A top South Korean official said on Monday that the U.S. and South Korea had decided to establish a non-binding agreement to define the operation and structure of $350 billion in investment funds agreed as part of a July trade deal, Reuters reported. Seoul agreed with Washington last month on a trade deal to cut U.S. tariffs in exchange for pledging the investments, though differences emerged on how the sides interpreted details of the plan, including how profits would be distributed.

China Evergrande, a real estate developer that once represented the pinnacle of China’s economic prowess, was formally removed from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday, the New York Times reported. Evergrande, which made its financial debut in Hong Kong 16 years ago, had once been the fastest growing property developer in a country brimming with promise of profits for investors. It will be remembered as one of the world’s most indebted companies whose collapse brought China’s financial system to the brink.

Evergrande’s collapse, with $300 billion in debt, mirrors the slow and painful unwinding of China’s property sector, the New York Times reported. Government policies staved off a sudden crash, and instead delivered a grinding slowdown. The housing downturn has not delivered the devastating shock that the United States suffered in the 2008 financial crisis, but it has been hanging over the economy for five years with no end in sight.

Appellate tribunal NCLAT has dismissed the plea against the acquisition of Vadraj Cement by Nirma group cement business Nuvoco Vistas Corporation during an insolvency resolution process, the Economic Times of India reported. The Delhi-based principal bench of NCLAT has upheld the previous order passed by the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), which on April 1, 2025, approved Nuvoco Vistas's plan for Vadraj Cement that includes an upfront payment of Rs 1,800 crore.

Japan's Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Monday that cryptocurrencies can be part of a diversified portfolio, CoinDesk.com reported. "Crypto assets have risks surrounding high volatility, but through building an appropriate investment environment, they could be part of diversified investments," Kato said. The minister added that the government has been trying to ensure that innovation isn't stifled by excessive regulation.

India’s embassy in Washington has hired a lobbying firm with close ties to the Trump administration and a history of advocating for foreign entities targeted by the U.S., just before 50% tariffs take effect on exports from the South Asian country, Bloomberg News reported. The embassy is paying $75,000 per month to Mercury Public Affairs LLC to provide government relations, media relations and other services, according to an Aug. 18 filing detailing the agreement. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is a former co-chair of Mercury.

Embattled Chinese property developer Country Garden on Friday warned of a bigger loss for the first half of fiscal 2025, after deliveries of housing projects halved from 2024 and asset impairments rose, Reuters reported. The company delivered about 74,000 housing units in the first half, compared with over 150,000 in the same period last year. The primary concern remains resolving issues around debt, Country Garden said.

The pace of Japan’s consumer inflation stayed well above the Bank of Japan’s target in July even as price growth moderated, supporting market speculation that the central bank will hike its benchmark interest rate again this year, Bloomberg News reported. Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.1% from a year earlier last month, slowing from a 3.3% gain in June, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported Friday. The median estimate of economists was for a gain of 3%, with expectations there would be a drag from energy prices after they spiked a year earlier.

Binance is under the microscope in Australia, DLNews reported. Austrac, the country’s financial crimes regulator, has ordered the crypto exchange to appoint an external auditor after allegedly finding shortcomings in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing systems. “Big global operators may appear well resourced … but if they don’t understand local money laundering and terrorism financing risks, they are failing to meet their AML/CTF obligations in Australia,” the country’s top regulator Brendan Thomas said.