China's cabinet on Wednesday unveiled plans to boost employment, including supporting financial institutions to offer loans to small firms and issuing subsidies to firms that hire college graduates or unemployed young people, Reuters reported. The world's second-largest economy reported better-than-expected growth in the first quarter after the lifting of stringent COVID-19 curbs, but the jobless rate for those aged 16 to 24 rebounded close to a record high in March, creating a headache for policymakers.

Should a slowing economy lead to a weak stock market? Not judging by the performance of South Korea’s benchmark index this year, the Wall Street Journal reported. The country’s stock market is the best performer in Asia and one of the top indexes in the world so far this year. The Kospi Composite Index has risen more than 11% since Jan. 1, fueled by a rally in the shares of big technology companies such as Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc., which together account for a fifth of the index.

China has finished building a national and unified system for real estate registration, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday, in a landmark move that will boost transparency in ownership, Reuters reported. In 2014, China issued rules requiring real estate owners to register their holdings with authorities but faced heavy resistance from local governments unwilling to open up their books.

A dozen entities, including Silver Stallion of Mauritius, FPI Opportunities Fund of Singapore and listed companies C.E. Info Systems and 3i Infotech India, have shown interest in acquiring bankrupt defence-focused software developer Rolta India, said people aware of the development, the Economic Times of India reported. Other bidders to have submitted expressions of interest (EoIs) to the resolution professional Mamta Binani include Rashmi Metaliks, Rohstoffe International, Lloyds Metals and Energy, Varanium Cloud, and three individuals.

China nudged banks this month to cut deposit interest rates further in the latest effort to channel the country's vast savings pool into spending and more productive investments, Reuters reported. Members of China's "interest rate self-regulatory mechanism," mostly banks, met this month and were urged to reduce deposit rates. China's central bank does not set bank rates directly but guides them through the market-based mechanism, which comprises banks big and small. The guidance comes as banks and the economy groan under the weight of huge inflows of savings and deposits.

The Bank of Japan may conduct a comprehensive review of the impact of the monetary easing steps it has taken over the longer term, an idea recently flagged by its new governor Kazuo Ueda. But there is uncertainty on how soon, and in what format, the central bank could launch such a review, which will be a topic of discussion at upcoming policy meetings, Reuters reported. Any review likely won't have immediate policy implications, and instead focus on structural factors such as lessons drawn from the BOJ's long battle with deflation.

The northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang is considering buying a stake in Hong Kong-listed Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd., giving it exposure to a local joint venture with BMW AG, Bloomberg News reported. The municipal government is discussing a potential acquisition of a 30% stake in Brilliance China held by state-backed Brilliance Automotive Group Holdings Co., which is in a court-led restructuring process, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is confidential.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. has started settlement talks with its creditors to repay debts and remove the last hurdle in completing a merger with the Sony Group that would create a $10 billion media giant, Bloomberg News reported. The Indian television network has offered IDBI Bank Ltd., one of the creditors that moved insolvency court, to repay a loan of about 1.49 billion rupees ($18.1 million) in tranches, the people said, asking not to be named as the information isn’t public. Zee’s founders are in separate discussions with Axis Bank Ltd.

Credit Suisse has lodged a $440 million claim against Japan's SoftBank Group Corp in London as it presses ahead with formal proceedings in a dispute borne from the failure of Greensill Capital, a finance firm, Reuters reported. The Swiss lender is trying to recover client funds that Greensill had lent to Katerra, a SoftBank-backed U.S. construction group that filed for bankruptcy in 2021. SoftBank has vowed to vigorously fight the claim. The collapse of Greensill, along with a string of scandals, helped dent confidence in the 167-year-old Swiss bank.

On 20 January 2023, the Interim Proposal on the Reform of Secured Transaction Law (“Interim Proposal“) was published by the Japanese government, according to an analysis on Lexology.com. The Interim Proposal is, among other things, intended to govern security interests created by secured transactions, such as security assignments and sales with retention of title, that have been recognized by court precedents. The Interim Proposal also considers the introduction of a new type of security interest over all the assets of a company’s business.