Asia in Focus

When emerging markets stop growing: Bangladesh and COVID-19

Bangladesh has come a long way in the past decade, achieving record growth that has averaged between 6-8% in the past five years. This has made Bangladesh something of a darling amongst foreign investors comfortable with frontier markets. However, the competence of its unique government, which is effectively styled after one sole leader – Sheikh Hasina (who will turn 73 this year) – is being tested by the COVID-19 crisis. Like many emerging economies in Asia, the country is reliant on just a few sectors, which has left it particularly vulnerable to COVID-19-related economic shocks, and this is beginning to result in some signs of social unrest due to mass layoffs of workers. Dane Chamorro is joined by Reema Bhattacharya, Control Risks Analyst for South Asia, to discuss the outlook for Bangladesh in the months and years ahead.

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Beyond the great firewall – the evolution of cyber risk in Asia

Though China’s cyber laws may be the most well-known, governments across the Asia Pacific – such as those in India, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – are implementing new and evolving legislation and requirements on cyber security. The trend is so significant that we’ve seen demand for guidance on cyber issues expand exponentially in recent years. Requirements can vary hugely from one jurisdiction to the next, presenting unique challenges for multinationals. Dane Chamorro chats to Jim Fitzsimmons, a Director in our Cyber Security practice based in Singapore, about how businesses can best avoid the regulatory and reputational damage that can stem from poor cyber governance.

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Economic trends across Asia

Asia was the first region to experience the Covid-19 virus, but the economic effects have varied widely across the region. Northeast Asia, Korea and Taiwan have emerged stronger than others, while structurally open economies like Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand are facing historic downturns. Some sectors, like online commerce and tech, have sailed through, while others, like tourism, have taken a hit. Dane Chamorro is joined by Priyanka Kishore, Global Macro Services Lead at Oxford Economics, to discuss current economic trends across the Asia Pacific region.

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India’s new economic era?

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi this month announced a financial assistance package totalling INR 20 trillion (USD 265bn) to help mitigate the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the measures are aimed at increasing credit availability to small and medium-sized companies, many of which are now suffering acute financial distress as a result of over two months of one of the world’s harshest pandemic lockdowns. Dane Chamorro is joined by Pratyush Rao, who leads Control Risks’ analysis on India and South Asia, to discuss how Modi – once dubbed the great economic reformer of India, and now well into his second term – is hoping to lead India on the long road out of the crisis.

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Compliance and third party due diligence

Rosie Hawes, Partner in Control Risks' Compliance, Forensics and Intelligence practice in Greater China and North Asia, discusses the importance of supply chain visibility in the wake of Covid-19 disruption.

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The Supply Chain Episode 3: Compliance and third party due diligence

Rosie Hawes, Partner in Control Risks' Compliance, Forensics and Intelligence practice in Greater China and North Asia, discusses the importance of supply chain visibility in the wake of Covid-19 disruption.

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COVID-19: How data analytics can help businesses in crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen governments and organisations turn to data for their decision-making like never before, reflecting not only the increased prevalence of data, but also the speed at which leaders have come to understand how to harness its power. But numbers alone can be misleading. Dane Chamorro chats to Allanna Rigby, our data analytics lead in the Asia Pacific region, about how COVID-19 is the “limelight crisis” for data scientists, and how data has helped businesses navigate the pandemic's trickiest challenges – including supply chain breakdowns, labour availability issues, and spotting corporate wrongdoing.

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COVID-19: Vietnam’s formula for investment growth

If there has been a winner in South-East Asia in terms of foreign investment over the last five years, it is undoubtedly Vietnam. The country’s economy has grown quickly, driven in part by healthy levels of manufacturing investment. Even in terms of the COVID-19 crisis, Vietnam so far appears to have emerged strong and organised, especially compared with many of its regional peers. Dane Chamorro chats to Linh Nguyen, a leading consultant on Vietnam, about the benefits and risks for businesses operating in the country.

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Business ethics during an economic downturn

Dane Chamorro chats to Andrew Macintosh, who leads Control Risks’ Asia Pacific forensics and investigations practice. Fraud and corporate malfeasance typically rises during periods of economic fragility, and Dane and Andrew discuss how business can avoid problems such as asset loss, IP theft, and wrongdoing by employees.

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COVID-19: How COVID-19 has changed China’s operating environment

Dane Chamorro and Kent Kedl – two of our partners based in Singapore and Shanghai – discuss China, its growth prospects in the wake of COVID-19, and how what happens in China will affect global supply chains. 

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