Singapore’s economy expanded 5.7% in the second quarter, topping market expectations, on the back of strong growth in the manufacturing sector, CNBC reported. Growth was higher than the 5.5% expected by economists polled by Reuters, but lower than the revised 6.3% seen in the first quarter, according to a release from the country’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. The goods sector expanded 10.4% from the 8.4% in the previous quarter, while growth in the services sector slowed to 4.6% from 6.2% in the first quarter.

China's exports surged in June, buoyed by orders for chips to fuel the global AI boom and automobiles, deepening producers' reliance on overseas buyers as policymakers in the world's No. 2 economy continue to grapple with how to boost demand at home, Reuters reported. The stronger-than-expected trade performance keeps ‌China on track to post a surplus topping $1 trillion for a second straight year, with factories sustaining sales despite slowing growth in major economies and trade frictions with Washington. Exports ‌climbed 27% from a year earlier in U.S.

China's economy likely cooled in the ​second quarter, with growth drifting toward the lower end of Beijing's annual target as an entrenched demand slump overshadowed resilient exports, though any fresh ‌stimulus measures are expected to be limited, Reuters reported. The world's second-largest economy is becoming increasingly unbalanced: Factory output remains robust, helped by AI-related exports, while consumption and investment continue to weaken under the weight of a prolonged property slump and fallout from the global oil shock.

Chinese regulators have issued guidance to some banks barring them from conducting bill re-discount ​operations at rates below 0.5%, sources said on ‌Tuesday, as regulators move to rein in aggressive bill buying amid weak loan demand, Reuters reported. The guidance came after bill re-discount rates plunged ​in recent months as banks — struggling to find ​willing borrowers in a sluggish economy — turned to the ⁠bill market to meet lending quotas and park ​excess liquidity. Traders have said rates as low as 0.01% ​were not uncommon at month-end.

Lenders in Japan are seeking to recover more than $700m after payments firm Zentoshin filed for bankruptcy, Electronic Payments International reported. Zentoshin reported total liabilities of about Y115.2bn ($710m) when it submitted its bankruptcy filing to the Osaka District Court last week. This is Japan’s largest corporate bankruptcy of the year, according to a Bloomberg report. The collapse has left 63 creditors with claims totalling $709m, the publication added citing Tokyo Shoko Research. Creditors are mainly regional banks and other local lenders.

Homeplus abruptly suspended operations at all 67 of its stores nationwide at 10 a.m. on July 13 without any prior notice, BigGo Finance reported. The company described it as a temporary closure ahead of a court decision on July 20 that is expected to terminate its rehabilitation plan, but the market views this as the company effectively entering bankruptcy proceedings. Employees were thrown into chaos, receiving notices to leave work shortly after arriving. Tenants operating shops within the stores also suspended their businesses in solidarity.

A spokesman for the Housing Bureau (HB) said on July 13 that online allegations that the Wang Fuk Court Property Rights Acquisition Limited established by the Government to acquire ownership of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po is a shell company on the verge of bankruptcy are entirely unfounded, the Bastille Post reported. It cannot be ruled out that the allegations are made by individuals with ulterior motives to confuse the public. The Government must set the record straight.

The debts of failed property developer Jean-Dominique Huynh, best known for being behind the remodeling of Sydney’s iconic Sirius building and raising hundreds of millions of dollars for landmark developments on the east coast, have risen from $131 million to a staggering $667 million, according to his bankruptcy trustee, the Australian Financial Review reported. Huynh, a former Macquarie Group investment banker, once touted his alleged connections to Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, and Vietnamese billionaires, to raise funds.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has released a discussion paper aiming to strengthen the regulatory framework on the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP), liquidation, and insolvency and bankruptcy from personal guarantors to corporate debtors, the India Business Law Journal reported. The move intends to plug gaps, reduce procedural uncertainty and align the regulations with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Act, 2026.