Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 3058
From Watches to Robots: How China’s Spring Festival Gala Became a Four‑Decade Mirror of Economic Change
China’s Spring Festival Gala has tracked the nation’s economic evolution for more than forty years. What began as barter deals for watches has evolved into multi‑hundred‑million yuan interactive partnerships and showcases of AI and robotics, making the Gala a concise barometer of consumer trends, corporate strategy and industrial policy.
After a Decade Online, a Chinese Women's Wear Seller Trades Algorithm Angst for a Stable Street-level Shop
A decade‑long Taobao seller in Ningbo has shifted focus from chasing platform traffic to running a local brick‑and‑mortar store after soaring online return rates and changing platform incentives eroded margins. By combining real‑world merchandising, community marketing on short‑video platforms and supply‑chain leverage, she has traded volatile online growth for steadier, local revenues.
The Cash‑Wall Tycoon: How Fang Wei’s New‑Year Bonuses Burnish a Brand — and Mask Financial Strain
Fangda Group’s flamboyant year‑end ‘cash wall’ has become a viral symbol of corporate generosity in China, coinciding with chairman Fang Wei’s rise to become Liaoning’s richest person. The payouts and public spectacles bolster employee morale and brand image but obscure a heavily leveraged corporate structure and acquisition setbacks that increase financial risk.
Fed Uncertainty Sends Metals Tumbling as Techs Rally Around Apple Event Hype
US stocks staged an intraday V-shaped recovery to close slightly higher while precious metals plunged after Fed comments dampened hopes for imminent rate cuts. Apple’s March product event lifted its stock and highlighted on-device AI ambitions, even as the CME probabilities and Fed messaging keep investors cautious about near-term monetary easing.
From Near-Death to Market Leader: How Zhu Jiangming Turned Leapmotor into EV’s Surprise Champion — and Why the Hard Part Lies Ahead
Leapmotor, led by founder Zhu Jiangming, vaulted from near-bankruptcy to become the top-selling Chinese new-energy carmaker in 2025 by combining strict cost control, aggressive price-for-feature models and deep in-house engineering. Strategic investments from Stellantis and FAW, plus a successful export push, underpinned growth, but challenges remain: brand elevation, sustainable profitability amid incentive rollbacks, and governance weaknesses exposed by a recent legal snag.
Wang Sicong Moves Into Restaurants and Beauty as Investment Vehicle Grapples with Asset Auctions
Wang Sicong has registered a new Beijing catering-management company and made several small lifestyle investments as his flagship investment vehicle, Pusi, faces asset auctions and enforcement actions. The moves reflect a strategic shift toward consumer services amid funding stress in China’s entertainment and content sectors and signal a low-cost testing approach rather than a major new expansion.
Adani Pledges $100bn for Renewable‑Powered AI Data Centres — A Bet on India’s Green Cloud Future
Adani Group announced a $100 billion investment through 2035 to build AI‑optimised data centres powered by renewable energy, one of India’s largest private digital‑infrastructure pledges. The plan aims to meet surging demand for AI compute while reducing carbon intensity, but realization will depend on financing, grid upgrades, storage and supply‑chain partnerships.
Corporate Bitcoin Bet Deepens: Strategy Buys 2,486 BTC, Now Holding 717,131 Coins
A firm reported buying 2,486 bitcoins for about $168.4 million, bringing its holdings to 717,131 BTC with a total spend of roughly $54.52 billion and an average cost of $76,027 per coin. The move underscores growing corporate adoption of bitcoin but raises questions about market concentration, accounting, and financing risks.
Chinese Regulators Summon Six Travel Platforms Over Misleading Loan Sales, Seek Tighter Consumer Protections
China's financial regulators jointly summoned six travel platforms over problematic practices in selling loan products through partner lenders, demanding clearer disclosures, bans on misleading marketing, and better complaint handling. The move is part of a broader regulatory focus on risks from embedded finance and aims to protect consumers while forcing platforms and their lending partners to tighten compliance.
Qianwen Pushes From Chat to Checkout with Daily 'First-Order' Discount
Qianwen has launched a 'daily first-order' discount that gives users reduced prices — as low as RMB 3.8 — when they place orders via its one-sentence AI ordering feature, and those discounts can be combined with promotions on major platforms like Taobao, Fliggy and Damai. The move is designed to convert AI-driven interactions into frequent commercial transactions, accelerating Qianwen's shift from research project to consumer-facing commerce channel.
Maxscend Executive’s Divorce Transfers Nearly Rmb1.3bn in Stock but Control Remains Intact
Maxscend’s co‑controller Xu Zhihan has transferred 17.15m shares (about Rmb1.3bn at current prices) to his ex‑wife as part of a divorce settlement. The transfer was registry‑based, includes caps on annual disposals, and does not change the company’s controlling block due to existing voting agreements. The move coincides with a weak earnings outlook as the company shifts toward a Fab‑Lite model.
Beijing Pumps Rmb62.5bn into Spring Festival Stimulus, Turning Smart Gadgets Into This Year’s Must‑Buy
China has launched a Rmb62.5 billion Spring Festival subsidy program that prioritises trade‑ins for affordable smart devices, offering consumers 15% rebates up to Rmb500 on phones, tablets and wearables priced under Rmb6,000. The measures aim to stimulate near‑term spending while accelerating mass adoption of connected hardware, benefiting mid‑range manufacturers and related supply chains.