SINGAPORE — Singapore’s central bank has told financial firms to be vigilant to any suspicious transactions or fund flows between the city-state and Myanmar, a circular seen by Reuters showed, citing concerns over the potential for financial crimes.

BENGALURU — Bharat Biotech’s vaccine showed 81% efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in an interim analysis of a late-stage trial in India, it said on Wednesday, a major boost for the shot shunned by some due to a lack of such data.

INVESTMENT PLEDGES approved by the Board of Investments (BoI) surged by 156% in the first two months, despite a drop in commitments from foreign investors as the pandemic continued.

THE number of super-rich Filipinos is likely to grow over a five-year period in line with a global trend, the annual wealth report from real estate consultant Knight Frank said.

PHILIPPINE BANKS appear better positioned to weather the surge in soured loans than Southeast Asian peers, but sluggish economic growth could dampen the sector’s recovery this year,   S&P Global Ratings said.

METRO PACIFIC Investments Corp. (MPIC) said on Wednesday that its core net income last year had declined 34% to P10.2 billion as the global health crisis slowed down economic activities and reduced business operations.

GERMAN tank builder Lipp GmbH has tied up with a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investment Corp. (MPIC) to build two industrial-scale biogas plants in Mindanao that will use farm waste to produce clean energy.

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an advisory against investing in another unauthorized group, RGS World Marketing Corp., which also operates under the names RGS Online Shop, RGS Online Marketing, and RGS Online Foundation.

THE EMERALD Isle is renowned for its lack of snakes (thanks to St. Patrick), leprechauns (and their pots of gold), people with the gift of gab (it is, after all, the home of the Blarney Stone), and music (Enya, The Cranberries, and U2). And if Bord Bia market specialist Jack Hogan has his way, it will be renowned for its meat. 

YIELDS ON THE central bank’s term deposits ended mixed on Wednesday, with the two-week papers’ rate seeing an increase, amid the government’s ongoing sale of retail Treasury bonds (RTBs).

RESTAURANT bookings normally go crazy when a chef wins three Michelin stars.

STATE-RUN Social Security System (SSS) saw transactions done through its digital platforms more than double last year, with the number of online transactions making up for 75% of the total, amid the coronavirus pandemic.