP is aiming to widen its supply network in mainland China, where the company has a testing and packaging facility situated in Tianjin.

The Netherlands-based semiconductor company, along with its Taiwanese associate Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp (VIS), initiated the construction of a shared semiconductor manufacturing facility in the eastern part of Singapore on Wednesday.

The collaborators are currently developing a second-phase extension, according to NXP's Executive Vice President Andy Micallef in a conversation with Bloomberg News during the event. However, he noted that this expansion is still awaiting official approval.

"He confirmed that their investment in Singapore is ongoing. They are progressing towards the second phase which should be reached by 2030. NXP places significant importance on their Singapore location."

Saying Goodbye to Lui Che-woo: Donald Tsang, Carrie Lam and eight others serve as pallbearers for Hong Kong billionaire

Numerous political figures, including some past CEOs and prominent business individuals, pay tribute to the real estate and casino mogul.

Numerous political and corporate figures from Hong Kong and Macau gathered to say their last goodbyes to Lui at the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point. Among those present were the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, John Lee Ka-chiu, and Macau entrepreneur, Angela Leong On Kei.

Former Macau Chief Executives Edmund Ho Hau-wah and Fernando Chui Sai-on were among the attendees. Ho Hau-wah is currently a vice-chairman of the political advisory body to the Chinese legislature, while Chui Sai-on also once held the same position. Both were in charge of Macau's economy, which is heavily reliant on casinos. In this capacity, they oversaw operations of Lui's Galaxy Entertainment Group, one of six entities authorized to run the sole legally permitted gambling establishments in China.

At 87 years old, Tung Chee-hwa, who served as the initial chief executive of Hong Kong following its 1997 transition back to Chinese control, was not a pallbearer due to his age. Instead, he was named an honorary director of a funeral committee, which includes over 100 notable figures from both Hong Kong and Macau, as per a tribute released on Tuesday.

The tribute mentioned that Leung Chun-ying, the ex-Chief Executive of Hong Kong, took up the role of the committee's honorary director. Meanwhile, the funeral committee was led by several individuals including John Lee, Ho Iat Seng – the Chief Executive of Macau, and Zheng Yanxiong, who serves as the director of the Hong Kong Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government.

Bybit, a cryptocurrency exchange, has stated that individuals from mainland China can use a VPN for trading but not with the Chinese currency, yuan. The CEO of Bybit, Ben Zhou, has also announced that the firm intends to reapply for a license in Hong Kong next year, despite the restrictions placed by regulators on selling cryptocurrencies to people from the mainland.

Bybit, originally a Chinese cryptocurrency exchange that has grown to be one of the largest globally in terms of trading volume, has indicated that users from mainland China can engage in trading on their platform through a virtual private network (VPN). However, trading in the Chinese currency, yuan, will not be permitted.

Earlier this year, Bybit revealed plans to permit mainland Chinese citizens to trade on their international platform. This decision was influenced by the high demand from users and the company's belief that the associated risks were manageable, according to CEO and co-founder Ben Zhou in a press conference on Tuesday. Despite this, the platform has no intention of accepting Chinese currency.

"Zhou stated that the Chinese government's primary issue with cryptocurrency is its potential to enable the movement of capital out of the country. He added that they have no plans to cross this boundary."

The company's intention behind the shift was to draw in the "foreign Chinese population", as stated by the firm earlier. However, Zhou pointed out on Tuesday that this also implies that those residing in mainland can participate in trading on the platform by using a VPN, which employs an IP address from a different region.

Despite expectations, Bybit hasn't observed a significant influx of new users from mainland China, says Zhou. This was anticipated due to the company's limitations on accepting yuan.