ASEAN Express News: April 23, 2026
A digest of ASEAN financial news: Vietnam controls inflation at 3.51%; TWSE courts Malaysian tech firms; Middle East conflicts weigh on Thailand's sentiment and the Philippine Peso; Cambodia opens a Chinese-funded gold mine.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 18:04
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 18:31 (27 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 18:41 (9 min after Collected)
ASEAN Financial Feature Report (Total 300 articles)
Central News Agency
Grasp the New Southbound Policy, look to the economic pulse of ASEAN. The Central News Agency's "Southeast Asia Financial Information Network" daily selects multiple financial headlines from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and other countries. Whether it's new government policies, industry trends, or investment opportunities, we let you instantly grasp key information, understand the market, and seize business opportunities.
Vietnam: Benefiting from new 5-year plan, Q1 CPI rises 3.51%, successfully hitting target
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) Vietnam's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by an average of 3.51% in the first quarter of 2026, successfully controlled within the 4.5% target range set by the government. In addition, total social investment in Q1 grew by 10.7%, indicating that public and private funds are accelerating into infrastructure.
Benefiting from the new 5-year plan, the year-on-year growth rate of newly established enterprises in Vietnam reached 57% in Q1. The Central Committee recently emphasized that it will prioritize educational reform and talent development, especially strengthening cooperation with foreign universities (such as those in Germany) to cultivate high-quality labor needed for semiconductors and digital transformation.
Laos: Q1 inflation drops to 7%, fiscal performance robust
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) The Ministry of Finance of Laos reported at a cabinet meeting that the average inflation rate for the first quarter of 2026 was 7%, a significant drop compared to 13.1% in the same period of 2025. Nevertheless, the increase in certain categories such as "goods and services" remained high at 36.3%.
Lao Minister of Finance Santiphab Phomvihane emphasized that the government will commit to enhancing economic independence, strengthening macroeconomic resilience by establishing a national investment fund and managing gold reserves.
Singapore: March core inflation slightly rises to 1.7%, full-year forecast unchanged
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) The latest data released today by the Singapore Department of Statistics shows that, affected by rising prices of retail goods and services, Singapore's core and overall inflation rates both moved higher in March.
According to "The Business Times", the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) maintained their previous forecasts, estimating that the full-year inflation rate for 2026 will fall between 1.5% and 2.5%, but expect import cost pressures to intensify and broaden in the coming months.
Philippines: Forex dealers association expects Peso to depreciate to record low this year
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) According to Bloomberg, the foreign exchange dealers association of the Philippines stated that although the central bank may intervene to suppress the exchange rate within a narrow range, under the impact of the war in Iran, the Philippine Peso may depreciate to a record low of 61 Pesos to the US dollar this year.
Armand Barlis, President of ACI Philippines, said in an interview, "I think a more reasonable range is probably around 59 to 61," adding that this forecast has already factored in potential exchange rate interventions by the Philippine central bank.
Myanmar: Over $440 million in fish exports in the 2025-2026 fiscal year
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) The Department of Fisheries of Myanmar noted that during the 2025-2026 fiscal year (April 1 to March 31 of the following year), Myanmar exported a total of over 326,300 metric tons of fish, generating over $404 million in revenue.
According to the "Global New Light of Myanmar," Myanmar exported over 150,000 metric tons of fish by sea, valued at approximately $240.48 million; another 176,000 metric tons of fish, valued at $163.5 million, were exported overland to neighboring countries.
Malaysia: Helping to build the NASDAQ of Asia, Taiwan Stock Exchange exchanges and attracts investments
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) The Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) is actively helping to build Taiwan into the NASDAQ of Asia. Following a trip to Silicon Valley in the US in March to attract high-tech industries, it announced yesterday a visit to Penang, Malaysia, a semiconductor hub in Southeast Asia, for in-depth exchanges with local semiconductor industry representatives.
Tien Chien-chung, manager of the Listing Department 2 at TWSE, stated that Malaysia plays a critical role in the global semiconductor industry, especially in packaging and testing processes, being one of the world's largest semiconductor packaging and testing bases. About 15% of the world's semiconductor packaging and testing capacity is concentrated in Malaysia, among which Penang is known as the Silicon Valley of the East, playing a heavy role particularly in the fields of automotive chips and power semiconductors.
Tien stated that this TWSE delegation to Malaysia hopes to drive cooperation opportunities in the semiconductor supply chain between Taiwan and Malaysia through the TWSE's international fundraising platform.
Thailand: Middle East war impact, Thailand's March industrial sentiment index falls
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) A report by the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) shows that affected by rising international oil prices and Middle East conflicts, Thailand's Industrial Sentiment Index (ISI) dropped from 90.0 in February to 88.6 in March. Moreover, businesses expressed concerns over future conditions due to raw material shortages and rising freight rates.
The "Bangkok Post" quoted the report, pointing out that in addition to regional geopolitical risks, shortages of raw materials like plastic pellets and climbing freight rates have greatly increased the burden on manufacturers. The expectation index measuring the economic outlook for the next three months also weakened in March, reflecting widespread industry concerns that continued war will further impact the global supply chain.
Cambodia: Chinese-funded gold mining project worth about $40 million begins production
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) A gold processing project invested with approximately $40 million by the Chinese-funded gold mining company Cambodia K88 Industry Co. officially began production yesterday.
According to the "Cambodia China Times," the project is located at the border area between Kampong Thom and Kratie provinces in Cambodia. Keo Rottanak, Minister of Mines and Energy, attended the ceremony and noted that Cambodia's gold mining industry continues to develop, having contributed over $200 million in revenue to the national treasury over the past five years. The new project will provide about 375 jobs after coming online.
Indonesia: Middle East situation casts a shadow over economic outlook, Central Bank stays put
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) The Middle East war casts a shadow over the economic outlook, Bank Indonesia...
Central News Agency
Grasp the New Southbound Policy, look to the economic pulse of ASEAN. The Central News Agency's "Southeast Asia Financial Information Network" daily selects multiple financial headlines from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and other countries. Whether it's new government policies, industry trends, or investment opportunities, we let you instantly grasp key information, understand the market, and seize business opportunities.
Vietnam: Benefiting from new 5-year plan, Q1 CPI rises 3.51%, successfully hitting target
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) Vietnam's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by an average of 3.51% in the first quarter of 2026, successfully controlled within the 4.5% target range set by the government. In addition, total social investment in Q1 grew by 10.7%, indicating that public and private funds are accelerating into infrastructure.
Benefiting from the new 5-year plan, the year-on-year growth rate of newly established enterprises in Vietnam reached 57% in Q1. The Central Committee recently emphasized that it will prioritize educational reform and talent development, especially strengthening cooperation with foreign universities (such as those in Germany) to cultivate high-quality labor needed for semiconductors and digital transformation.
Laos: Q1 inflation drops to 7%, fiscal performance robust
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) The Ministry of Finance of Laos reported at a cabinet meeting that the average inflation rate for the first quarter of 2026 was 7%, a significant drop compared to 13.1% in the same period of 2025. Nevertheless, the increase in certain categories such as "goods and services" remained high at 36.3%.
Lao Minister of Finance Santiphab Phomvihane emphasized that the government will commit to enhancing economic independence, strengthening macroeconomic resilience by establishing a national investment fund and managing gold reserves.
Singapore: March core inflation slightly rises to 1.7%, full-year forecast unchanged
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) The latest data released today by the Singapore Department of Statistics shows that, affected by rising prices of retail goods and services, Singapore's core and overall inflation rates both moved higher in March.
According to "The Business Times", the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) maintained their previous forecasts, estimating that the full-year inflation rate for 2026 will fall between 1.5% and 2.5%, but expect import cost pressures to intensify and broaden in the coming months.
Philippines: Forex dealers association expects Peso to depreciate to record low this year
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) According to Bloomberg, the foreign exchange dealers association of the Philippines stated that although the central bank may intervene to suppress the exchange rate within a narrow range, under the impact of the war in Iran, the Philippine Peso may depreciate to a record low of 61 Pesos to the US dollar this year.
Armand Barlis, President of ACI Philippines, said in an interview, "I think a more reasonable range is probably around 59 to 61," adding that this forecast has already factored in potential exchange rate interventions by the Philippine central bank.
Myanmar: Over $440 million in fish exports in the 2025-2026 fiscal year
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) The Department of Fisheries of Myanmar noted that during the 2025-2026 fiscal year (April 1 to March 31 of the following year), Myanmar exported a total of over 326,300 metric tons of fish, generating over $404 million in revenue.
According to the "Global New Light of Myanmar," Myanmar exported over 150,000 metric tons of fish by sea, valued at approximately $240.48 million; another 176,000 metric tons of fish, valued at $163.5 million, were exported overland to neighboring countries.
Malaysia: Helping to build the NASDAQ of Asia, Taiwan Stock Exchange exchanges and attracts investments
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) The Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) is actively helping to build Taiwan into the NASDAQ of Asia. Following a trip to Silicon Valley in the US in March to attract high-tech industries, it announced yesterday a visit to Penang, Malaysia, a semiconductor hub in Southeast Asia, for in-depth exchanges with local semiconductor industry representatives.
Tien Chien-chung, manager of the Listing Department 2 at TWSE, stated that Malaysia plays a critical role in the global semiconductor industry, especially in packaging and testing processes, being one of the world's largest semiconductor packaging and testing bases. About 15% of the world's semiconductor packaging and testing capacity is concentrated in Malaysia, among which Penang is known as the Silicon Valley of the East, playing a heavy role particularly in the fields of automotive chips and power semiconductors.
Tien stated that this TWSE delegation to Malaysia hopes to drive cooperation opportunities in the semiconductor supply chain between Taiwan and Malaysia through the TWSE's international fundraising platform.
Thailand: Middle East war impact, Thailand's March industrial sentiment index falls
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) A report by the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) shows that affected by rising international oil prices and Middle East conflicts, Thailand's Industrial Sentiment Index (ISI) dropped from 90.0 in February to 88.6 in March. Moreover, businesses expressed concerns over future conditions due to raw material shortages and rising freight rates.
The "Bangkok Post" quoted the report, pointing out that in addition to regional geopolitical risks, shortages of raw materials like plastic pellets and climbing freight rates have greatly increased the burden on manufacturers. The expectation index measuring the economic outlook for the next three months also weakened in March, reflecting widespread industry concerns that continued war will further impact the global supply chain.
Cambodia: Chinese-funded gold mining project worth about $40 million begins production
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) A gold processing project invested with approximately $40 million by the Chinese-funded gold mining company Cambodia K88 Industry Co. officially began production yesterday.
According to the "Cambodia China Times," the project is located at the border area between Kampong Thom and Kratie provinces in Cambodia. Keo Rottanak, Minister of Mines and Energy, attended the ceremony and noted that Cambodia's gold mining industry continues to develop, having contributed over $200 million in revenue to the national treasury over the past five years. The new project will provide about 375 jobs after coming online.
Indonesia: Middle East situation casts a shadow over economic outlook, Central Bank stays put
(CNA Reporter, Taipei, April 23) The Middle East war casts a shadow over the economic outlook, Bank Indonesia...