Asia came to currency early, and it soon learnt to treat coinage as a weapon of war. Indeed, the coins minted in China during the warring states era, almost 500 years before Christ, were made in the shape of knives. This may explain why the west tends to be...

Australia to continue as commercial property investment hotspot in 2013: Jones Lang LaSalle Nearly half (45%) all real estate investment into the Asia Pacific region is flowing into Australian commercial property markets. This is double the next biggest markets of Japan (19% of investment) and China (18), according to...

While ASIC Chairman Greg Medcraft this week warned the Australian funds management industry to clean up their act, in the UK, financial regulators will soon have the power to intervene directly in the market. By Pat McConnell In opening the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) forum this week,...

The producers behind a low budget film designed to cheat the taxman out of £2.7m ($4.1m) have received jail sentences at Southwark Crown Court in the UK.   Screen Daily has spoken to director Paul Knight about the project. Evolved Pictures’ bosses Bashar Al-Issa and Aoife Madden have both received...

It’s no secret that the past twelve months have presented a challenging capital raising environment for the mining industry. Traditional debt and equity markets declined amidst a risk-averse investor sentiment and while new sources of capital emerged to fill the gaps, it remained a competitive time for mining companies...

The 68th Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC) will give exhibition delegates a much better look than usual of the Christmas line-up because of its move from August to October 14-17. This is the message that organisers of the product-focused event are pushing out to Australian and also potential international...

Property investors can use limited recourse borrowing (LRBA) to fund off-the-plan investments using their self-managed super funds. Under this strategy, your SMSF receives a concessionally taxed rent, pays off the loan while you are still working, and transfers the property to you upon retirement. After your retirement, you can...

Less than two months after buying debt-laden cotton farm Cubbie Station, the farm’s new Chinese and Japanese owners are exploring interest in selling water back to the federal government, according to The Australian Financial Review. The $232 million deal sparked much debate about foreign investment in Australia’s agriculture sector, in...

An official delegation of Australian film producers, bureaucrats and film service company representatives are heading to China for the third round of formal meetings in four years. The Australia-China Film Industry Forum will be held to coincide with the Shanghai International Film Festival, which runs June 15 to 23...

Out of administration Cubbie Station is  set to bale 200,000 bales or 45,000 metric tonnes of  cotton in its first harvest under Chinese ownership .Considering 75% of Aust cotton goes to China so a win/win and no national interest issues and a clear example of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment...