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China is taking the lead in the race to become the first major economy to officially launch a sovereign digital currency, as its ongoing pilot programs have made headlines and its central bank officials have been offering explanations about the issue and what’s behind Beijing’s digital yuan ambitions.
In Depth: China’s Digital Currency Ambitions Lead the World
The future of money is electronic and Beijing wants to own it

Xi, Putin Call for ‘Responsible Dialogue’ to End Ukraine Crisis
Russia also said a position paper on the crisis issued by China last month could ‘be taken as the basis’ to settle the conflict that began more than a year ago

Weekly Must-Read: Why China’s Lithium Firms Have Their Sights Set on Bolivia
The South American country has the world’s largest reserves of the key EV battery raw material, but political and practical obstacles have prevented it from becoming a significant global supplier

NFTs, Metaverse Get Digital Cold Shoulder in Beijing
The city’s market regulator has warned local residents to steer clear of investments using two of the latest tech buzzwords

China Clashes With IMF Over Property Downturn, Growth Rate
International Monetary Fund says China needs to do more to resolve the real estate crisis and spur growth, earning a sharp rebuke from Beijing

Cover Story: The Vision of Singapore’s Next Prime Minister
Lawrence Wong sees himself as a ‘servant leader,’ he says. ‘My role is not just to lead, but to serve my country and my fellow citizens’

CX Daily: Where to Now for Alibaba in the Post-Jack Ma Era?
The World Economic Forum in Davos returns to its winter slot, and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will attend it

Shanghai Composite Index Rose 1.01% on Monday
Shenzhen Component Index closed up 1.58%

China Includes Digital Yuan in Calculating December Money Supply
Experimental e-CNY accounts for 0.13% of currency in circulation as China’s central bank becomes the first to count digital currency in monetary statistics

Opinion: Is the World on the Brink of an Entirely New Era?
If we are in the early throes of a seismic shift, leaders must prepare to operate in a new world where their old assumptions no longer hold

New York, Singapore Top List of Most Expensive Cities in the World
Tel Aviv, which held the No. 1 spot last year, got knocked down to third, while Hong Kong and Los Angeles rounded out the top five priciest places to live

Singapore’s Temasek Writes Down $275 Million FTX Investment
Confidence in cryptocurrency exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried ‘would appear to have been misplaced,’ state-owned investor says

Shanghai Composite Index Rose 1.64% on Tuesday
Shenzhen Component Index closed up 2.14%

Hong Kong Crypto Firm Says Deposits at Risk After FTX Meltdown
New Huo Tech has around $18 million of digital currency assets deposited with the embattled crypto exchange

China and Pakistan Set Up Offshore Yuan Clearing
South Asian nation becomes third country to do so this year, enabling use of Chinese currency in cross-border trade and investment

Ant Digital Bank Expands in Singapore With Small Business Loans
Chinese fintech giant’s ANEXT Bank offers loans of $3,500 to $70,000 to small and medium-sized operations