The Philippines Bet Big on Online Casinos. It Didn’t Go Well.
July 25th, 2024
Via the Wall Street Journal, an article on a recent decision in the Philippines to shut down gambling platforms that cater to demand from outside the country, including players in China: For years, high rollers from China have flouted their country’s ban on gambling by getting their fix online. Livestreamed games of baccarat, roulette, poker and […]
Read more »The Luzon Economic Corridor as the United States’ Southeast Asian litmus test
July 9th, 2024
Via East Asia Forum, a report on the Luzon Economic Corridor: At their April 2023 trilateral summit, the presidents of the Philippines, Japan and the United States jointly unveiled the ambitious Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) initiative. This unprecedented undertaking could channel a staggering US$100 billion into the Philippine economy within ten years, a transformative sum […]
Read more »The Philippines Needs Rice, But Young People Don’t Want To Farm It
June 30th, 2024
Courtesy of The Washington Post, a report on the Philippines – where 2.4 million Filipinos work as rice farmers. But for young people, a rice farmer’s grueling and often impoverished life holds dwindling appeal: In the Philippines, people say, “Bigas ay buhay”: “Rice is life.” It’s a neutral canvas for every meal. Other foods are often […]
Read more »Philippines Courts Investors For ‘China-Free’ Nickel Supply Chain
June 29th, 2024
Via The Financial Times, a report on Manila’s efforts to pitch itself as alternative for western countries seeking to diversify sources of EV battery material: The Philippines is scouting for western investment to further develop its nickel reserves, pitching itself as an alternative to the China-dominated supply chain for the critical battery metal. The country, which […]
Read more »American Fried Chicken Now Served From The Philippines
June 25th, 2024
Courtesy of The Economist, a look at how services may make the developing work rich: In April, a New York fried-chicken shop went viral. It was not the food at Sansan Chicken East Village that captured the world’s imagination, but the service. Diners found an assistant from the Philippines running the till via video link. The […]
Read more »Filipino Fried Chicken Takes Flight
June 18th, 2024
Courtesy of Fortune, a look at Jollibee – which has a cult-like following in the Philippines and among the Filipino diaspora – and whether its ‘Chickenjoy’ and sweet spaghetti ever truly challenge McDonalds globally? There may be no busier place in Hong Kong on a Sunday than the Jollibee restaurant on Connaught Road. Nestled between […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.