Digital Sovereignty

Why Indo-Pacific Must Follow Europe’s Push for Digital Sovereignty and Open-Source Tech Independence

A common BIMSTEC policy statement on digital sovereignty would give the region a clearer collective voice and a stronger negotiating footing with foreign companies. Additionally, BIMSTEC can be used to initiate a shift from U.S. cloud storage companies to regional alternatives such as TATA Communications (India) and NIPA Cloud (Thailand).

The Silicon Buffer: Where Does India and South Asia Sit in the US-China Semiconductor Decoupling?

India is carving out a vital role in the global back-end chip infrastructure. Washington actively views India's rise in this sector as a strategic hedge, codifying tech cooperation through bilateral frameworks designed to shift critical supply lines away from East Asia.

India’s A.I. Future Requires a New Approach to Groundwater Governance

The implications of mismanagement extend far beyond groundwater depletion. Foreign investors have withdrawn a record $30 billion from Indian equities so far in 2026. Regional data suggests investors have relocated their withdrawals across Taiwan and South Korea’s AI and semiconductor ecosystems. 

AI and Us: Decision Making Should Not Be Outsourced to AI

AI literacy should become as important as digital literacy. An informed user is ultimately the first and most effective line of defence against blindly accepting what a machine tells us.  

More on AI, Tech and Innovation

Under Taliban, Afghan economy has all but collapsed, thousands of businesses shut down; middle class has vanished

In August this year, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, ignoring the warning from the international community against the forceful seizure of power

Parag Agarwal joins array of Indian-origin tech leaders in the US corporate world

Twitter has appointed Indian American Parag Aggarwal, who has pledged to “reshape the future of public conversation,” as its CEO succeeding Jack Dorsey, the embattled social media company announced on Monday

Indian IT major HCL opens new office for 4000 employees in Colombo

Indian IT major HCL Technologies (HCL) opened a grand new office in the Sri Lankan capital at the state-of-the-art Cinnamon Life complex

Boost for Indian exports: US dropping punitive tariff after deal on digital services tax

With the two countries reaching an "overall political agreement", the US has decided to drop the proposed 25 per cent additional duties on more than 25 Indian exports ranging from shrimps and basmati rice to gold jewellery and furniture following a settlement of the dispute over the Digital Services Tax (DST) imposed by New Delhi on some giant American companies

Record sale of bikes in Pakistan as rural areas thriving, claims minister, blaming inflation, not poverty, for citizens' affordability problems

Pakistan's rural areas are "thriving" due to bumper crops leading to "record sales of motorcycles", said Shaukat Tarin, Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, citing World Bank's latest data showing a drop in Pakistan's poverty level by 1 per cent

Pakistan, Russia to close deal on Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline

Islamabad and Moscow have agreed on a draft of the shareholders' agreement for construction of the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline project and are set to sign the accord by February 15, 2022, the Pakistani Embassy in Moscow said on Friday

Ballooning trade deficit forced government to approach IMF, says Pakistan PM

The ballooning trade deficit has compelled the government to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said,  days after the IMF and the government reached a staff-level understanding for the revival of the $6 billion bailout package

India extends additional $15 mn grant for Greater Male Connectivity Project

India has extended an additional US$15 million for the construction of the Thila-Male Bridge, a 6.74 km-long bridge and causeway link between Male and nearby islands of Villingli, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi

Tata Steel executes inaugural blockchain-enabled trade between India and Bangladesh

Tata Steel has executed a blockchain-enabled paperless export order with a metals major in Bangladesh

India, US to integrate economies, sort out trade irritants

India and the United States on Tuesday outlined a roadmap for integrating the two economies across sectors and move towards an ambitious future for trade relations

World Bank loan for India to improve quality of learning in Andhra Pradesh

India has signed a US$ 250 million loan agreement with the World Bank to improve the quality of learning for over five million students across Andhra Pradesh state in southern India

Indian firm CARS24 signs major property deal in Dubai

The Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai has seen one of the biggest deals signed for commercial property in recent times, with Indian firm CARS24 leasing one million square feet facility

IMF likely to revive $6 billion bailout package to Pakistan soon; relief for country's economy

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Pakistan government have reached a staff-level agreement for the revival of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) which has been stalled due to the pending review since April this year, the global lender said on Monday

India could gain from VC investment flows in edtech, fintech as China investment slows: KPMG report

Shifting regulations targeting specific sectors like edtech and fintech in China could drive venture capital investments in other parts of Asia and India would have a lot to gain going forward in the October to December (Q4) quarter of 2021, as VC investment is likely to remain slow in a number of sectors in China, UNI news agency said

ADB approves USD 150 million to fund 30,000 small enterprises in Bangladesh, 20 percent to women-led microbusinesses

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 150 million in loans to Bangladesh to finance the cottage, micro, and small-sized enterprises (CMSEs) operated by youth, returning migrant workers, and rural entrepreneurs, particularly women, who have been hit hard by the COVID 19 pandemic