24 Mar, 23
Good morning,
Welcome back to Strait Up, our weekly newsletter that makes sense of what’s going on in Southeast Asia.
This week, we are talking about three things: moving capitals, onions, and digital wallets.
In Indonesia, the massive project to move the country’s capital from Java to Borneo is gaining traction again after a slowdown during the pandemic. Nadine writes about what the consequences could be—including on Indonesia’s relationship with Malaysia, financing, and rising contract opportunities in the new city.
In the Philippines, a kilo of onions is now worth more than the country’s minimum wage. Isa reports on how things got here, and why a long-term solution doesn’t seem in sight. And finally, in Malaysia, Axiata’s fintech arm Boost plans to swim against the tide of cooling e-wallet usage—by launching a B2B wallet.
Let’s dive in!
Lead image credit: Wikimedia Commons
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