<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>SINGAPORE (July 1): Private investment firm KKR will be acquiring Singapore’s financial consultant Finexis Advisory and its affiliates through its new financial advisory platform, Ascend Asia Financial Services Group.</div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>The move marks KKR’s latest investment in Singapore, whose current portfolio includes lifestyle and wellness company V3 Group, sustainable packaging solution provider Goodpack, property tech company PropertyGuru, Singapore Telecommunications’ (Singtel) data-centre platform Nxera, and lastly, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres.</div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>Ascend Asia positions itself as the first platform in Singapore for<a href="https://www.theedgesingapore.com/news/private-equity/kkr-acquires-finexis-advisory-launch-new-firm-focused-platform" target="_blank">...(click on link for full story theedgesingapore.com) &nbsp;</a> 
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SINGAPORE (July 1): Private investment firm KKR will be acquiring Singapore’s financial consultant Finexis Advisory and its affiliates through its new financial advisory platform, Ascend Asia Financial Services Group.

KKR acquires Singapore’s Finexis Advisory with launch of new firm-focused platform Ascend Asia

Singapore bank shares extended declines for a second day after JPMorgan Chase & Co warned that surging long bond yields will hurt third-quarter earnings for Southeast Asian lenders.

Singapore banks’ hot rally stutters over surging bond yields

Amazon confirmed on Wednesday it had cut what it said were a small number of jobs, primarily in its Stores unit which oversees the main e-commerce website.

Amazon makes fresh job cuts, mainly in retail division

(Oct 8): David Ellison and his family invested approximately US$17 billion to complete Paramount Skydance Corp’s acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery Inc, according to public filings.

Ellisons invest about US$17 bil in Warner Bros takeover

SEOUL (Oct 8): Samsung Electronics on Thursday projected its quarterly profit would top 100 trillion won, a world first for a technology company, estimating a nearly nine-fold jump in third-quarter earnings as booming demand for AI chips drove strong memory sales.

Samsung flags US$80 bil profit on AI boom, highest quarterly for any tech company

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): A total of 38 areas recorded Air Pollutant Index (API) readings at an unhealthy level as of 9am on Thursday.

Haze: 38 areas record unhealthy API as of 9am

Malaysian semiconductor firm SQ Advanced Interconnect Bhd is considering raising about RM300 million in an initial public offering (IPO) in the first quarter of 2027, people familiar with the matter said.

Semicon firm SQ Advanced Interconnect plans RM300 mil IPO in early 2027 — Bloomberg

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): Limited water supply headroom in Selangor could affect the timing of new data centre investments and temporarily moderate construction awards in 2027, according to BIMB Securities Research.

Selangor water constraints may slow 2027 data centre construction awards — BIMB Securities

PUTRAJAYA (Oct 8): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim held a four-eyed meeting with Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing at Perdana Putra Complex here on Thursday.

Anwar, Min Aung Hlaing hold four-eyed meeting, delegation talks

Gold prices edged higher on Thursday as the dollar eased from an 18-month peak, helping bullion recover from a two-month low, while traders weighed the prospect of another US Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike this year.

Gold prices recover from two-month low as dollar rally stalls

SEOUL (Oct 8): The suspect behind recent cyberattacks targeting South Korea's financial sector may be a 26-year-old based in China's Guangdong province who used a Chinese-developed AI agent toolcalled ARTEX and Anthropic's ClaudeCode, US cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said.

CrowdStrike says China-based suspect used AI tools in South Korean bank hacks

Zetrix AI Bhd (KL:ZETRIX) has confirmed that it owes the Road Transport Department (JPJ) RM314 million in unremitted collections between May and September 2026, and said the liability has been recognised as a payable on its balance sheet.

Zetrix AI confirms RM314m JPJ arrears after Bursa demands direct answer

No bidders turned up at an auction for a six-acre land that the Penang state government intends to sell to raise funds for the long-delayed Ayer Itam road bypass project.

Penang state land auction draws a blank, sources say

In recent times, it is not politicians, but bond vigilantes, who hold the most power over the global economy. In 2022, then-newly minted UK Prime Minister Liz Truss presided over a meltdown in the UK government bond market after her government announced sweeping tax cuts without any corresponding spending adjustments.

We have to thank the bond markets for telling the truth: Tharman

Just south of Penang, the historic trading island off Malaysia’s northwest coast, excavators are turning a stretch of blue-green sea into a new, man-made island. Dump trucks crisscross freshly reclaimed sand as orange pipes snake across the emerging land mass, carrying fill pumped from dredgers offshore.

Malaysia builds a new ‘Silicon Island’ to house its AI ambitions

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): Lim Seong Hai Capital Bhd (KL:LSH) opened higher in its first day on the Main Market following the construction firm’s transfer from ACE Market.&nbsp;

Lim Seong Hai Capital opens higher on Main Market following listing transfer

SYDNEY (Oct 8): Asian shares slipped on Thursday as strains in sovereign bond markets were aggravated by reports some major tech companies were seeking to raise billions in debt in direct competition for limited funding.

Asia shares subdued, bonds swamped by AI debt wave

Analysts see the recent weakness in crude palm oil (CPO) prices as a buying opportunity for plantation stocks ahead of a potential supply tightening in 2027.

Buy plantation stocks on CPO dip, analysts say, ahead of tighter supply next year

NEW YORK (Oct 8): Oil prices rose on Thursday on persistent worries about supply from the key Middle East producing region amid an increase in attacks on shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil rises as Middle East supply concerns persist amid shipping attacks

The government is reviewing a formal agreement with Dapat Vista Sdn Bhd, the company that operates the eJamin system for online payment of court bail, before submitting it to the Cabinet soon.

eJamin: Govt reviewing formal agreement with Dapat Vista before presenting it to Cabinet

SEOUL (Oct 8): Samsung Electronics on Thursday projected its quarterly profit would top 100 trillion won, a world first for a technology company, estimating a nearly nine-fold jump in third-quarter earnings as booming demand for AI chips drove strong memory sales.

A record-breaking run in stocks hit a wall as still-elevated oil prices stoked concerns that potential inflationary pressures could trigger Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes.

US stocks fall from all-time highs on inflation worry

Here's a heads up on what to look out for today.

YOUR DAY AHEAD: Oct 8, 2026 

Malaysian semiconductor firm SQ Advanced Interconnect Bhd is considering raising about RM300 million in an initial public offering (IPO) in the first quarter of 2027, people familiar with the matter said.&nbsp;

India’s central bank raised interest rates for the first time in nearly four years and signaled further hikes may be on the table as accelerating inflation and a weakening currency drive a policy pivot.&nbsp;

RBI signals further rate hikes as price pressures intensify

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): Limited water supply headroom in Selangor could affect the timing of new data centre investments and temporarily moderate construction awards in 2027, according to BIMB Securities Research.

The International Energy Agency's (IEA) member countries stand ready to release additional oil from their strategic reserves if necessary and will prioritise diesel due to tight supplies of the fuel, the head of the IEA said on Wednesday.

IEA says member countries ready to release more oil reserves if necessary

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): A total of 38 areas recorded Air Pollutant Index (API) readings at an unhealthy level as of 9am on Thursday.

Singapore bank shares extended declines for a second day after JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co warned that surging long bond yields will hurt third-quarter earnings for Southeast Asian lenders.&nbsp;

PUTRAJAYA (Oct 8): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim held a four-eyed meeting with Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing at Perdana Putra Complex here on Thursday.

Gold prices edged higher on Thursday as the dollar eased from an 18-month peak, helping bullion recover from a two-month low, while traders weighed the prospect of another US Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike this year.