Business News
Latest business news and updates
Total: 749
China’s Lunar New Year Gold Rush: Who’s Winning — the Bullion or the Brand?
China’s pre‑Lunar New Year rush for gold jewellery has been driven by young buyers seeking small, symbolic pieces that combine adornment with perceived investment value. The industry’s rising bullion price has amplified a split between scale‑focused retailers that profit from widespread outlets and boutique brands that command high retail margins—but face limits in converting that premium into resale value.
Delivery Repackages the Reunion: Chinese New Year ‘Family Dinner’ Goes Digital
Search interest in delivered and takeaway reunion dinners spiked sharply ahead of this year’s Spring Festival, prompting restaurants and platforms to scale delivery services into urban and rural areas. The shift points to a significant reconfiguration of a core cultural ritual, with implications for restaurants, logistics providers and environmental and labour concerns.
Airbus’s A350 Crosses 1,500 Orders as EgyptAir Becomes North Africa’s First Operator
EgyptAir has received its first A350-900, becoming North Africa’s first operator of Airbus’s long-haul twin and joining a global customer base that has ordered over 1,500 A350s. The milestone underlines Airbus’s strength in the modern widebody market and signals continued airline demand for fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft and parallel investment in freighter conversions.
China Pulls the Brakes on the Spring Festival ‘Red Envelope’ Arms Race
China’s market regulator summoned seven major internet platforms and released new anti‑monopoly compliance guidelines after a wave of large Spring Festival cash‑giveaway campaigns. Regulators warned against below‑cost subsidies, exclusive dealing and algorithmic collusion, signalling tighter scrutiny of promotional tactics and AI‑driven user acquisition.
Meituan’s High-Stakes Gamble: Heavy Losses, a Fresh‑Food Buy and an AI Push to Hold the Delivery Crown
Meituan disclosed a dramatic shift to an estimated 2025 net loss of RMB 233–243 billion, yet has chosen to intensify strategic investments—buying Dingdong’s China fresh‑food business and upgrading its AI assistant—to protect its instant retail and delivery moat. The move underscores a broader industry turning point from subsidy‑led growth to a capital‑and‑efficiency contest over logistics, AI and fulfilment.
Who Controls Your Appetite? Inside China’s Billion‑Yuan Market for Savoury ‘Aroma Boosters’
Savoury flavour concentrates — known locally by names such as “piaoxiangji” or “one‑drop fragrance” — are a pervasive but poorly regulated part of China’s food system. Widely used across processed foods and restaurants, the industry is large and fragmented, with weak quantitative limits, incomplete testing standards and enforcement gaps that raise safety and trust concerns.
China’s Market Watchdog Summons Seven Tech Giants to Curb ‘Involution’ in Platform Promotions
China’s market regulator summoned seven leading platforms to demand stricter compliance with competition, pricing and consumer protection laws and to curb “involution” — cutthroat promotional tactics that distort markets. The meeting signals intensified oversight of everyday platform marketing as Beijing seeks to stabilise the platform economy while preserving innovation.
BYD and Geely Target Mexican Assembly Plant as China Accelerates a North American Push
BYD and Geely have been named among finalists to buy a Nissan–Mercedes‑Benz plant in Guanajuato, Mexico, a strategic asset that would provide tariff‑free access to the U.S. and Canada under USMCA. The potential deal reflects a broader shift: China’s auto exports surged in 2025, and Mexico became the largest destination for Chinese vehicles, as manufacturers pursue local production to deepen their foothold in the Americas.
BYD and Geely Eye Mexican Plant as Springboard into the Americas
BYD and Geely are reported to be shortlisted to bid for a Nissan–Mercedes‑Benz factory in Guanajuato, Mexico. Acquiring the plant would give Chinese automakers immediate production credentials and proximity to the Americas, helping them sidestep tariff and logistics constraints while accelerating overseas expansion.
Savers Shift: Chinese Bank Wealth Management Shrinks as Retail Money Floods High‑Performing Mutual Funds
In January 2026 Chinese bank wealth‑management balances unexpectedly contracted by about 114.2 billion yuan as retail investors, lured by strong equity market returns and standout public‑fund performance, moved money into mutual funds. The rout was concentrated at major state bank wealth arms while public fund issuance and new account openings surged, highlighting a rapid retail shift toward higher‑volatility, higher‑return instruments.
China’s STAR Market Drives A‑share Rally as Sci‑Tech ETFs Hit Fundraising Record
China’s STAR Market (Sci‑Tech Innovation Board) significantly outperformed broader A‑shares over the snake year, powered by listing and reform measures and a surge in ETF issuance. In 2025, 65 new SciTech ETFs raised a record CNY 44.749 billion as indices and product suites proliferated, drawing growing allocations from institutional long‑term investors while leaving the market exposed to high valuations and policy dependence.
China’s Securities Regulator Hits Tianfeng with Maximum Fines and Lifetime Bans over Illicit Financing of Controlling Shareholder
The China Securities Regulatory Commission has proposed top fines and lifetime market bans after finding that Tianfeng Securities illegally financed its largest shareholder and failed to disclose related‑party transactions from 2020 to 2022. The penalties — including RMB 25 million in corporate fines, RMB 34.8 million in individual fines and lifetime bans for three executives — signal tougher enforcement on conflicts of interest and weaker tolerance for broker‑sponsor collusion.