Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 3073
Beijing Freezes Growth of Vape Manufacturing, Tightens Rules for Capacity, Outsourcing and Exports
China's tobacco regulator has prohibited new e‑cigarette plant investments and largely barred capacity expansion through relocations or technical upgrades, while imposing strict compliance, environmental and export rules. The policy aims to rein in unlicensed production, enforce product and environmental standards, and constrain overall industry output without halting technological upgrades that meet regulatory conditions.
Beijing Issues Antitrust Playbook for Platforms — ‘Choose‑One’ Exclusivity and Algorithmic Coordination Flagged as Key Risks
China’s market regulator has released a comprehensive antitrust compliance guide for internet platforms, targeting exclusivity (‘choose‑one’) practices, algorithmic coordination and other forms of dominance abuse. The non‑binding but detailed document presses platforms to institute robust risk assessment, algorithm audits and governance measures, signalling steadier and more technical antitrust enforcement ahead.
Xiaomi Closes Chapter on First‑Gen SU7 as Final Unit Is Delivered — A Pivot to the Next Generation
Xiaomi delivered the final first‑generation SU7 and has ceased that model’s production while promising long‑term maintenance and spare‑parts support. The company says it will focus on domestic consolidation and product upgrades rather than immediate U.S. expansion.
China’s County Towns Are Spending Like Cities — and Charging Like Them Too
County-level Chinese towns are exhibiting a paradox of rising prices in some categories alongside ongoing discounts in others, driven by income gains, lower housing pressure and a bifurcated consumer appetite for both value and upgraded goods. The trend creates opportunities for brands but also exposes risks from distribution costs and uneven development.
China’s Small Banks Raise Deposit Rates Ahead of Lunar New Year as Term Deposits Roll Over
Ahead of the Lunar New Year, many Chinese regional and rural banks have raised deposit rates — in some cases to around 2.15% for three‑year large‑denomination products — to capture maturing term deposits. The moves are largely tactical, driven by over 50 trillion yuan of fixed‑term deposits rolling off and by deposit concentration at large banks, and they risk raising funding costs without changing the industry’s longer‑term downward trend in deposit yields.
A‑Shares Slip as Year‑of‑the‑Snake Ends; Memory Rally and Semiconductor Demand Clash with Thin Liquidity
China’s A‑share market ended the lunar year with a broad decline as liquidity remained thin and sector rotations produced mixed outcomes. Memory prices and semiconductor equipment demand provided focused strength, while material cost rises and data‑security policy continued to reshape investment themes.
Bitcoin Rout Exposes MicroStrategy’s Gamble — $12.4bn Quarterly Loss Pushes 'Buy-and-Hold' Model to the Brink
A steep Bitcoin sell‑off since late 2025 inflicted a $12.4 billion quarterly loss on MicroStrategy, revealing the fragility of a buy‑and‑hold strategy financed with equity and debt. The rout has pushed the company toward potential restructuring, altered corporate and investor behaviour across the crypto ecosystem, and undermined the narrative of Bitcoin as a reliable store of value.
Widespread Branch-Level Misconduct: Major Chinese Insurer Hit with Dozens of Regional Fines in Early 2026
China United Property & Casualty Insurance has been hit with at least 15 regional regulatory penalties in early 2026 for widespread branch-level misconduct including falsified documents, fictitious intermediary fees, inflated agricultural insurance and unauthorised product changes. The sanctions, issued by the National Financial Regulatory Administration and its regional bureaus, highlight systemic control weaknesses and signal intensified supervisory scrutiny of insurers in China.
China Taiping’s P&C Business Hit with Fourth Regulatory Penalty This Year as Branches Cited for Fraud and Channel Misconduct
China’s National Financial Regulatory Administration has issued its fourth penalty this year against Taiping Property & Casualty Insurance Co., fining multiple local branches for misconduct including falsified financials, illicit agent arrangements and poor channel management. Regulators named branch managers personally responsible, signalling intensified oversight of distribution practices and internal controls across the insurance sector.
Hong Kong Stocks Slide as Metals Rout Drags on Hang Seng; Tech Holds Up Relatively Better
Hong Kong equities retreated ahead of the Lunar New Year, with the Hang Seng down 1.72% as metals and mining stocks led losses. Tech names proved more resilient, while investors await U.S. inflation data and post‑holiday Chinese activity for direction.
China Starts the Year with Ample Liquidity: M2 Rises 9% as Deposits and Government Bond Financing Surge
China’s central bank data for January show broad money (M2) up 9% and an increase of 8.09 trillion yuan in RMB deposits, while total social financing expanded by 7.22 trillion yuan. Government bond issuance and short‑term bank credit powered the monthly financing increase, against a backdrop of plentiful interbank liquidity and low short‑term rates.
A‑Shares End the Lunar Year Lower as Traders Rotate into AI Hardware; Memory and PCB Stocks Lead Sector Divergence
China’s A‑share indices closed lower on the final trading day of the Year of the Snake, with turnover subdued ahead of the Lunar New Year. Investors rotated into robotics, PCB materials and memory‑adjacent stocks after bullish commentary on embodied AI and signs of a sharp rally in DRAM prices, while CPO‑related names plunged.