Podcasts about Apac

Dive into the future of wealth with AI in Asia!

Leading multiple countries across Asia Pacific requires far more than operational excellence—it demands deep cultural understanding, intentional relationship-building, and the strategic ability to represent your region within a global enterprise. In this episode of UNSCRIPTED, host Sarah Nicastro sits down with Madhu Oza, Director of Global Technical and Service Excellence for APAC at Abbott Laboratories, to explore what it takes to build trust, bridge cultural divides, and amplify regional impact while maintaining alignment with global standards. Whether you're navigating the complexities of international leadership or looking to elevate your team's impact on the world stage, this conversation is packed with actionable insights to help you lead with cultural intelligence and authenticity.

APAC stocks traded higher but with some of the gains in the region capped after the weak handover from the US and with the NFP report on the horizon, while participants also digested earnings and data in thinned conditions, with Japanese markets shut for a holiday.Ukrainian President Zelensky plans spring elections alongside a referendum on the peace deal after a US push.US President Trump said he might send a second carrier to strike Iran if talks fail and stated that "Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time".European equity futures indicate a quiet cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures +0.1% after the cash market finished with losses of 0.2% on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include ECB Wage Tracker, US NFP (Jan), Japanese PPI (Jan), BoC Minutes (Jan), OPEC MOMR. Speakers include ECB's Cipollone & Schnabel, Fed's Schmid, Bowman & Hammack. Supply from Germany & US. Earnings from T-Mobile, McDonalds, AppLovin, Equinix, Motorola Solutions, Hilton, Kraft Heinz, TotalEnergies, Michelin.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks were mostly higher as the region took impetus from the gains on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 approached closer towards its record levels, and the Nasdaq outperformed as the tech rebound persisted.US President Trump and Chinese President Xi's summit is reportedly set for the first week of April, POLITICO reported, but the White House later clarified that the Trump-Xi meeting has not been finalised.The EU is reportedly readying options to give Ukraine gradual membership rights and is preparing a series of options to embed Ukraine's membership in a future peace deal.UK PM Starmer told Labour MPs that he is "not prepared to walk away" from power or "plunge us into chaos" as previous prime ministers have done.European equity futures indicate a slightly lower cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.1% after the cash market closed with gains of 1.0% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include Norwegian CPI (Jan), US NFIB (Jan), Weekly ADP, ECI (Q4), Retail Sales (Dec) & EIA STEO. Speakers include Fed's Hammack & Logan, Supply from the Netherlands, UK, Germany & US. Earnings from Coca-Cola, S&P, Gilead, Robinhood, Welltower, Duke Energy, Datadog, Ford, AIG, Xylem, Spotify, AstraZeneca, BP, Barclays, Ferrari and Mediobanca.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, spoke with Dinakar Munagala, CEO & Co- Dinakar Munagala Founder of Blaize, and Joseph Sulistyo, SVP of Corporate Marketing, about Blaize's push to make AI inference practical outside the data center—and why a new strategic collaboration with Nokia is designed to accelerate that shift, especially across Asia Pacific. Blaize positions itself as an AI computing company built around a purpose-built, fully programmable processor architecture it calls a graph streaming processor, paired with software intended to simplify development of “real-world” AI. Munagala framed the company's focus as practical AI inference for environments like smart factories, smart cities, agriculture, defense, and other edge and hybrid deployments where latency, power, thermal limits, and operating conditions are non-negotiable. A centerpiece of the discussion was Blaize's announcement that Nokia is strengthening edge AI capabilities through a strategic collaboration with Blaize to deliver hybrid inference solutions across APAC. Munagala and Sulistyo described the move as a signal that AI's next phase isn't only about large-scale training in centralized data centers, but about deploying inference where outcomes are realized—near cameras, sensors, machines, and field infrastructure. In their view, Nokia's global reach in networking, automation, and integration creates a path to deliver end-to-end solutions that combine connectivity and compute for real deployments, not demos. Sulistyo emphasized the economics driving hybrid inference: cost-sensitive, power-constrained environments often cannot justify a single “monolithic” compute approach. Instead, he argued, the market is moving toward heterogeneous architectures—mixing different compute types to hit performance targets while controlling total cost of ownership. In APAC, he noted, the scale of deployments makes marginal savings meaningful, and hybrid designs become an operational requirement, not a preference. The conversation also connected edge inference to public-sector and community outcomes. Both executives highlighted smart-city use cases—such as traffic management, tolling, and first-responder automation—where real-time inference can improve accuracy and responsiveness while reducing labor-intensive processes. They extended that point to rural and underserved regions, arguing that “smart city” also includes municipalities and regional governments, where automation and analytics can unlock revenue (e.g., tolls and fines) while improving safety. Doug pushed on definitions and practicality, prompting Munagala to describe edge inference as compute performed as close as possible to the sensor—for example, processing video near a camera mounted on a pole, at a toll booth, or in a factory—so systems can detect events and respond with low latency. He added that some deployments may route inference to nearby on-prem servers or regional data centers, depending on architecture and proximity, and Blaize aims to support these variations with a common hardware/software platform. Blaize also addressed the “AI energy speed bump” impacting communities and operators—particularly where power availability and cost are constrained. Munagala said low power is foundational to Blaize's design goals and argued that purpose-built inference architectures can reduce the burden associated with power-hungry AI approaches. Sulistyo added that the broader infrastructure conversation increasingly includes cooling realities (air and liquid) and the need to match the deployment environment to the right compute profile. To ground “real-world AI” in examples, the guests pointed to deployments including license plate recognition in complex, variable conditions and traffic anomaly detection (identifying behavior that deviates from normal flow). They described these as compute-intensive workloads that must run reliably outdoors and under harsh conditions, where latency and endurance matter as much as accuracy. They also discussed retail analytics as another example of edge inference delivering measurable business outcomes by connecting what happens in-store to revenue-driving decisions. Looking ahead, Munagala described the Nokia collaboration as a model for additional partnerships that bring inference solutions into production environments at scale. Sulistyo noted APAC is the initial focus, with other regions expected to follow based on demand, proof points, and the prioritization of specific use cases. To learn more about Blaize and its technology, visit https://www.blaize.com/.

THE electronic bill of lading has been one of the most talked-about innovations in container shipping for years now. Advocates say it can slash costs, cut fraud, and ultimately unlock an entirely new world of digital trade finance. Sceptics say we've been hearing that promise for a decade — and paper still dominates. The latest DCSA figures put global EBL adoption at around eleven percent. That's growing, but it's a long way from the one-hundred-percent target that container shipping carriers have set themselves for 2030. So where do we actually stand? To find out, APAC editor Cichen Shen sat down with two people at the centre of the shift: George Guo, the chief executive of IQAX, one of the two largest EBL providers in the world by volume; and Peter Hartz, Maersk's head of ocean surcharges, value-added services and energy products.

APAC stocks began the week higher after last Friday's rally on Wall St, where the DJIA topped the 50k level for the first time.The Nikkei 225 also hit a fresh record high after PM Takaichi's landslide election victory and supermajority.China is reportedly urging banks to curb US Treasuries exposure amid market risk, Bloomberg reports, citing sources; guidance does not apply to China's state holdings of US Treasuries.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.4% after the cash market closed higher by 1.2% on Friday.Highlights include Swiss Consumer Confidence (Jan), Norwegian GDP (Q4), Mexican Inflation (Jan), US Consumer Inflation Expectations (Jan), BoC Market Participants Survey. Speakers include ECB's Lane & Lagarde, Fed's Waller & Bostic, Earnings from Apollo, Becton Dickinson, Loews, On Semiconductor & Cleveland-Cliffs.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Gold just did something we haven’t seen in years, a sharp drop, followed by an even sharper rebound. One moment it was sliding hard… the next, it was surging back like a comeback story. So what’s driving these wild swings, and is gold gearing up for its next record run? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Robin Tsui, APAC gold strategist at State Street Investment Management, for the latest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

IoT has moved well beyond pilot projects, yet many enterprises still struggle to make connected systems work reliably once they scale — especially across borders. On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo speaks to Syed Natashrul, Head of APAC, Wireless Logic to find out why global IoT deployments are unable to get it right, and what it takes to build IoT systems that are resilient, secure, and scalable across markets.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dive into the future of wealth with AI in Asia!

The FX team discusses a variety of topics: the euro bloc/ APAC FX rotation, RBA hawkish pivot, scenarios around upcoming JP elections, the dovish BoE surprise and recent US data.   This podcast was recorded on 06 February 2026. This communication is provided for information purposes only. Institutional clients can view the related report at https://www.jpmm.com/research/content/GPS-5195273-0 for more information; please visit www.jpmm.com/research/disclosures for important disclosures. © 2026 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved. This material or any portion hereof may not be reprinted, sold or redistributed without the written consent of J.P. Morgan. It is strictly prohibited to use or share without prior written consent from J.P. Morgan any research material received from J.P. Morgan or an authorized third-party (“J.P. Morgan Data”) in any third-party artificial intelligence (“AI”) systems or models when such J.P. Morgan Data is accessible by a third-party.

APAC stocks were ultimately mixed after the global market rout rolled over into the region following the continued tech woes stateside and weak US labour market data.US equity futures were lower but off worst levels with headwinds seen after Amazon shares dropped 10% post-earnings.European equity futures indicate an uneventful cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.1% after the cash market closed with losses of 0.8% on Thursday.RBI maintained its Repurchase Rate at 5.25%, as expected, via a unanimous decision and voted to maintain its neutral policy stance; Banxico held rates at 7.00%, as expected, in a unanimous decision.Looking ahead, highlights include German Trade Balance (Dec), Swedish CPIF prelim. (Jan), Swiss Unemployment (Jan), Canadian Jobs Report (Jan), US Prelim. Michigan (Feb), ECB Survey of Professional Forecasters. Speakers include ECB's Cipollone, BoE's Pill & Fed's Jefferson.Earnings from Biogen, Under Armour, Carlyle Group, Philip Morris International, SocGen & Sabadell.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks were mostly lower following the continued tech selling stateside and flip-flopping regarding US-Iran talks, while commodities were pressured overnight with silver prices dropping by a double-digit percentage.Earnings saw Alphabet shares fall 2.0%, ARM Holdings slip 8.6%, and Qualcomm slump 10.3% after market.US President Trump said not much doubt that interest rates will be lowered and thinks that Warsh wants to cut rates anyway.US BLS rescheduled the January employment report for Feb. 11th, while it rescheduled December job openings and labour turnover report for February 5th, and rescheduled January CPI to February 13th.Looking ahead, highlights include German Factory Orders (Dec), EZ Retail Sales (Dec), US Challenger (Jan), Weekly/Continuing Jobless Claims, Revelio PLS, ECB Announcement, BoE Announcement & MPR, Banxico Announcement, CNB Announcement. Speakers include BoE's Bailey, ECB's Lagarde, Fed's Bostic, BoC's Macklem & RBA's Bullock. Supply from Spain & France.Earnings from Amazon, Strategy, Roblox, Reddit, Bloom Energy, ConocoPhillips, Bristol Myers Squibb, Barrick Mining, Cigna, Linde, Shell, Unilever & UniCredit.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks were ultimately mixed as the region partially shrugged off the downbeat handover from Wall Street.NVIDIA (NVDA) AI chip sales to China are reportedly stalled by a US security review, and Chinese customers are, meanwhile, not placing H200 chip orders.US House voted (217-214) to pass the USD 1.2tln spending package to fund the government, which was sent to US President Trump, who then signed the bill to end a partial government shutdown, as expected.US President Trump said they are still negotiating with Iran and that there is more than one meeting with Iran; US military shot down an Iranian surveillance drone that approached a US Navy aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.European equity futures indicate a softer cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.1% after the cash market finished with losses of 0.2% on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include Global Final Composite/Services PMIs (Jan), EZ Flash HICP (Jan), Italian CPI Prelim. (Jan), US ADP (Jan), ISM Services (Jan), Riksbank Minutes (Jan), Treasury Refunding Announcement, NBP Policy Announcement, Comments from Fed's Cook, Supply from Germany & US, Earnings from Alphabet, Arm, Qualcomm, ELF, Snap, Uber, Eli Lilly, AbbVie, CME & Bunge.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

M&A in 2026 is being shaped by a volatile, uncertain, and complex world. AI is transforming deal-making, Japan and India are seeing strong activity, and China and Hong Kong are shaking up cross-border deals. What does this mean for investors? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Raghu Narain, Head of Investment Banking, APAC at Natixis CIB, for the latest.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

APAC stocks were mostly higher with several bourses firmly recovering from the prior day's sell-off, as the region took impetus from the positive handover from Wall Street.US President Trump announced that India will stop buying Russian oil, while the US will be lowering tariffs on India to 18% from 25%.RBA hiked the Cash Rate by 25bps as expected in a unanimous decision, marking the first hike in over two years; RBA's SoMP noted that underlying inflation is higher than expected and GDP growth has continued to pick up.US BLS will not release the January jobs report on Friday due to the partial US Government shutdown, while December JOLTS (due 3rd Feb) has also been postponed.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.4% after the cash market closed with gains of 1.0% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include Turkish Inflation (Jan), French Prelim. CPI (Jan), RCM/TIPP (Feb), New Zealand Unemployment (Q4), Australian S&P PMIs Final (Jan), Speakers including Fed's Bowman, Barkin & ECB's Lagarde, Supply from UK & Germany, Earnings from AMD, Supermicro, Amgen, Amcor, PayPal, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Merck & Publicis.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

What if your biggest growth problem isn't marketing—but sales?In this episode of The Business Ownership Podcast I interviewed William Gilchrist. William has over 15 years of experience in tech sales across the globe, including North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. He holds a B.A. in International Relations from Bowdoin College and certifications in Mandarin and TEFL. Starting his career in Shanghai's media scene, he later directed admissions strategies in Chicago and led business development in Singapore. William eventually joined Google in APAC roles before founding Konsyg, overseeing global sales processes as CEO. What if sales is the missing piece in your business?Check this out!Show Links:Konsyg Website: https://konsyg.com/William on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamgilchristkonsyg/Book a call with Michelle: https://go.appointmentcore.com/book/IcFD4cGJoin our Facebook group for business owners to get help or help other business owners!The Business Ownership Group - Secrets to Scaling: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessownershipsecretstoscalingLooking to scale your business? Get free gifts here to help you on your way: https://www.awarenessstrategies.com/ 

In this episode, Lex speaks with John Caplan — CEO of Payoneer, a public fintech company driving over $85 billion in annual cross-border payment volume. With roots as a prepaid card provider, Payoneer has evolved into a global financial operating platform serving 2 million entrepreneurs across 190 countries.Caplan shares insights from his entrepreneurial journey—from building OpenSky and scaling it to $50 million in revenue before its acquisition by Alibaba, to now leading Payoneer's transformation into a full-service banking alternative for global SMBs.We explore how Payoneer is addressing the complex financial needs of international businesses, competing in a dynamic payments landscape, and preparing for a future that includes stablecoins, workforce management, and potentially $1 trillion in annual volume.NOTABLE DISCUSSION POINTS:Payoneer's Strategic Evolution from Payout Processor to Global SMB Bank AlternativeUnder John Caplan's leadership, Payoneer expanded beyond marketplace payouts to become a comprehensive cross-border financial platform, offering AR/AP, intra-network transfers, cards, and global workforce management. This shift has significantly increased customer retention, take rate, and profitability—highlighting how product expansion and upmarket focus can unlock durable growth in fintech.Execution Over Hype in Global Fintech InfrastructurePayoneer operates in 190 countries with 100+ banking partners and 7,000 payment routes—demonstrating the importance of deep regulatory compliance, local licensing, and multi-entity support in building resilient cross-border infrastructure. Unlike crypto-native entrants, Payoneer emphasizes last-mile utility and customer trust as core differentiators for scaling in complex markets.Profitable Scale and Global Demand for SMB Financial ServicesWith $1B+ revenue, $200M+ EBITDA, and $7.5B in customer funds held, Payoneer is proving that serving cross-border SMBs is not just a mission, but a highly profitable business. Their customer base spans from Bangladeshi freelancers to European firms doing $1M+ in volume, signaling massive, underserved global demand for modern financial tools outside the traditional banking system.TOPICSPayoneer, Alibaba, OpenSky, Stripe, Wise, Airwallex, Mercury, NuBank, digital banking, embedded finance, stablecoins, blockchain, regtech, B2B payments, SPAC, supple chain, ecommerce ABOUT THE FINTECH BLUEPRINT

APAC stocks pressured with several bearish factors weighing, incl. the partial US shutdown, weak Chinese PMIs & NVIDIA's OpenAI investment stalling.DXY rangebound, EUR firmer but below 1.19. USD/JPY initially benefited from Takaichi's remarks, though subsequent clarification unwound this.Fixed benchmarks mixed, JGBs benefit from the latest election polling.Crude benchmarks hit alongside APAC stocks, OPEC+ maintained the pause as expected. Spot gold continued to falter, base peers hit by the Chinese data.Bitcoin hit a trough just below USD 75k before finding a floor.Looking ahead, highlights include Global Final Manufacturing PMIs (Jan), US ISM Manufacturing PMI (Jan), Speakers including BoE's Breeden & Fed's Bostic, Treasury Refunding Announcement, Earnings from Palantir & NXP Semiconductors.Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

We assess the outlook for metals and the dollar after a parabolic week. Special focus on APAC.   Speakers:  Meera Chandan, Global FX Strategy Gregory Shearer, Head of Base and Precious Metal Research Junya Tanase, Global FX Strategy Ben Jarman, Global Economics, Rates & FX Strategy Arindam Sandilya, Global FX Strategy   This podcast was recorded on 30 January 2026. This communication is provided for information purposes only. Institutional clients can view the related report at https://www.jpmm.com/research/content/GPS-5191939-0 for more information; please visit www.jpmm.com/research/disclosures for important disclosures. © 2026 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved. This material or any portion hereof may not be reprinted, sold or redistributed without the written consent of J.P. Morgan. It is strictly prohibited to use or share without prior written consent from J.P. Morgan any research material received from J.P. Morgan or an authorized third-party (“J.P. Morgan Data”) in any third-party artificial intelligence (“AI”) systems or models when such J.P. Morgan Data is accessible by a third-party.

AI tools are now part of everyday work across Asia-Pacific. But while usage has surged, the way organisations operate has been slower to shift. Research from Boston Consulting Group shows that 78 per cent of employees in APAC use AI weekly, yet only about 39 per cent say they spend any of the time saved on more strategic work, suggesting most AI use is still focused on doing the same tasks faster, rather than doing work differently. Christopher Cai, Co-Head of AngelHack Dev Labs, joins the Breakfast Show to explore why adoption has raced ahead of transformation, how leaders should read AI metrics beyond headline numbers, and what it takes to turn everyday AI use into real business impact as organisations look toward 2026.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

APAC stocks were mostly subdued, with sentiment in the region clouded following a lack of fireworks at the FOMC; mega-cap US earnings saw Meta (META) rise 6.6%, Microsoft (MSFT) slip 6%, while Tesla (TSLA) rose 1.9%.FOMC kept rates unchanged at 3.50-3.75%, as expected, with the vote split at 10-2 (Miran and Waller called for a 25bps rate cut).Fed Chair Powell said rates are in a plausible range of neutral and at the higher end of the range of neutral.US Senate Majority Leader Thune sees a possibility to avoid a shutdown by week's end after Senate Minority Leader Schumer laid out Democrats' demands on ICE, CNN reported.Iranian Supreme Leader's adviser totally dismissed the notion of "a limited strike" and said, "Any military action from the US, from any origin, at any level, will be considered the start of war".Looking ahead, include Swedish GDP (Dec), Spanish Retail Sales (Dec), EZ M3 (Dec), US Jobless Claims, Chicago Fed Labour Market Indicators (Jan), Japanese Industrial Production (Dec), Retail Sales (Dec) & Tokyo Core CPI (Jan), Riksbank Policy Announcement, CBRT Minutes (Jan), SARB Policy Announcement. Speakers include Norges Bank's Bech-Moen, Riksbank's Thedeen, and ECB's Cipollone. Supply from Italy & the US.Earnings from Apple, SanDisk, Visa, Western Digital, Mastercard, Caterpillar, Nasdaq, Blackstone, Lockheed Martin, and H&MRead the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks traded mixed with an early positive bias seen following the mostly constructive handover from Wall Street, although some cautiousness began to seep through ahead of looming key risk events.China is said to have approved the first batch of NVIDIA's (NVDA) H200 AI chips for import, with sources noting that China has granted approval for the import of several hundred thousand H200 AI chips, later reported to be over 400,000.ANZ shifted its RBA call, in which it now sees a 25bps hike at next week's RBA meeting following the mostly hotter Australian CPI report overnight. European equity futures indicate a firmer cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 +0.6% following earnings from ASML. Euro Stoxx 50 cash finished with gains of 0.6% on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include New Zealand Trade (Dec), Fed Policy Announcement, BoC Policy Announcement, BCB Policy Announcement. Speakers include ECB's Elderson & Schnabel, BoC's Macklem, Fed Chair Powell. Supply from Germany & US. Earnings from Microsoft, Meta, Tesla, Lam, ServiceNow, IBM, GE Vernova, AT&T, Starbucks, VF Corp, Danaher & AS.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

What if marketing worked like architecture, not guesswork? Do you know what's actually driving your marketing results?In this episode of The Business Ownership Podcast I interviewed Emiliano Giovannoni. Emiliano Giovannoni is a global-minded marketing executive and consultant based in Brisbane, Australia with twenty years of marketing management experience working for international organizations ranging from ASX and NASDAQ listed multinationals – to VC-funded digital start-ups in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Singapore, including leading the Social Media Marketing function for the APAC region at Microsoft.He is the creator of the FAPI Marketing Framework™, a marketing organizational management method featured in the University of Queensland MBA program. The framework is designed to help businesses better rationalize and control their marketing functions.He is the author of multiple marketing planning and management publications, including ‘Digital Marketing Planning,' ranked one of the top 100 digital marketing books in 2020, and ‘Modern Marketing Architecture.'As a UQ Strategic Marketing MBA Alumni, Certified Agile-Scrum Master, and an Associate Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute (AFAMI CPM), Emiliano is committed to continuous professional development and learning.His commitment to the development of the marketing profession includes Judging panelist for the yearly AMI Australian Marketing Institute Marketing Awards and participating as an industry mentor at UQ University BEL Career Mentoring Program.Are you guessing with your marketing—or planning for results?Check this out and rethink your approach.Show Links:Chasefive Website: https://www.chasefive.com/Emiliano Giovannoni on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilianogiovannoniBook a call with Michelle: https://go.appointmentcore.com/book/IcFD4cGJoin our Facebook group for business owners to get help or help other business owners!The Business Ownership Group - Secrets to Scaling: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessownershipsecretstoscalingLooking to scale your business? Get free gifts here to help you on your way: https://www.awarenessstrategies.com/

APAC stocks were mostly higher following on from the rebound on Wall Street, but with some of the gains capped ahead of key events and big tech earnings stateside.KOSPI sold off at the open following US President Trump's announcement to raise tariffs on South Korean autos, lumber, pharma, and all other reciprocal tariffs to 25% from 15% due to its legislature not yet enacting the US-Korea trade deal.Spot gold rebounded from the prior session's trough with a brief pullback cushioned after finding support around the USD 5,000/oz level.US aircraft carrier and warships reached the Middle East, according to the Washington Post, while it was also reported that a US official said Washington is "open for business" if Iran wishes to contact them.European equity futures indicate a positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.4% after the cash market closed with gains of 0.2% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include US Richmond Fed (Jan), Consumer Confidence (Jan), ADP Employment Change Weekly, NBH Policy Announcement. Speakers include ECB President Lagarde & ECB's Nagel, US President Trump. Supply from UK, Italy, Germany and US. Earnings from Texas Instruments, UnitedHealth, Boeing, UPS, General Motors, RTX, American Airlines, Logitech & LVMH.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Global managed services contracts are experiencing reduced momentum as buyers display notable hesitation to commit to long-term agreements during a period defined by organizational pivots toward artificial intelligence. The Information Services Group reported only a 1.2% quarter-over-quarter increase in large managed services contracts in late 2025, totaling $10.9 billion, with full-year growth barely above 1%. While U.S. activity partially offsets contractions in EMEA and APAC, the prevailing environment is one of caution, shaped less by CIOs and more by business and finance leaders redirecting budgets to support internal AI initiatives and flexible operating arrangements.The growth in technology distributor activity in North America highlights increased market fragmentation rather than expanded service levels. Omdia Tech Services data indicates distributor billings grew almost 15% in 2024, reaching $16.6 billion, with over 72% of transactions concentrated among six distributors. Most billings originated with technology advisors, and both value-added resellers and MSPs contributed smaller shares. This shift points to a market emphasizing flexible sourcing—with more intermediaries and shorter deals—but raises questions about MSP control, as authority and accountability can become diluted.Intel's latest financial disclosures reveal persistent supply and execution challenges in delivering AI infrastructure solutions. Despite exceeding earnings expectations, weak revenue forecasts and admission of supply constraints resulted in a 13% decrease in company stock. The vendor attributed its underperformance to capacity shortages and forecasting issues, underscoring the risks MSPs now face in hardware planning for AI deployments. Additionally, the commoditization of key offerings such as Microsoft 365 backup and the automation of technology review processes further compress execution margins, reducing traditional revenue sources for service providers.For MSPs and IT leaders, these developments reinforce the need to reassess risk allocation, authority, and pricing models in client engagements. With execution becoming both cheaper and less differentiated, value must shift toward governance, outcome accountability, and explicit decision ownership. Delays or misjudgments related to hardware supply and service fulfillment present direct threats to project continuity and client satisfaction, emphasizing the importance of operational flexibility, active vendor management, and strategic repositioning of service offerings. Three things to know today 00:00 As Managed Services Stall Globally, Distributor-Led IT Buying Gains Momentum04:58 Intel Beats on Earnings but Misses on Confidence as AI Demand Outpaces Capacity07:27 As Backup and Reviews Are Automated, MSP Differentiation Shifts from Execution to Decision Ownership This is the Business of Tech.     Supported by:  https://scalepad.com/dave/

On the latest Nomad Futurist Podcast, co-hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence sit down with Adam Gibson, Director of techvox and a Nomad Futurist Foundation Ambassador, to discuss his unconventional journey into data centers and fiber. The conversation spans his work across Australia, New Zealand, and APAC, highlighting how curiosity, community, and fundamentals can drive a long, global career in digital infrastructure. Adam's journey begins in his early teens, as a 13-year-old immersed in video games, building LANs with friends and running grassroots events that unknowingly set the foundation for his first data center role: “I came straight from high school into the space and haven't looked back… I'm still technically uneducated. However, data centers make you run fast and learn quick.” Throughout the episode, Adam underscores a core truth of the industry: today's AI platforms, hyperscale campuses, and cloud services are built on the same foundational principles he first encountered in early server farms and the dial-up gaming era. He argues that the Internet has become a true utility, selected alongside power, water, and gas when moving into a home, yet its physical foundations are often taken for granted: “We still need the fundamentals… people's crazy cat videos, AI videos, e-mails and everything else need to be stored somewhere, cooled somewhere, powered somewhere and connected somewhere.” That perspective carries into Adam's work as a Nomad Futurist Foundation Ambassador, where he is focused on attracting new talent as data center and subsea investment accelerates across APAC. He highlights Australia's role in global subsea connectivity and New Zealand's renewable energy strength as forces turning the region into a critical digital crossroads in need of skilled people. His message to newcomers is clear and encouraging. Opportunities span mechanical systems, networking, AI, and operations, and success comes from respecting the fundamentals and staying curious: “Don't just jump in as a VP going ‘I've got this'… work yourself into it; there's a spot for you.” The episode also shows the human side of a global career: Adam relies on music, movement, and simple meals to stay grounded while traveling for industry events and work, logging more than 100 flights and navigating relentless time zones. He highlights major event hosts, all partners and supporters of the Foundation, showcasing the community-driven side of the industry. While he plans to slow down, his commitment to the field remains unwavering: “I'll never miss a PTC, I'll never miss an ITW, I'll never miss a Capacity or a DataCloud… but at some point it's about lifestyle and support.” Connect with Adam Gibson on LinkedIn to continue the conversation and learn more about his work across APAC, digital infrastructure, and talent development.

NMN is one of the most talked-about ingredients in longevity science, but what does it actually do? On Mind Your Business, the Breakfast Show invites Sally Panton, Co-Founder and CEO of Longevity Life Sciences to discuss what NMN is, how it supports NAD+ levels, the business and science behind Longevity Life Sciences, and what the future of healthy ageing looks like across APAC.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saturday Mornings Show host Glenn van Zutphen and co-host Neil Humphreys are joined by Ritesh Pandey, General Manager for Southeast Asia at Haleon, to explore how health and wellness priorities are rapidly shifting across the region. With an ageing population, a rising working class, and greater post‑Covid awareness, Southeast Asians are taking health into their own hands—driving a surge in preventive health and self‑care. Ritesh breaks down the demographic realities: ASEAN’s population aged 65+ will nearly double in 20 years, while in Singapore, those aged 80 and above have grown by 60% in the past decade. Yet many of these added years are lived with disability, often linked to preventable issues such as micronutrient deficiencies, untreated bone and joint pain, and oral health problems. He explains why health literacy is now a critical economic and social priority, with Haleon’s research showing that improving literacy by just 25% could unlock over USD 100 billion in economic gains for APAC. We also discuss the rise of influencer‑led discovery, the behaviour–action gap in everyday health, and how companies like Haleon are using AI and digital tools to democratise access to credible, science‑backed information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transforming schools through ethical, large-scale Al integration and collaborative learning. About Jamie Toner Jamie is an education technology and innovation leader with experience across K-12 and Higher Education in the UK, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. As Director of Technology and Innovation at Singapore American School, he leads digital transformation, AI integration, and the development of forward-looking learning ecosystems.  Previously Founding Director of Digital Learning and Information Services at Harrow International School Shenzhen, Jamie has driven major projects in digital strategy and information services. Named on the recent CILIP 125 List of future leaders and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, he researches and presents internationally on digital leadership and knowledge sharing. He is currently in the final stages of his PhD at the University of Sheffield on how legitimacy and epistemic authority are unevenly constructed and sustained within international schools. Jamie Toner on Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-toner-611b2478/  About Claire Simms Claire is an experienced international educator and digital learning leader with over 25 years in schools across Hong Kong, Malaysia, Switzerland, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore. She is currently Assistant Principal - Innovation and Technology at St. Joseph's Institution International School where she leads initiatives that enhance teaching and learning through technology. Since joining SJI International in 2016, Claire has held key leadership roles including Head of IPC and Head of Grade, helping to shape both curriculum and digital strategy. A Google Trainer, Coach, Innovator, and GEG Leader, Apple Learning Coach, and Seesaw Educator Lead, she regularly presents across the APAC region on digital learning and leadership. Claire holds a PGCE in Primary Education from the University of Sunderland and is currently completing her National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership (NPQSL). Claire Simms on Social Media LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/claire-simms-13679643  Resources https://www.sas.edu.sg/  https://www.sji-international.com.sg/  John Mikton on Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmikton/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmikton Web: beyonddigital.org Dan Taylor on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appsevents  Twitter: https://twitter.com/appdkt  Web: www.appsevents.com Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube Workspace Audit by AppsEDU Find and Fix Security Gaps in Your Google Workspace at https://workspaceaudit.com/  Get a complete, automated overview of your security posture. Our read-only scanner identifies misconfigurations and provides actionable steps to harden your environment. We also help you STAY secure. With our automated monitoring functionality you schedule daily, weekly or monthly scans, allowing you to fix issues before they become a problem. Get started for free with no obligation, your first scan is on us! https://workspaceaudit.com/ 

In this episode of the Influence Global Podcast, host Gordon Glenister speaks with pioneering talent manager and licensing specialist Jennifer Powell, Founder and CEO of Jennifer Powell Inc. Based in Los Angeles, Jennifer has been at the forefront of the creator economy since its infancy, having transitioned from a successful career in modelling agencies to becoming one of the first representatives of fashion bloggers. Jennifer shares how the earliest creators like Rumi Neely (Fashion Toast) unexpectedly drove product sell-outs in the late 2000s, and how she helped shift brands' thinking—treating creators with the same commercial value as professional models. She explains how licensing has become one of the most powerful, scalable revenue streams for creators, often surpassing traditional brand deals, and why strategic management, legal support and long-term brand development are essential. From discovering creators via DMs, to negotiating global licensing deals, to guiding talent through product collaborations and multi-market launches, Jennifer gives a transparent look into what great talent management should look like—and the pitfalls creators must avoid. A standout case study includes her long-standing representation of Sincerely Jules, whose partnership with Billabong grew from simple Instagram posts to a multi-region fashion collection that reached Selfridges, Galleries Lafayette and major retailers across the US, Europe, Latin America and APAC. This is a must-listen for creators, agents, and brands wanting to understand licensing, product development, talent management best practice, and the real work behind building a creator into a global brand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Allen, Joel, Rosemary, and Yolanda cover major offshore wind developments on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US, Ørsted’s Revolution Wind won a court victory allowing construction to resume after the Trump administration’s suspension. Meanwhile, the UK awarded contracts for 8.4 gigawatts of new offshore capacity in the largest auction in European history, with RWE securing nearly 7 gigawatts. Plus Canada’s Nova Scotia announces ambitious 40 gigawatt offshore wind plans, and the crew discusses the ongoing Denmark-Greenland tensions with the US administration. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly newsletter on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on YouTube, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast brought to you by Strike Tape, protecting thousands of wind turbines from lightning damage worldwide. Visit strike tape.com. And now your hosts, Alan Hall, Rosemary Barnes, Joel Saxon and Yolanda Padron. Welcome to the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. I’m Allen Hall, along with Yolanda, Joel and Rosie. Boy, a lot of action in the US courts. And as you know, for weeks, American offshore wind has been holding its breath and a lot of people’s jobs are at stake right now. The Trump administration suspended, uh, five major projects on December 22nd, and still they’re still citing national security concerns. Billions of dollars are really in balance here. Construction vessels for most of these. Sites are just doing nothing at the minute, but the courts are stepping in and Sted won a [00:01:00] key victory when the federal judge allowed its revolution wind project off the coast of Rhode Island to resume construction immediately. So everybody’s excited there and it does sound like Osted is trying to finish that project as fast as they can. And Ecuador and Dominion Energy, which are two of the other bigger projects, are fighting similar battles. Ecuador is supposed to hear in the next couple of days as we’re recording. Uh, but the message is pretty clear from developers. They have invested too much to walk away, and if they get an opportunity to wrap these projects up quickly. They are going to do it now. Joel, before the show, we were talking about vineyard wind and vineyard. Wind was on hold, and I think it, it may not even be on hold right now, I have to go back and look. But when they were put on hold, uh, the question was, the turbines that were operating, were they able to continue operating? And the answer initially I thought was no. But it was yes, the, the turbines that were [00:02:00] producing power. We’re allowed to continue to produce powers. What was in the balance were the remaining turbines that were still being installed or, uh, being upgraded. So there’s, there’s a lot going on right now, but it does seem like, and back to your earlier point, Joel, before we start talking and maybe you can discuss this, we, there is an offshore wind farm called Block Island really closely all these other wind farms, and it’s been there for four or five years at this point. No one’s said anything about that wind farm.  Speaker: I think it’s been there, to be honest with you, since like 2016 or 17. It’s been there a long time. Is it that old? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So when we were talk, when we’ve been talking through and it gets lost in the shuffle and it shouldn’t, because that’s really the first offshore wind farm in the United States. We keep talking about all these big, you know, utility scale massive things, but that is a utility scale wind farm as well. There’s fi, correct me if I’m wrong, Yolanda, is it five turbos or six? It’s five. Their decent sized turbines are sitting on jackets. They’re just, uh, they’re, they’re only a couple miles offshore. They’re not way offshore. But throughout all of these issues that we’ve had, um, with [00:03:00] these injunctions and stopping construction and stopping this and reviewing permits and all these things, block Island has just been spinning, producing power, uh, for the locals there off the coast of Rhode Island. So we. What were our, the question was is, okay, all these other wind farms that are partially constructed, have they been spinning? Are they producing power? And my mind goes to this, um, as a risk reduction effort. I wonder if, uh, the cable, if the cable lay timelines were what they were. Right. So would you now, I guess as a risk reduction effort, and this seems really silly to have to think about this. If you have your offshore substation, was the, was the main export cable connected to some of these like revolution wind where they have the injunction right now? Was that export cable connected and were the inter array cables regularly connected to turbines and them coming online? Do, do, do, do, do. Like, it wasn’t like a COD, we turned the switch and we had to wait for all 62 turbines. Right. So to our [00:04:00] knowledge and, and, uh, please reach out to any of us on LinkedIn or an email or whatever to our knowledge. The turbines that are in production have still have been spinning. It’s the construction activities that have been stopped, but now. Hey, revolution wind is 90% complete and they’re back out and running, uh, on construction activities as of today. Speaker 2: It was in the last 48 hours. So this, this is a good sign because I think as the other wind farms go through the courts, they’re gonna essentially run through this, this same judge I that. Tends to happen because they have done all the research already. So you, you likely get the same outcome for all the other wind farms, although they have to go through the process. You can’t do like a class action, at least that’s doesn’t appear to be in play at the minute. Uh, they’re all gonna have to go through this little bit of a process. But what the judge is saying essentially is the concern from the Department of War, and then the Department of Interior is. [00:05:00] Make believe. I, I don’t wanna frame it. It’s not framed that way, the way it’s written. There’s a lot more legalistic terms about it. But it basically, they’re saying they tried to stop it before they didn’t get the result they wanted. The Trump administration didn’t get the result they wanted. So the Trump administration ramped it up by saying it was something that was classified in, in part of the Department of War. The judge isn’t buying it. So the, the, the early action. I think what we initially talked about this, everybody, I think the early feeling was they’re trying to stop it, but the fact that they’re trying to stop it just because, and just start pulling permits is not gonna stand outta the court. And when they want to come back and do it again, they’re not likely to win. If they would. Kept their ammunition dry and just from the beginning said it’s something classified as something defense related that Trump administration probably would’ve had a better shot at this. But now it just seems like everything’s just gonna lead down the pathway where all these projects get finished. Speaker: Yeah, I think that specific judge probably was listening to the [00:06:00] Uptime podcast last week for his research. Um, listen to, to our opinions that we talked about here, saying that this is kind of all bs. It’s not gonna fly. Uh, but what we’re sitting at here is like Revolution Wind was, had the injunction against it. Uh, empire Wind had an injunction again, but they were awaiting a similar ruling. So hopefully that’s actually supposed to go down today. That’s Wednesday. Uh, this is, so we’re recording this on Wednesday. Um, and then Dominion is, has, is suing as well, and their, uh, hearing is on Friday. In two, two days from now. And I would expect, I mean, it’s the same, same judge, same piece of papers, like it’s going to be the same result. Some numbers to throw at this thing. Now, just so the listeners know the impact of this, uh, dominion for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, they say that their pause in construction is costing them $5 million a day, and that is. That’s a pretty round number. It’s a conservative number to be honest with you. For officer operations, how many vessels and how much stuff is out there? That makes sense. Yep. [00:07:00] 5 million. So $5 million a day. And that’s one of the wind farms. Uh, coastal, Virginia Wind Farm is an $11 billion project. With, uh, it’s like 176 turbines. I think something to that, like it’s, it’s got enough power, it’s gonna have enough production out there to power up, like, uh, like 650,000 homes when it’s done. So there’s five projects suspended right now. I’m continuing with the numbers. Um, well, five, there’s four now. Revolution’s back running, right? So five and there’s four. Uh, four still stopped. And of those five is 28. Billion dollars in combined capital at risk, right? So you can understand why some of these companies are worried, right? They’re this is, this is not peanuts. Um, so you saw a little bump in like Ted stock in the markets when this, this, uh, revolution wind, uh, injunction was stopped. Uh, but. You also see that, uh, Moody’s is a credit [00:08:00] rating. They’ve lowered ORs, Ted’s um, rating from stable to negative, given that political risk.  Speaker 2: Well, if you haven’t been paying attention, wind energy O and m Australia 2026 is happening relatively soon. It’s gonna be February 17th and 18th. It’s gonna be at the Pullman Hotel downtown Melbourne. And we are all looking forward to it. The, the roster and the agenda is, is nearly assembled at this point. Uh, we have a, a couple of last minute speakers, but uh, I’m looking at the agenda and like, wow, if you work in o and m or even are around wind turbines, this is the place to be in February. From my  Speaker: seat. It’s pretty, it’s, it’s, it’s shaping up for pretty fun. My phone has just been inundated with text message and WhatsApp of when are you traveling? What are your dates looking forward to, and I wanna say this right, Rosie. Looking forward to Melvin. Did I get it? Did I do it okay.  Speaker 3: You know how to say it.  Speaker: So, so we’re, we’re really looking forward to, we’ve got a bunch of people traveling from around the [00:09:00] world, uh, to come and share their collective knowledge, uh, and learn from the Australians about how they’re doing things, what the, what the risks are, what the problems are, uh, really looking forward to the environment down there, like we had last year was very. Collaborative, the conversations are flowing. Um, so we’re looking forward to it, uh, in a big way from our seats. Over here,  Speaker 2: we are announcing a lightning workshop, and that workshop will be answering all your lightning questions in regards to your turbines Now. Typically when we do this, it’s about $10,000 per seat, and this will be free as part of WMA 2026. We’re gonna talk about some of the lightning physics, what’s actually happening in the field versus what the OEMs are saying and what the IEC specification indicates. And the big one is force majeure. A lot of operators are paying for damages that are well within the IEC specification, and we’ll explain.[00:10:00] What that is all about and what you can do to save yourself literally millions of dollars. But that is only possible if you go to Woma 2020 six.com and register today because we’re running outta seats. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. But this is a great opportunity to get your lightning questions answered. And Rosemary promised me that we’re gonna talk about Vestus turbines. Siemens turbines. GE Renova turbines. Nordex turbines. So if you have Nordex turbines, Sulan turbines, bring the turbine. Type, we’ll talk about it. We’ll get your questions answered, and the goal is that everybody at at Wilma 2026 is gonna go home and save themselves millions of dollars in 26 and millions of dollars in 27 and all the years after, because this Lightning workshop is going to take care of those really frustrating lightning questions that just don’t get answered. We’re gonna do it right there. Sign up today.  Speaker 3: [00:11:00] You know what, I’m really looking forward to that session and especially ’cause I’ve got a couple of new staff or new-ish staff at, it’s a great way to get them up to speed on lightning. And I think that actually like the majority of people, even if you are struggling with lightning problems every day, I bet that there is a whole bunch that you could learn about the underlying physics of lightning. And there’s not so many places to find that in the world. I have looked, um, for my staff training, where is the course that I can send them to, to understand all about lightning? I know when I started atm, I had a, an intro session, one-on-one with the, you know, chief Lightning guy there. That’s not so easy to come by, and this is the opportunity where you can get that and better because it’s information about every, every OEM and a bit of a better understanding about how it works so that you can, you know, one of the things that I find working with Lightning is a lot of force MA mature claims. And then, um, the OEMs, they try and bamboozle you with this like scientific sounding talk. If you understand better, then you’ll be able to do better in those discussions. [00:12:00] So I would highly recommend attending if you can swing the Monday as well.  Speaker: If you wanna attend now and you’re coming to the events. Reach out to, you can reach out to me directly because what we want to do now is collect, uh, as much information as possible about the specific turbine types of the, that the people in the room are gonna be responsible for. So we can tailor those messages, um, to help you out directly. So feel free to reach out to me, joel.saxo, SAXU m@wglightning.com and uh, we’ll be squared away and ready to roll on Monday. I think that’s Monday the 16th.  Speaker 2: So while American offshore wind fights for survival in the courts, British offshore wind just had its biggest day ever. The United Kingdom awarded contracts for 8.4 gigawatts. That’s right. 8.4 gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity, the largest auction in European history. Holy smokes guys. The price came in at about 91 pounds per megawatt hour, and that’s 2024 pounds. [00:13:00] Uh, and that’s roughly 40% cheaper than building a new. Gas plant Energy Secretary Ed Milliband called it a monumental step towards the country’s 2030 clean power goals and that it is, uh, critics say that prices are still higher than previous auctions, and one that the government faces challenges connecting all this new capacity to the grid, and they do, uh, transmission is a limiting factor here, but in terms of where the UK is headed. Putting in gigawatts of offshore wind is going to disconnect them from a lot of need on the gas supply and other energy sources. It’s a massive auction round. This was way above what I remember being, uh. Talked about when we were in Scotland just a couple of weeks ago, Joel.  Speaker: Yeah, that’s what I was gonna say. You know, when we were, when we were up with the, or E Catapult event, and we talked to a lot of the different organizations of their OWGP and um, you know, the course, the or e Catapult folks and, and, and a [00:14:00] few others, they were really excited about AR seven. They were like, oh, we’re, we’re so excited. It’s gonna come down, it’s gonna be great. I didn’t expect these kind of numbers to come out of this thing. Right? ’cause we know that, um, they’ve got about, uh, the UK currently has about. 16 and a half or so gigawatts of offshore wind capacity, um, with, you know, they got a bunch under construction, it’s like 11 under construction, but their goal is to have 43 gigawatts by 2030. So,  Speaker 2: man.  Speaker: Yeah. And, and when 2030, put this into Conte Con context now. This is one of our first podcasts of the new year. That’s only four years away. Right. It’s soon. And, and to, to be able to do that. So you’re saying they got 16, they go some round numbers. They got 16 now. Pro producing 11 in the pipe, 11 being constructed. So get that to 27. That’s another 16 gigawatts of wind. They want, they that are not under construction today that they want to have completed in the next four years. That is a monumental effort now. We know that there’s some grid grid complications and connection [00:15:00] requirements and things that will slow that down, but just thinking about remove the grid idea, just thinking about the amount of effort to get those kind of large capital projects done in that short of timeline. Kudos to the UK ’cause they’re unlocking a lot of, um, a lot of private investment, a lot of effort to get these things, but they’re literally doing the inverse of what we’re doing in the United States right now.  Speaker 2: There would be about a total of 550, 615 ish megawatt turbines in the water. That does seem doable though. The big question is who’s gonna be providing those turbines? That’s a. Massive order. Whoever the salesperson is involved in that transaction is gonna be very happy. Well, the interesting thing here  Speaker: too is the global context of assets to be able to deliver this. We just got done talking about the troubles at these wind farms in the United States. As soon as these. Wind farms are finished. There’s not more of them coming to construction phase shortly, right? So all of these assets, all these jack up vessels, these installation vessels, these specialized cable lay vessels, they [00:16:00]can, they can fuel up and freaking head right across, back across the Atlantic and start working on these things. If the pre all of the engineering and, and the turbine deliveries are ready to roll the vessels, uh, ’cause that you, that, you know, two years ago that was a problem. We were all. Forecasting. Oh, we have this forecasted problem of a shortage of vessels and assets to be able to do installs. And now with the US kind of, basically, once we’re done with the wind farms, we’re working on offshore, now we’re shutting it down. It frees those back up, right? So the vessels will be there, be ready to roll. You’ll have people coming off of construction projects that know what’s going on, right? That, that know how to, to work these things. So the, the people, the vessels that will be ready to roll it is just, can we get the cables, the mono piles, the turbines and the cells, the blades, all done in time, uh, to make this happen And, and. I know I’m rambling now, but after leaving that or e Catapult event and talking to some of the people, um, that are supporting those [00:17:00] funds over there, uh, being injected from the, uh, the government, I think that they’ve got  Speaker 2: the, the money flowing over there to get it done too. The big winner in the auction round was RWE and they. Almost seven gigawatts. So that was a larger share of the 8.4 gigawatts. RWE obviously has a relationship with Vestus. Is that where this is gonna go? They’re gonna be, uh, installing vestus turbines. And where were those tur turbines? As I was informed by Scottish gentlemen, I won’t name names. Uh, will those turbines be built in the uk? Speaker 3: It’s a lot. It’s a, it’s one of the biggest challenges with, um, the supply chain for wind energy is that it just is so lumpy. So, you know, you get, um, uh. You get huge eight gigawatts all at once and then you have years of, you know, just not much. Not much, not much going on. I mean, for sure they’re not gonna be just building [00:18:00] eight gigawatts worth of, um, wind turbines in the UK in the next couple of years because they would also have to build the capacity to manufacture that and, and then would wanna be building cocks every couple of years for, you know, the next 10 or 20 years. So, yeah, of course they’re gonna be manufacturing. At facilities around the world and, and transporting them. But, um, yeah, I just, I don’t know. It’s one of the things that I just. Constantly shake my head about is like, how come, especially when projects are government supported, when plans are government supported, why, why can’t we do a better job of smoothing things out so that you can have, you know, for example, local manufacturing because everyone knows that they’ve got a secure pipeline. It’s just when the government’s involved, it should be possible.  Speaker 2: At least the UK has been putting forth some. Pretty big numbers to support a local supply chain. When we were over in Scotland, they announced 300 million pounds, and that was just one of several. That’s gonna happen over the next year. There will be a [00:19:00] near a billion pounds be put into the supply chain, which will make a dramatic difference. But I think you’re right. Also, it’s, they’re gonna ramp up and then they, it’s gonna ramp down. They have to find a way to feed the global marketplace at some point, be because the technology and the people are there. It’s a question of. How do you sustain it for a 20, 30 year period? That’s a different question. Speaker 3: I do agree that the UK is doing a better job than probably anybody else. Um, it it’s just that they, the way that they have chosen to organize these auctions and the government support and the planning just means that they have that, that this is the perfect conditions to, you know. Make a smooth rollout and you know, take care of all this. And so I just a bit frustrated that they’re not doing more. But you are right that they’re doing the best probably  Speaker 4: once all of these are in service though, aren’t there quite a bit of aftermarket products that are available in the UK  Speaker: on the service then? I think there’s more.  Speaker 4: Which, I mean, that’s good. A good part of it, right? Speaker: If we’re talking Vestas, so, so let’s just round this [00:20:00] up too. If we’re talking vest’s production for blades in Europe, you have two facilities in Denmark that build V 2 36 blades. You have one facility in Italy that builds V 2 36 blades, Taiwan, but they build them for the APAC market. Of course. Um, Poland had a, has one on hold right now, V 2 36 as well. Well, they just bought that factory from LM up in Poland also. That’s, but I think that’s for onshore term, onshore blades. Oh, yes, sure. And then Scotland has, they have the proposed facility in, in Laith. That there, that’s kind of on hold as well. So if that one’s proposed, I’m sure, hey, if we get a big order, they’ll spin that up quick because they’ll get, I am, I would imagine someone o you know, one of the, one of the funds to spool up a little bit of money, boom, boom, boom. ’cause they’re turning into local jobs. Local supply  Speaker 2: chain does this then create the condition where a lot of wind turbines, like when we were in Scotland, a lot of those wind turbines are. Gonna reach 20 years old, maybe a little bit older here over the next five years where they will [00:21:00] need to be repowered upgraded, whatever’s gonna happen there. If you had internal manufacturing. In country that would, you’d think lower the price to go do that. That will be a big effort just like it is in Spain right now.  Speaker: The trouble there though too, is if you’re using local content in, in the uk, the labor prices are so much  Speaker 2: higher. I’m gonna go back to Rosie’s point about sort of the way energy is sold worldwide. UK has high energy prices, mostly because they are buying energy from other countries and it’s expensive to get it in country. So yes, they can have higher labor prices and still be lower cost compared to the alternatives. It, it’s not the same equation in the US versus uk. It’s, it’s totally different economics, but. If they get enough power generation, which I think the UK will, they’re gonna offload that and they’re already doing it now. So you can send power to France, send power up [00:22:00] north. There’s ways to sell that extra power and help pay for the system you built. That would make a a lot of sense. It’s very similar to what the Saudis have done for. Dang near 80 years, which is fill tankers full of oil and sell it. This is a little bit different that we’re just sending electrons through the water to adjacent European countries. It does seem like a plan. I hope they’re sending ’em through a cable in the water and not just into the water. Well, here’s the thing that was concerning early on. They’re gonna turn it into hydrogen and put it on a ship and send it over to France. Like that didn’t make any sense at all. Uh. Cable’s on the way to do it. Right.  Speaker: And actually, Alan, you and I did have a conversation with someone not too long ago about that triage market and how the project where they put that, that that trans, that HVDC cable next to the tunnel it, and it made and it like paid for itself in a year or something. Was that like, that they didn’t wanna really tell us like, yeah, it paid for itself in a year. Like it was a, the ROI was like on a, like a $500 million [00:23:00]project or something. That’s crazy. Um, but yeah, that’s the same. That’s, that is, I would say part of the big push in the uk there is, uh, then they can triage that power and send it, send it back across. Um, like I think Nord Link is the, the cable between Peterhead and Norway, right? So you have, you have a triage market going across to the Scandinavian countries. You have the triage market going to mainland eu. Um, and in when they have big time wind, they’re gonna be able to do it. So when you have an RWE. Looking at seven gigawatts of, uh, possibility that they just, uh, just procured. Game on. I love it. I think it’s gonna be cool. I’m, I’m happy to see it blow  Speaker 2: up. Canada is getting serious about offshore wind and international developers are paying attention. Q Energy, France and its South Korean partner. Hawa Ocean have submitted applications to develop wind projects off Nova Scotia’s Coast. The province has big ambitions. Premier, Tim Houston wants to license enough. Offshore [00:24:00] wind to produce 40 gigawatts of power far more than Nova Scotia would ever need. Uh, the extra electricity could supply more than a quarter of Canada’s total demand. If all goes according to plan, the first turbines could be spinning by 2035. Now, Joel. Yeah, some of this power will go to Canada, but there’s a huge market in the United States also for this power and the capacity factor up in Nova Scotia offshore is really good. Yeah. It’s uh, it  Speaker: is simply, it’s stellar, right? Uh, that whole No, Nova Scotia, new Brunswick, Newfoundland, that whole e even Maritimes of Canada. The wind, the wind never stops blowing, right? Like I, I go up there every once in a while ’cause my wife is from up there and, uh, it’s miserable sometimes even in the middle of summer. Um, so the, the wind resource is fantastic. The, it, it is a boom or will be a boom for the Canadian market, right? There’re always [00:25:00] that maritime community, they’re always looking for, for, uh, new jobs. New jobs, new jobs. And this is gonna bring them to them. Um, one thing I wanna flag here is when I know this, when this announcement came out. And I reached out to Tim Houston’s office to try to get him on the podcast, and I haven’t gotten a response yet. Nova Scotia. So if someone that’s listening can get ahold of Tim Houston, we’d love to talk to him about the plans for Nova Scotia. Um, but, but we see that just like we see over overseas, the triage market of we’re making power, we can sell it. You know, we balance out the prices, we can sell it to other places. From our seats here we’ve been talking about. The electricity demand on the east coast of the United States for, for years and how it is just climbing, climbing, climbing, especially AI data centers. Virginia is a hub of this, right? They need power and we’re shooting ourselves in the foot, foot for offshore wind, plus also canceling pipelines and like there’s no extra generation going on there except for some solar plants where you can squeeze ’em in down in the Carolinas and whatnot. [00:26:00] There is a massive play here for the Canadians to be able to HVD see some power down to us. Speaker 2: The offshore conditions off the coast of Nova Scotia are pretty rough, and the capacity factor being so high makes me think of some of the Brazilian wind farms where the capacity factor is over 50%. It’s amazing down there, but one of the outcomes of that has been early turbine problems. And I’m wondering if the Nova Scotia market is going to demand a different kind of turbine that is specifically built for those conditions. It’s cold, really cold. It’s really windy. There’s a lot of moisture in the air, right? So the salt is gonna be bad. Uh, and then the sea life too, right? There’s a lot of, uh, sea life off the coast of the Nova Scotia, which everybody’s gonna be concerned about. Obviously, as this gets rolling. How do we think about this? And who’s gonna be the manufacturer of turbines for Canada? Is it gonna be Nordics? Well,  Speaker: let’s start from the ground up there. So from the or ground up, it’s, how about sea [00:27:00] floor up? Let’s start from there. There is a lot of really, really, if you’ve ever worked in the offshore world, the o offshore, maritime Canadian universities that focus on the, on offshore construction, they produce some of the best engineers for those markets, right? So if you go down to Houston, Texas where there’s offshore oil and gas companies and engineering companies everywhere, you run into Canadians from the Maritimes all over the place ’cause they’re really good at what they do. Um, they are developing or they have developed offshore oil and gas platforms. Off of the coast of Newfoundland and up, up in that area. And there’s some crazy stuff you have to compete with, right? So you have icebergs up there. There’s no icebergs in the North Atlantic that like, you know, horn seats, internet cruising through horn C3 with icebergs. So they’ve, they’ve engineered and created foundations and things that can deal with that, those situations up there. But you also have to remember that you’re in the Canadian Shield, which is, um, the Canadian Shield is a geotechnical formation, right? So it’s very rocky. Um, and it’s not [00:28:00] like, uh, the other places where we’re putting fixed bottom wind in where you just pound the piles into the sand. That’s not how it’s going to go, uh, up in Canada there. So there’s some different engineering that’s going to have to take place for the foundations, but like you said, Alan Turbine specific. It blows up there. Right. And we have seen onshore, even in the United States, when you get to areas that have high capacity burning out main bearings, burning out generators prematurely because the capacity factor is so high and those turbines are just churning. Um, I, I don’t know if any of the offshore wind turbine manufacturers are adjusting any designs specifically for any markets. I, I just don’t know that. Um, but they may run into some. Some tough stuff up there, right? You might run into some, some overspeeding main bearings and some maintenance issues, specifically in the wintertime ’cause it is nasty up there. Speaker 2: Well, if you have 40 gigawatts of capacity, you have several thousand turbines, you wanna make sure really [00:29:00] sure that the blade design is right, that the gearbox is right if you have a gearbox, and that everything is essentially over-designed, heated. You can have deicing systems on it, I would assume that would be something you would be thinking about. You do the same thing for the monopoles. The whole assembly’s gotta be, have a, just a different thought process than a turbine. You would stick off the coast of Germany. Still rough conditions at times, but not like Nova Scotia.  Speaker: One, one other thing there to think about too that we haven’t dealt with, um. In such extreme levels is the, the off the coast of No. Nova Scotia is the Bay of Fundee. If you know anything about the Bay of Fundee, it is the highest tide swings in the world. So the tide swings at certain times of the year, can be upwards of 10 meters in a 12 hour period in this area of, of the ocean. And that comes with it. Different time, different types of, um, one of the difficult things for tide swings is it creates subsid currents. [00:30:00] Subsid currents are, are really, really, really bad, nasty. Against rocks and for any kind of cable lay activities and longevity of cable lay scour protection around turbines and stuff like that. So that’s another thing that subsea that we really haven’t spoke about.  Speaker 3: You know, I knew when you say Bay Bay of funding, I’m like, I know that I have heard that place before and it’s when I was researching for. Tidal power videos for Tidal Stream. It’s like the best place to, to generate electricity from. Yeah, from Tidal Stream. So I guess if you are gonna be whacking wind turbines in there anyway, maybe you can share some infrastructure and Yeah. Eca a little bit, a little bit more from your, your project.  Speaker 2: that wraps up another episode of the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. If today’s discussion sparked any questions or ideas. We’d love to hear from you. Just reach out to us on LinkedIn and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you found value in today’s conversation, please leave us a review. It really helps other wind energy professionals discover the show For Rosie, Yolanda and Joel, I’m Alan Hall, and we’ll see you here next week on the Uptime [00:36:00] Wind Energy Podcast.

What if a $28 Facebook ad could generate $20 million? Stu Heinecke, the father of contact marketing, reveals how micro-focused campaigns connect you with virtually anyone. Stu shares stories of a sales rep who used a live pigeon to reach a famous CEO, a startup that landed Walmart with one targeted ad, and how Kris Kristofferson landed a helicopter on Johnny Cash's lawn to deliver a demo tape. Guest Introduction Stu Heinecke is a bestselling author, Hall of Fame-nominated marketer, and Wall Street Journal cartoonist who helps B2B sellers acquire million-dollar accounts. His campaigns have produced response rates as high as 300% and ROI in the millions of percent. Key Topics Contact marketing defined: Targeted campaigns (as few as one person) marked by creativity, audacity, and relevancePigeon campaign that closed a $250,000 deal with a famous tech CEOOrabrush's $28 Facebook ad that landed a 735,000-unit Walmart orderDeep personalisation through profile research and relevant giftsWhy compelling campaigns exceed 100% response rates through viral sharingGetting started by reading foundational books and researching prospects Resources & Links People Mentioned Dan Waldschmidt - Turnaround specialist who sends swords, achieving 100% response ratesKris Kristofferson - Singer-songwriter who landed helicopter on Cash's lawn for demo deliveryJohnny Cash - Country legend who received Kristofferson's helicopter deliveryJune Carter - Cash's wife who received Kristofferson's demo tapesLeonardo da Vinci - Renaissance artist who used creative approaches with the Count of Milan Books How to Get a Meeting with Anyone - Foundational contact marketing book, top 65 sales books of all timeGet the Meeting! - Follow-up with 60+ illustrated case studies Companies & Organizations Orabrush - Tongue cleaner startup, $28 Facebook ad to WalmartWalmart - Retail giant targeted by Orabrush's Bentonville adsAmerican Marketing Association - Named Stu "father of contact marketing" Subscribe to the xG Weekly Newsletter for weekly insights on B2B growth across APAC: https://xgrowth.com.au/newsletter Contact & Credits Host: Shahin Hoda Guest: Stu Heinecke Produced by: Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell Edited by: Alexander Hipwell Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth

Doing more, faster, better with less has become the permanent setting in modern business. Post-pandemic, with tighter budgets, higher customer expectations, and AI speeding up competitors, leaders can't rely on "the boss with the whiteboard marker" to magically produce genius ideas on demand. You need a repeatable innovation system that draws out creativity from the whole organisation—especially the people closest to customers. Below is a practical nine-step innovation process leaders can run again and again, so innovation becomes a habit—not a lucky accident.  How do leaders define "success" before trying to innovate? Innovation gets messy fast unless everyone is crystal clear on what "good" looks like. Step One is Visualisation: define the goal, the "should be" case, and what success looks like in concrete terms—customer outcomes, cost, quality, time, risk, or growth. In practice, this is where executives at firms like Toyota or Unilever would translate strategy into a shared target: "Reduce onboarding time from 14 days to 3," or "Increase repeat purchase by 10% in APAC by Q4." Compare that with many SMEs where the goal is vague ("be more innovative") and the team sprints hard in random directions. Do now (mini-summary): Write a one-sentence "should be" target and 3 measurable success indicators (KPI, timeline, customer impact). Align the team before you chase ideas. What's the fastest way to gather the right facts without killing creativity? Great ideas come from great inputs, and Step Two is Fact Finding—collect data before opinions. Leaders should separate "facts" from "feelings" by digging into who/what/when/where/why/how. This is where many organisations discover their measurement systems are weak—or worse, wrong. In the US, you might lean on product analytics, A/B testing, and voice-of-customer tools. In Japan, you'll often combine frontline observation (genba thinking) with structured reporting—useful, but sometimes filtered by hierarchy. Either way, don't judge yet. Just get the evidence: customer complaints, churn reasons, sales cycle delays, defect rates, staff turnover, and time wasted in approvals. Do now (mini-summary): Collect 10 hard facts (numbers, patterns, examples) and 10 "customer voice" quotes. No solutions yet—just reality. How do you frame the real problem so you don't solve the wrong thing? The way you state the problem determines the quality of the ideas you'll get. Step Three is Problem (or Opportunity) Finding: clarify what's actually holding you back, where resources leak, and what success constraints exist. This is harder than it sounds. Ask five people the main problem and you'll get eight opinions—especially in matrixed multinationals or fast-moving startups. Use smart problem framing techniques: "How might we…?", "What's the bottleneck?", "If we fixed one thing this quarter, what would move the needle?" Compare Japan vs the US here: US teams may jump to action quickly; Japan teams may seek consensus early. Both can miss the root cause if the framing is sloppy. Do now (mini-summary): Rewrite your problem three ways: customer-impact, process-bottleneck, and cost-leakage. Pick the clearest, most actionable version. How do you run ideation so the loud people don't crush the good ideas? Step Four is Idea Finding, and the golden rule is: no judgement, chase volume, and do it in silence. This is where most leaders accidentally sabotage innovation—someone blurts an idea, the "bolshie" confident voices start critiquing, and the timid thinkers shut down. Silent idea generation (think brainwriting rather than brainstorming) helps deeper thinkers contribute and reduces status bias—critical in hierarchical cultures and in teams where junior staff defer to seniority. If you want better ideas, ask the people closest to the coal face: new hires, customer support, frontline sales, and the group that best matches your buyers' profile. Often they see problems the C-suite never touches. Do now (mini-summary): Run 10 minutes of silent brainwriting: each person writes 10 ideas. No talking. Then collect and cluster ideas by theme. How do leaders choose the best ideas without politics or "rank wins"? Step Five is Solution Finding—now you're allowed to judge, but you must judge fairly. The risk here is predictable: seniority dominates, juniors defer, and the "easy consensus" becomes a polite rubber stamp. Use a structured selection method: score ideas against agreed criteria (impact, effort, speed, risk, customer value). Borrow from frameworks like Stage-Gate, Lean Startup (testable hypotheses), and even RICE scoring (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort). Compare sectors: in B2B, feasibility and implementation risk often weigh more; in consumer markets, speed and customer delight can dominate. The point is to remove the "who said it" factor. Do now (mini-summary): Build a simple 4-criteria scorecard and rank the top 10 ideas. Make scoring anonymous if hierarchy is distorting decisions. How do you get buy-in and actually execute innovation in the real world? Ideas don't win—execution wins, and Steps Six to Nine turn creativity into results. Step Six is Acceptance Finding: sell the idea internally for time, money, and people. Step Seven is Implementation: define who does what by when, with budget and resources. Step Eight is Follow Up: check progress early so you don't discover the team is zigging when you needed zagging. Step Nine is Evaluation: did it work, was it worth it, and what did we learn? In 2025-era organisations, this is also where AI can help: drafting business cases, mapping risks, creating implementation plans, and summarising learnings—without replacing leadership accountability. Startups might run faster experiments; conglomerates might need governance and change management. Either way, the process keeps you moving. Do now (mini-summary): Assign an owner, set a 30-day milestone, and define the success metric. Review weekly. Capture learnings as you go. Final wrap-up A surprising number of companies still have no shared system for generating ideas—so innovation depends on mood, meetings, or the loudest voice in the room. A repeatable nine-step process creates better ideation, stronger decision-making, and cleaner execution. Run it consistently, and innovation becomes part of your organisational DNA—not a once-a-year workshop. Quick next steps for leaders Pick one business pain point and run Steps 1–4 in a 60-minute session this week. Use silent idea generation to protect the deeper thinkers. Score ideas with a simple rubric to avoid politics. Pilot one idea in 30 days, then evaluate and repeat. FAQs Is brainstorming or brainwriting better for innovation? Brainwriting usually beats brainstorming because it reduces groupthink and status bias. Silent idea generation produces more ideas and more diverse ideas in most teams. How long does the nine-step innovation process take? You can run Steps 1–5 in a half-day and Steps 6–9 over 30–90 days. The timeline depends on complexity, risk, and resources. What if leadership won't support the idea? Treat Step Six like a sales process—build a business case and show trade-offs. If you can't win resources, scale the idea down into a testable pilot.   Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

Sithembile Bopela from FNB Wealth and Investments unpacks whether Aspen's plan to sell its APAC (ex-China) assets sharpens the investment case. Herman van Papendorp from Momentum Investments explores how the US attack on Venezuela carries consequences well beyond Latin America, with longer-term implications for investors. Craig Antonie of AnBro Capital looks at where to find value – and strong returns – beyond the Mag 7, and why markets don't pay attention to calendars.

Ash Alexander-Cooper OBE is a former soldier, world-championship athlete, award-winning international musician and artist. During a 28-year regular and reserve career, Ash served as an airborne soldier, helicopter pilot, jungle warfare and counter-terrorist specialist, spending 82 months deployed on operations. Since retirement, Ash has been a Senior Partner at McChrystal Group, led international business development at Palantir, runs a Leadership Development firm and is VP EMEA & APAC for Dedrone by Axon. Wounded multiple times in combat, Ash is passionate about giving back and is proud to support several veteran and mental health charities. To that end, he has committed to donate all author profits from the sale of his upcoming book - Mindful Soldier: Building Resilience to Overcome Life's Challenges – which publishes in the UK on 22 January 2026 and is available worldwide from 27 January 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Asia Pacific is redefining cross-border and real-time payments. While market volatility persists, data is becoming more actionable as treasurers prepare for faster decisions, sharper liquidity strategy and another year of intense regional momentum.

APAC stocks were mostly higher following the positive handover from Wall Street, where all major indices gained amid outperformance in energy and a softer yield environment.US President Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at a GOP member retreat at 10:00EST/15:00GMT on Tuesday and will participate in a meeting at 14.30EST/19:30GMT on Tuesday.Witnesses reportedly heard loud blasts near the Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, according to Bloomberg's Erik Wasson. There were then reports of a shooting near the Presidential Palace in Caracas, although the Venezuelan government said the situation was under control.NVIDIA (NVDA) CEO said there is strong demand from China for H200 chips, while he added that the Co. has applied for licenses to ship H200 chips to China, and the US government is working to process them.European equity futures indicate a mildly positive cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.1% after the cash market closed with gains of 1.3% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include French CPI Prelim (Dec), German CPI Prelim (Dec), US S&P PMI Final (Dec), Speakers including ECB's Cipollone & Fed's Barkin, Fed Discount Rate Minutes, Supply from Germany & US.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Welcome back, Cloud 9fin listeners! To bring in the new year, 9fin's Asia editor Richard Macauley and US deputy editor Sasha Padbidri kick off our first-ever Asia podcast by unpacking the first successful use of the cross-class cramdown provision in GP APAC's restructuring — a move that established a legal milestone for Singapore's restructuring and insolvency framework.For more details, check out the full story here.Have any feedback for us? Send a note to podcast@9fin.com, or reach out to rich.macauley@9fin.com to learn more about our APAC offering!

REGIME change in Venezuela, shifting shadow fleets and the small matter of how to decarbonise one of the world's most critical industries. Who'd be a shipowner in 2026? To kick off the new year, Lloyd's List is bringing you a series of shorter podcast episodes highlighting key issues to watch out for in each of our key topics, including the tanker, container and dry bulk markets, risk and compliance plus the ongoing decarbonisation saga. But to start with, editor-in-chief Richard Meade and APAC editor Cichen Shen give you a broader, overall picture of the most pressing issues facing shipping. And the list is a long one. Learn more about Lloyd's List Intelligence here: https://www.lloydslistintelligence.com/products/lloyds-list

In this episode, Jeremy is joined by Rob Hart, Horizontal Talent Country Director for Australia, to discuss establishing a high-quality service offering in the Australian market.They dive into:Rob's transition to Horizontal, relocating to Melbourne and balancing personal and professional commitments Opportunities in the Australian market for staffing, professional services and offshoring solutions Collaboration with APAC offices to deliver tailored, high-touch solutions for clients How AI and workforce transformation are reshaping corporate needs and talent strategies Future opportunities in Australia

US President Trump announced on Saturday that the US successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela, while he added that President Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of Venezuela.US President Trump said they are ready to stage a second strike if necessary and had assumed a second wave was needed, but now probably not.US President Trump signalled the US could widen its focus in the region to Cuba, and he will be meeting with House Republicans in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. Further, Trump said it “sounds good” to him regarding whether there will be an operation in Colombia.Crude futures fluctuated and pared most of their earlier losses after initially slumping by more than 1% as participants digested the geopolitical events from over the weekend.APAC stocks were mostly higher as the region shrugged off the US strike on Venezuela and resumed last year's semiconductor-led rally which lifted the KOSPI to a record high; European equity futures indicate a higher cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures up 0.7%.Looking ahead, highlights include US ISM Manufacturing PMI (Dec).Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks traded mixed and within narrow ranges following a largely positive lead from Wall Street. APAC lacked conviction amid light newsflow and anaemic volumes as markets wound down ahead of the holidays.DXY was choppy, and JPY strengthened before trimming some gains. G10 FX largely moved with the USD.Spot gold and silver both hit fresh all-time highs at above USD 4,500/oz and USD 72.70/bbl. European equity futures are closed as Eurex observes the Christmas Eve holiday. UK equity futures point to a flat open, with FTSE 100 futures U/C after the cash market closed 0.2% higher on Tuesday.Looking ahead, highlights include US Jobless Claims (w/e 20 Dec), Supply from the US.Note: The Newsquawk desk will run until 18:05GMT/13:05EST on Wednesday, 24th December. FOMC Minutes on 30th December 2025 will be covered. Normal service will resume at 0700GMT/02:00EST on Friday 2nd of January 2026 for the beginning of the European Session. Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks eventually traded mixed after initially taking their cue from Wall Street, although volumes and news flow remained subdued as markets wound down for the holiday period.JPY extended its prior session's advances, and USD/JPY eventually dipped under 156.00, whilst the CNH saw notable strength. US President Trump said the US will keep the ships and oil seized near Venezuela.Novo Nordisk (NOVOB DC) said the Wegovy pill is approved in the US as the first oral GLP-1 treatment for weight management.European equity futures are indicative of an uneventful cash open with the Euro Stoxx 50 U/C after cash closed -0.3% on Monday.Looking ahead, highlights include German Import Prices (Nov), Spanish GDP Final (Q3), US Richmond Fed (Dec), Durable Goods (Oct), GDP Advance (Oct), PCE Prices (Q3), Industrial Production, Consumer Confidence, Canadian GDP, BoC Minutes (Dec Meeting), Supply from US. Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

APAC stocks kicked off the week with gains across the board as the region coat-tailed on the strength seen stateside. Tech outperformance continued across the region.US Coast Guard officials over the weekend tracked two oil tankers in international waters close to Venezuela, marking three tankers within the past week.Russia's Kremlin said changes made by Ukrainians and Europeans to peace proposals did not bring agreements closer or add anything positive, IFAX reported.Israeli PM Netanyahu reportedly plans to brief US President Trump on possible new Iran strikes, according to NBC News.European equity futures are indicative of a slightly softer cash open, with the Euro Stoxx 50 future down 0.2% after cash closed +0.3% on Friday.Looking ahead, highlights include Italian Producer Prices (Nov), Canadian Producer Prices (Nov), and supply from the US.Click for the Newsquawk Week Ahead.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

In this episode, host Jeremy Schrand welcomes Jamie Glavic, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications & Community Engagement and Program Lead of CTI Cares, and Kirsten Wellige, Associate Director, Clinical Project Coordination and Global Chair of the EU CTI Cares Committee, to discuss CTI Cares, CTI's global employee-driven program that brings company values to life through community engagement, volunteering, health and wellness initiatives, environmental efforts, and cultural celebrations. The conversation highlights inspiring stories, regional initiatives, and the program's growth, including the launch of the Belonging Committee and plans for the year ahead. 00:48 – Guests Jamie Glavic and Kirsten Wellige introduced. 01:09 – CTI CARES overview: Connecting company values to global and local impact. 02:11 – Program history: Shift to regional leadership approach. 03:16 – Why community engagement matters at CTI. 04:38 – Employee benefits: Personal fulfillment and professional growth. 08:09 – 2025 highlights: North America: CancerFree Kids challenge, school partnerships.Europe: Master Chef competitions, blood drives, cleanups, Universal Children's Day.11:26 – Regional flexibility and global sharing of ideas. 15:00 – Employee-driven activities and creative input. 18:55 – Program evolution: Belonging Committee and expanded APAC involvement. 20:38 – Hopes for next year: More global participation and new wellness initiatives. 22:34 – Closing remarks: CTI CARES as a vibrant, employee-powered community.

Tariffs, currency pressures, a property slump: China faces challenges on multiple fronts. Meanwhile, Australia's resilient economy risks triggering inflation. How will these and other factors affect the region's economies in 2026? Joining Rod Ireland, Head of Global Markets for APAC, to break down the outlook are Abbas Keshvani, Asia Macro Strategist, and Rob Thompson, Macro Rates Strategist.

With government spend poised to spike, defense valuations in Europe are at record highs. But the response to global threats brings opportunities for a much wider set of industrials and innovators. Dominic Hudson, Head of Investment Banking for Europe and APAC, is joined by Cliff Bayer, Head of Aerospace, Defense and Government Services; Rob Jurd, Head of Industrials for Europe; and Claire Sturgess, Head of Canadian Industrials and CME Investment Banking, to explore the sector's outlook for 2026.

We report from MIPIM Asia in Hong Kong, where delegates from across the APAC region and beyond discussed solutions to meet the rapid pace of urbanisation. Plus: a city reeling from a devastating fire in Tai Po.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.