Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 2072
Alibaba’s Taobao Flash Sale Pulls Back on Subsidies — The 2026 Food-Delivery Fight Turns Toward Profits
Taobao Flash Sale has quietly increased commissions and reshaped coupon rules for merchants, signalling a shift from subsidy-driven growth to monetisation. The changes reflect both platform-level unit-economics pressure and Alibaba’s need to reallocate capital toward costly AI infrastructure, and they could reshape merchant economics and consumer pricing over time.
Juewei’s Retreat: How China’s Once-ubiquitous Duck-Brand Is Losing Its Bite
Juewei, once the fastest-growing braised-snack chain in China, has closed thousands of stores and posted its first annual loss since listing, hit by overexpansion, food-safety incidents, regulatory penalties and intensifying price competition from small vendors. The decline highlights risks inherent in aggressive franchising and the need for tighter governance and product innovation in a saturated market.
Beijing Pushes Tech Self‑Reliance as Markets React: Rare‑Earths Rally, Refinancing Reforms and Regulatory Tightening Shape the Week
China’s latest policy moves marry stronger support for science‑heavy firms — via refinancing reforms and public promotion of tech self‑reliance — with tougher oversight of platform conduct and consumer safety. A notable rise in rare‑earth prices and fresh corporate investment announcements highlight the economic stakes: supply chains and capital allocation will increasingly reflect Beijing’s strategic priorities.
Nestlé China’s Channel Crisis: Distributors Chase Millions as ‘Push‑Stock’ Model Unravels
Nestlé China faces a widening dispute with nearly a thousand distributors over unpaid rebates and reimbursed expenses, highlighted by a pet‑products partner alleging about 19 million yuan owed. A new CEO authorised conditional repayments, but stringent retrospective audits and governance gaps have meant many claims are rejected, exposing structural weaknesses in an old ‘push‑stock’ distribution model amid a shifting Chinese retail landscape.
Deadly Shaft Accident and Probe Shake Zhaojin Mining, Investors Demand Answers
A shaft accident at Zhaojin Mining’s Canzhuang gold mine on 7 February killed seven people and triggered probes into both the cause and alleged concealment by the company. The disaster has hit Zhaojin’s Hong Kong-listed shares and raised questions about safety compliance, corporate disclosure and possible regulatory penalties.
A‑Shares Tick Flat at Midday as Media Stocks Run; Liquidity Falls and Sector Rotation Intensifies
A‑shares traded flat at mid‑day with the Shanghai Composite down 0.02% and turnover easing to 1.39 trillion yuan. Media and film stocks staged a concentrated rally — including several daily limit‑ups and two film ETFs running to limits — while many other stocks fell and commercial aerospace names weakened. The session underscores selective investor appetite amid low liquidity, producing sharp sector rotation and elevated short‑term volatility.
Founder Retreats, Platforms Battle for Spring Gala, and a Dumpling Chain Goes Global: Three Shifts in China’s Consumer Sector
Jia Guolong has stepped down from key roles at an entity related to the Xibei chain amid a reputation crisis, signalling retrenchment by a founder-led brand. Kuaishou joined other major platforms to distribute the 2026 Spring Festival Gala in multiple digital formats, intensifying a broader competition for national cultural content. Meanwhile, dumpling chain Yuanji Yunjiao has expanded to 15 overseas outlets as it pursues a Hong Kong listing, underscoring the push by mid-sized Chinese food brands to internationalise.
Alphabet Taps Debt Market for $20bn AI War Chest as OpenAI Readies ChatGPT Upgrade
Alphabet plans to raise about $20 billion through dollar bonds, including very long-dated tranches, to fund AI and other growth initiatives. The move coincides with OpenAI reporting renewed user-growth momentum and preparing to release an upgraded chat model, underlining an intensifying AI competition that is reshaping corporate finance decisions.
PR Retreats, Spring-Gala Scramble and Dumplings Going Global: Three Moves Reshaping China’s Consumer Scene
Jia Guolong has stepped down as legal representative from an affiliate of Xibei as the brand recovers from a high‑profile PR dispute, Kuaishou secured a multi‑format role in streaming the 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, and Yuan Ji Yun Jiao expanded its overseas footprint to 15 stores after opening a second Thai outlet. Together these moves highlight shifts in reputation management, platform competition for cultural moments, and the operational challenges of Chinese food brands going global.
From Retail Crown to Cash Crunch: Can Metersbonwe Stage a Comeback?
Metersbonwe, once a Chinese retail heavyweight, posted a worsening 2025 outlook and mounting quarterly losses despite founder Zhou Chengjian’s return and high-profile livestreaming. Repeated share sales by the controlling shareholder have provided temporary liquidity but highlight chronic cash‑flow and strategic failures; a meaningful recovery will require deep operational and brand reinvention.
Wall Street Opens Soft as GLP‑1 Makers Rally and a Generic Challenger Collapses
U.S. markets opened slightly lower as gains in GLP‑1 weight‑loss drug makers were offset by weakness in memory stocks. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly rose on continued enthusiasm for semaglutide‑class therapies, while Hims & Hers plunged after facing litigation over a generic version. Micron fell amid renewed pressure on cyclical tech names.
China Tightens Noose on Tokenised Assets: Domestic Ban on RWA Tokenisation and Offshore Clampdown on RMB Stablecoins
China has tightened crypto regulation by banning onshore tokenisation of real-world assets and forbidding domestic parties from issuing RMB-pegged stablecoins overseas. The twin actions aim to curb disguised fundraising, clarify legal ties between tokens and underlying assets, block cross-border regulatory arbitrage, and steer activity into sanctioned, supervised channels.