China's electric vehicle industry, the world's largest and most advanced, is facing mounting financial strain as fierce competition and overcapacity push many companies toward bankruptcy, UPI.com reported. While the sector has expanded rapidly on the back of strong battery manufacturing and artificial intelligence capabilities, analysts warn that structural weaknesses are emerging beneath the surface. China produced nearly 17 million electric vehicles in 2025, accounting for about 70% of global output.

China on Monday left benchmark loan prime rates (LPRs) unchanged for the 11th consecutive month in ​April, in line with market expectations. Solid economic growth ‌at the start of the year and a pick-up in inflation reduced the need for fresh monetary easing to support the broader economy. China kept the one-year LPR at 3.00% and five-year ​LPR at 3.50%.

A gold-hued skyscraper is rising above the traffic-clogged streets of the capital city on the Mekong River, the Wall Street Journal reported. The building is already Cambodia’s tallest structure—and a monument to the spoils generated by transnational cybergangs that have stolen billions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans and others worldwide. The skyscraper is being built by a company under sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department for its alleged connection to one of hundreds of scam operations that have cropped up across Cambodia.

Thailand’s government may lift a voluntary ceiling on public debt to open room for additional borrowing of about $30 billion to fund measures to shore up an economy hit by global energy shocks, Bloomberg News reported. Officials from the finance ministry and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s office are discussing raising the ceiling to 75% of gross domestic product from the current 70%, said the people, who requested anonymity ahead of an official announcement.

Australia's largest business lender, National Australia Bank, on Monday said it expects to incur credit impairment charges of ‌A$706 million ($503 million) in the first half, as the Iran war roils the ‌global economy and financial markets, Reuters reported. The bank said it was now predicting more bad debts to occur as the ​likelihood of an Australian "downside economic scenario" was rising due to the Middle East conflict. NAB shares were down as much as 3.8% on Monday as the S&P/ASX200 was off 0.24% in early trading. The ASX200 financials index was 0.67% lower, dragged down by NAB.

Companies in Australia and New Zealand are beginning to signal the financial strain from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, as higher fuel prices stoke inflation, dent business and consumer confidence, and weigh on corporate earnings, Reuters reported. Australia's largest business lender, National Australia Bank, warned on Monday of a first-half credit impairment hit, while Qube Holdings and Worley flagged earnings impacts from the ​ongoing market volatility.

A compact process proposed in India to speed up insolvency resolution can be initiated only by financial creditors having a combined share of at least 51% in debt, according to the draft regulations floated by the bankruptcy regulator, the Economic Times of India reported. The defaulting firm in such cases must respond within 30 days to lenders’ notice seeking proceedings under the Creditor-initiated Insolvency Resolution Process (CIIRP). Faster insolvency process proposed with creditor-led resolution framework.

India plans to set up a special bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) with trained manpower to handle cross-border insolvency cases once the new bankruptcy rules are notified, to fast-track proceedings, the Economic Times of India reported. The cross-border framework, approved last month as part of amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), will be based on a model UN law with modifications to suit the Indian context.

Strong investments in rail lines and other infrastructure offset weak consumer spending and a shrinking trade surplus as the Chinese economy continued to grow in the first three months of the year, the New York Times reported. China’s National Bureau of Statistics announced on Thursday that the country’s gross domestic product grew 1.3 percent from the last three months of 2025. If that pace continues through the year, the Chinese economy will expand at an annual rate of about 5.3 percent.

Japan said it would provide about $10 billion in financial support to help Southeast Asian nations cope with soaring oil prices that threaten production of petroleum-derived products in the region, the New York Times reported. Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, announced the initiative on Wednesday at a regional forum that included Japan and major Southeast Asian economies such as Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. The pledge comes as much of Asia is being buffeted by disruptions in oil supplies stemming from the war in the Middle East.