Southeast Asia remains comparatively confident in international cooperation even as scepticism grows over whether the United States or China should take a leading global role, a new survey has found. Analysts said the findings reflected a long-standing regional preference for keeping strategic options open, particularly among smaller and middle powers wary of an international order dominated by either Washington or Beijing. “Seeking Security and Opportunity in a Stormy World”, released this...

Southeast Asia’s logistics tech sector wants credit for bouncing back. A new report from data intelligence platform Tracxn shows the region’s warehousing, freight and last-mile players pulling in US$339 million so far in 2026, the strongest annual haul since 2021. Read past the headline, though, and the recovery looks a lot less triumphant: that figure […] The post SEA logistics tech funding hits five-year high, but it’s still a third of the 2021 peak appeared first on e27.

Malaysia’s royal crisis in Negeri Sembilan spilled into a new constitutional fight on Monday after the state’s chief minister refused to accept the ruler’s dismissal of the entire executive council – a dispute that has already brought down one government and triggered a snap election. The latest showdown comes less than a week after the executive council backed a disputed bid to remove the ruler, putting the palace and state government in conflict over both the throne and executive...

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has suffered a double whammy as his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition scrambles to placate public outrage over disgraced ex-leader Najib Razak being granted house arrest and the shock resignation of his transport minister in protest against the royal clemency. But observers do not expect the administration, already reeling from PH defeats in two recent state elections as federal allies turned against the coalition, to implode just yet. Anwar and PH’s reformist...

Southeast Asia’s startup funding story is no longer being written by consumer super-apps or e-commerce land grabs. According to Tracxn data covering equity venture funding across eight major technology verticals from 2020 to July 9, 2026, Southeast Asian tech startups raised US$58.79 billion across 3,637 rounds over the period. But the shape of that capital […] The post SEA’s venture capital shifts from mega-rounds to AI and SaaS appeared first on e27.

Footage of a cargo ship ploughing into a Chinese fishing boat in the Singapore Strait, sending seawater surging across the smaller vessel’s deck as its crew scrambled to hold on, has circulated widely online. The 229-metre-long (750-foot) bulk carrier First Margaux struck the Luqing Yuanyu 108, a 49-metre (160-foot) Chinese fishing vessel, at around 5pm on Thursday last week, according to ship-tracking data cited by The Maritime Executive. Both vessels had left anchorage near Singapore at...

In an industry first, Ant International launched a full stack of AI-native solutions for payment, account, FX, treasury and growth operations for global businesses.  Unveiled at Ant International’s annual VOYAGE executive merchant forum, the AI-native product suite is built on a 2-layered security architecture, and Ant International’s two proprietary foundation models: Antom 3-in-1 Transformer – a […] The post Ant International Launches Industry’s First Full-Stack AI-Native Solutions for Payment, Account, FX, Treasury and Growth Operations for Global Businesses appeared first on e27.

The Philippines has suffered three deadly school shootings since June. In each case, at least one weapon belonged to a relative working in government or law enforcement, whether as an official service issue or a privately licensed firearm. On Friday, a student at Banga National High School in South Cotabato province shot dead two classmates, wounded several others and then killed himself. He reportedly used the licensed firearm of his father, who works in the Education Department’s risk...

Singapore’s retrenchment rate in the second quarter of 2026 hit its highest level since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in late 2020, driven by business reorganisation and restructuring, the manpower ministry said on Monday. There were 4,620 retrenchments in the second quarter of this year, up from the 3,830 retrenchments posted in the first quarter of the year, the ministry said in its labour market report for the period. It is the highest since the 5,640 retrenchments recorded in the...

Vingroup-backed ride-hailing outfit Green SM has switched on an electric motorbike service in Jakarta, its first stab at two-wheeled mobility outside Vietnam and a direct shot at the informal-turned-digital ojek economy that Grab and Gojek have spent a decade wiring into Indonesian daily life. The launch, announced last week, pairs Green SM’s existing electric-taxi fleet […] The post VinFast’s ride-hailing arm Green SM takes on Jakarta’s ojek economy with e-scooters appeared first on e27.