Netflix has inked a merchandise agreement with Squishmallows, the creators of plush toys, for Stranger Things. The contract entails Stranger Things themed toys, action figures, playsets, toy cars, outfits, and plush toys, all of which will be made available as part of the deal with the streaming service and the soft toy manufacturer.

Netflix is broadening its reach in the toy industry by forming its inaugural comprehensive licensing agreement with the company responsible for the beloved Squishmallows plush toys. This collaboration will result in a product line influenced by its successful sci-fi series, Stranger Things.

The digital broadcasting powerhouse has given the toy manufacturing company, Jazwares, the permission to create a Stranger Things themed toy line. This range will feature action figures, playsets, toy cars, outfits, and plush toys, all inspired by the series. The show is set to come back for its last and 5th season later this year.

The agreement expands Netflix's partnership with the toy manufacturer, which launched its initial Stranger Things-themed Squishmallows last year.

Josh Simon, the Vice-President of consumer products at Netflix, lauded the Duffer Brothers – Matt and Ross, for their remarkable creation. He expressed his admiration for the show's intricate universe, brimming with references from the 80s pop culture and nostalgia, along with well-developed characters.

"From the perspective of merchandise and product development, we are truly dedicated to providing the same degree of narrative and meticulousness to our fans."

WeBank, supported by Tencent, is considering a Web3 growth plan in Hong Kong amidst the city's push for digital assets. Henry Ma, WeBank's Chief Information Officer, stated that the online bank will be actively participating in the creation of Hong Kong's Web3 framework.

Henry Ma, the Chief Information Officer of WeBank Technology Services, announced that the company, which started operations this month, intends to play a significant role in the development of the city's Web3 infrastructure. During an interview, Ma mentioned that the company maintains an extremely open-minded approach towards the industry.

"Ma expressed his belief that Hong Kong requires a strong and regulatory-compliant Web3 framework. He also asserted their suitability for this need."

WeBank, headquartered in Shenzhen and established in 2014 by Tencent and various other Chinese companies, holds the title of being the biggest digital-only bank in China and the tenth largest unicorn globally. As per a report from the Hurun Research Institute released in April, the company was estimated to be worth 235 billion yuan (US$32.4 billion) last year.

Not only does WeBank offer digital banking services, but it also manages an open-source blockchain platform known as FISCO BCOS. As of December, the company reported that the platform has over 500 applications in China, spreading across sectors such as finance, government services, and education.

The founder of DeepSeek, Liang Wenfeng, is celebrated as a hero during his Lunar New Year visit to his hometown. According to local news, Liang Wenfeng's birthplace in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, has become a point of interest for tourists due to its association with DeepSeek.

The popularity of Liang's hometown has also skyrocketed, transforming it into a tourist hotspot due to its association with DeepSeek. An increase of national tourists to the distant village has been noted, as reported by Yangcheng Evening News, a government-supported publication headquartered in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong.

ATRenew, a platform supported by JD.com and known as the biggest in China for used electronics, is taking advantage of China's trade-in subsidy to boost sales. The platform is providing trade-in deals to coincide with the Lunar New Year celebrations.

ATRenew, the company running the biggest online marketplace for used consumer electronics in China, is set to profit from Beijing's stimulus package aimed at increasing consumer spending.

ATRenew and its e-commerce collaborator, JD.com, initiated promotional campaigns to align with the Lunar New Year festivities, as stated by Jeremy Ji Zixiao, the senior executive overseeing international business, strategic planning and investor relations.

"He mentioned that they would collaborate with their primary stakeholder, JD.com, to offer enticing products and additional perks for customers to seize the opportunity, though he didn't provide further details."

Starting January 20, Beijing initiated a 15% discount for customers purchasing new smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches valued at a maximum of 6,000 yuan (US$828), with a limit of 500 yuan per item per category. This initiative is a component of a countrywide trade-in program that started the previous year to stimulate consumer spending and aid the production sector.

Worries about job security and future earnings in the face of a decelerating economy have led Chinese consumers to become more frugal. Consequently, it's projected that the growth of China's actual consumption will stabilize around 3.8 per cent in the years 2025-26, as stated in a UBS report from January 20. Comparatively, consumption increased by 5.5 per cent in 2019 and 6.2 per cent in 2018, before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics.

TikTok's comeback: Trump's new stance could provide ByteDance with optimism in the US

Trump's recent interest in TikTok, stemming from his popularity on the Chinese platform, paves the way for a potential agreement with ByteDance, despite facing legal obstacles.

The executive was seen alongside Tulsi Gabbard, who has been nominated by the president for the role of Director of National Intelligence. This was a day following an incident where Chew briefly suspended the app in the nation due to a conflict with the government regarding concerns over national security, pertaining to TikTok's Chinese ownership.

"Trump was incredibly pleased," the individual stated.

The pleasure represents a significant shift from Trump's attitude toward the brief video platform five years ago, when he attempted to push a sale through executive power. This demonstrates the dramatic political shift in Washington, providing ByteDance another opportunity to continue its primary product's operations in its key international market. Beijing has also indicated a possible readiness to collaborate under suitable circumstances.

The initial sales performance of Hong Kong's first property release in the Year of the Snake was sluggish. As of 8pm, only 27 out of the 133 available units at The Reserve at Gold Coast Bay in Tuen Mun had been purchased.

By 8:30 in the evening, 27 items had been purchased.

"The sales outcomes are pleasing and meet our predictions," stated Sammy Po Siu-ming, the head of Midland Realty's residential sector.

"Numerous individuals go on trips over the prolonged Lunar New Year break, causing a short-term dip in sales," stated Po. "Nonetheless, it's anticipated that sales will recover and accelerate post-holiday when people come back and continue their hunt for property."

Recently, Early Light International Holdings, a company owned by toy magnate Francis Choi Chee-ming, managed to sell over 75% of the initial offering of 280 units at The Reserve to the general public.

The most recent apartments available begin at a price of HK$2.95 million (US$378,000), or HK$9,412 per square foot post discounts. The apartments vary from one to three bedrooms, with sizes ranging from 271 to 655 square feet. A few of these units also feature rooftop areas.

Asian investors significantly contribute to a US$30 billion fund for the secondary private equity market. Amid worldwide instability and liquidity issues, investors are increasingly focusing on the secondary private equity market.

Asian investors significantly contributed to a $30 billion fund targeting chances in the secondary private equity market. This indicates their increasing interest in these assets as they navigate through global instability and liquidity shortages.

Fluctuations in the market in the past few years have led some fund investors to dispose of their private equity investments. This move comes as their allocations surpassed predetermined limits due to the decrease in value of other public market assets. Meanwhile, some publicly traded companies aim to make a profit by offloading their stakes in certain funds as a way to alleviate pressure in their primary operations, according to Jason Yao, Ardian's chief of Greater China.

"He mentioned that numerous family offices have been established in the area," he said. "A good number of these offices boast of highly advanced operations, with personnel from institutional investment backgrounds who have a global market reach, and they fully grasp the worth of secondary markets."

Ardian chose not to reveal the identities of the Asian investors in their most recent fund. Yao expressed that insurance companies showed significant interest. The most recent fund saw a minimum of 40 investors from the Asia-Pacific area, a number that is over four times greater than that of Ardian’s preceding fund.

Yao suggests that the secondary market serves as an ideal entry point for many novice Asian investors in private equity, due to its rapid liquidity rotation.

Office lease rates in Tokyo surge, yet uneven vacancy rates warrant investor prudence

Lease rates for premium commercial spaces in Tokyo saw a 5.2 per cent hike in the third quarter of the previous year, marking the highest increase in the past eight years.

The cost of top-tier office rentals in Tokyo, Japan saw a surge of 5.2% in the third quarter of the year, marking the first time the growth rate has surpassed 5% since the same time span in 2016, as stated in a report by CBRE.

Prime office space rents in key cities such as Nagoya and Osaka saw an increase of 2.6 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. Meanwhile, the remainder of Japan experienced a rise in overall office rents by up to 1.7 per cent.

The increase in nationwide office rents was driven by a decrease in vacancy rates, dropping by up to 5.9 basis points. This was due to businesses enforcing back-to-office work policies and organizations enhancing their office settings to appeal to and keep their staff, as stated by CBRE.

Seven forty-three

From an economic 'wonder' to a warning story: The rise and fall of Japan's economy

Yet, the increase in rental rates was primarily focused on certain properties, obscuring the imbalance in vacancy rates within Japan's office sector.

China's retail incentives encourage hesitant buyers to shop during the Lunar New Year

Purchases of consumer products like smartphones and tablets skyrocket, though future retail trends remain unclear.

The substantial financial aid provided by Beijing to stimulate spending is working as intended, with consumers taking advantage of the situation to upgrade various devices and home appliances.

Customers, who have been holding off on spending since the beginning of the year in hopes of larger government subsidies, have embarked on a spending binge during the Lunar New Year holiday, despite the subsidy amount remaining unchanged from the previous year.

As an illustration, smartphone sales in Shanghai have seen a significant increase of over 90% since January 20, compared to the same time frame a year ago. Similarly, tablet sales have skyrocketed, with an increase of over 200%, as shown by data from Suning.com, a leading home-appliance chain in mainland China.

"The surge in purchases of home appliances and electronics is due to the government's commitment to boost the economy," stated Eric Han, a high-ranking executive at Suolei, a consultancy agency in Shanghai. "However, it's uncertain if this retail growth will continue post-holiday."

3:12 PM

Consumers in China are becoming more frugal: How might this impact the global community?

JSR, a key player in the semiconductor supply chain, anticipates an increase in chip sales due to DeepSeek. The affordable AI models offered by DeepSeek are predicted to drive long-term demand for semiconductors, according to the Japanese chip materials provider.

Five past ten

Chinese AI innovator DeepSeek has seized the number one position in the US App Store, toppling ChatGPT from its reign.

Emoto stated in a discussion that progress in AI technology is always beneficial. Regardless of whether DeepSeek alters the landscape of the industry, he mentioned it wouldn't significantly affect them. He further added that the advent of innovative AI technologies is a favorable trend.

Biotech companies in China are profiting from lucrative licensing agreements following notable drug discoveries. PharmCube, a data provider, reports that China is currently developing 4,804 new drug candidates, placing it second globally, with the US leading with 5,268.

Analysts suggest that if the drug candidates from Chinese biotech start-ups are successfully developed and launched, their licensing agreements with international partners could potentially generate billions in revenue.

In the otherwise uninspiring industry, a key highlight was the robust transaction activity involving Chinese sellers and mostly American buyers. This involved preclinical or clinical-stage molecules, often referred to as asset out-licensing or business development. This statement was made by Zhang Jialin, the leader of China healthcare research, in a report issued on January 21.

Usually, it takes around ten years to create new medications. This extensive process involves preliminary laboratory studies and tests on animals to confirm the safety and effectiveness of potential drugs. Only after these steps are completed, human clinical trials are conducted. Following successful trials, requests for marketing authorization are then submitted to regulatory authorities.

Out-licensing usually entails a pharmaceutical innovator and patent holder transferring the rights to another drug company. This is done for the purpose of additional funding in clinical trials, which ultimately aims to gain regulatory approval and marketing in specified markets.

9:24 AM

Could this be a cure for cancer? Hong Kong claims to have created the 'world's first' therapy to reverse stage-four liver cancer.

The MSCI China Health Care Index, an index that follows 51 middle and large-cap stocks, dropped by 19.5% last year, lagging behind the 18.8% increase seen in the wider MSCI China Index. The health industry's measure experienced declines between 19% and 25% over the prior four years and didn't perform as well as the more comprehensive index over the past three years.

The Chinese startup, Unitree, predicts that humanoid robots will be extensively utilized in commerce within this decade. Unitree anticipates a significant advancement in the abilities of humanoid robots by 2026, at which point their applications in the business world are expected to become more defined.

The achievement displayed at the Spring Festival Gala highlights the advancements made by Unitree. Over the last two years, the company has ramped up its development of humanoid robots, particularly as the sector becomes more saturated with both international and local competitors due to recent developments in AI models.

One minute and one

Robots take the spotlight in a dance performance at China's Spring Festival Gala.

"The crux of humanoid robots lies in the 'mind' – implying intelligence," stated Huang Jiawei, the marketing director, during a conversation with the South China Morning Post.