Stocks were up in Asia on Friday with South Korea enjoying the largest daily jump in 16 months, while tech shares helped lift markets in China, Japan, and Australia

The neighbours are also in talks for additional support, including a $500 million credit line for fuel and help with importing fertiliser and rice, officials said.

Chinese tech shares in Hong Kong rose after President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting that backed support for fintech firms. Alibaba jumped 6.4%, and Chinese automakers also shone.

Putin said Russia was discussing increasing the presence of Chinese cars on the Russian market as well as the opening of Indian supermarket Chains.

The Chinese consortium of banks signed the 15 billion yuan loan facility agreement after it was signed by Pakistan, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said.

The country of 22 million people is struggling with its worst financial crisis in seven decades, unable to import essentials including food, fuel and medicines

The axing of the proposed Matarbari-2 plant in Bangladesh came in response to international and domestic criticism of Japan's funding of coal-fired power

Tether briefly dropped to $0.993 although it quickly regained parity with the dollar. But investors continue to pull money out of stablecoins and several have lost their pegs to underlying assets.

Colombo has called in financial advisers Lazard as it prepares to renegotiate its complex web of creditors, including bilateral loans from Japan, India and China

IPO proceeds in the Asia Pacific this year up to June 14 were down 26% from last year, while the count was 31% less than 2021, while global listings are less than half of last year

UN warned that climate change is progressing exponentially and has already hit India and Pakistan particularly hard

The company’s country manager in Singapore and its senior representative in India have both left, according to current and former employees