Big Take Asia

Hackers the FBI has linked to North Korea stole $6.3 billion from Binance, pulling off the biggest crypto heist of all time.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder speaks with Bloomberg crypto editor Ryan Weeks and Bloomberg Economics’ Adam Farrar about how the attack unfolded and how stolen crypto is increasingly funding Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions. 

Read more: 

North Korean Hackers Behind Binance Crypto Heist Are Weaponizing AI

Kim Jong Un Flouted Sanctions to Amass $22 Billion Windfall

Further listening: The Unexpected Rise of North Korea’s Economy

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After a rare double downgrade warning from MSCI, Indonesia suffered its worst stock rout in nearly 30 years.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg Indonesia bureau chief Ben Otto about what dropping Southeast Asia’s largest economy from key global benchmarks would mean for investors and what Jakarta can do to avert the crisis.

Read more: What Happens If Indonesia Is Removed From MSCI’s Global Indexes?

Further listening: Indonesia’s $15 Billion Free Lunch Experiment

Watch, from Originals: Inside Indonesia's Market Meltdown

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Host: K. Oanh Ha; Guest: Ben Otto; Produced by Naomi Ng; Edited by Crispina Robert; Engineering by Greg Tock.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wants to put Japan back in the fast lane, with huge investments in everything from AI to space technology. But can she generate the growth to justify the spending without unsettling markets and voters?

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Paul Jackson about Takaichi’s first-year scorecard and the economic and political pressures that could determine whether her agenda succeeds.

Read more: Japan Is Still Figuring Out How a Female Prime Minister Should Lead

Further listening: Japan Hikes Rates, Reshaping Carry Trade

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Host: K. Oanh Ha; Guest: Paul Jackson; Produced by Naomi Ng; Edited by Crispina Robert and Julia Weaver; Engineering by Greg Tock.

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When millions of retail investors piled into India’s options market to get rich quick, losses mounted and regulators launched a sweeping crackdown. 

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, guest host Rebecca Choong Wilkins and India equities reporter Savio Shetty break down how the world’s largest options market unraveled, why regulators are struggling to police the country’s latest craze and where traders are placing their bets now. 

Read more: How India Built (and Broke) the World’s Biggest Options Casino

Further listening: Inside Jane Street: The Enigmatic Firm That Rules Wall Street

Watch, from Originals: How India's Day Retail Traders Lost Billions

Host: Rebecca Choong Wilkins; Guest: Savio Shetty; Produced by Naomi Ng and Yang Yang; Edited by Crispina Robert and Julia Weaver. Engineering by Sean Carter II.

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Beyond software and chips, the AI boom relies on good old-fashioned manufacturing of essential components – a skill that has made a new class of people very, very rich.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host Oanh Ha talks with Bloomberg reporter Cindy Wang and Opinion columnist Catherine Thorbecke about how nimble producers—think toilet manufacturers and furniture makers—pivoted to this booming industry, and the risks of concentrating too much AI manufacturing in one part of the world.

Read more: ‘Like It’s Raining Gold’: The AI Boom’s Unexpected Billionaires

Bloomberg Billionaires Index: 500 of the World’s Richest People 

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Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Guests: Cindy Wang, Catherine Thorbecke; Produced by Naomi Ng and Yang Yang; Edited by Crispina Robert and Paddy Hirsch Engineering by Greg Tock.

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China is ramping up an ongoing effort to shore up local government budgets and fund AI data centers with tax revenue from its richest citizens. Billionaires across the country are seeing bills hit their doorstep, and one major deadline to pay up is just weeks away.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura talks to Bloomberg’s Lulu Chen about why Beijing is enforcing and rewriting its tax rules, and the measures some wealthy citizens are taking to pay up or fight back.

View profiles for each of the world’s 500 richest people, see the biggest movers, and compare fortunes or track returns on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Read more: China’s Tax Grab Squeezes Rich Elite Harder Than Ever

Further listening: China Tightens Its Grip on Billions in Offshore Wealth

Hosted by David Gura; Guest: Lulu Chen; Produced by Naomi Ng; Edited by Aaron Edwards, Engineering by Greg Tock

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As Chinese President Xi Jinping makes his first visit to Washington in over a decade, trade and the AI race will likely dominate talks with Donald Trump.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s John Liu unpack what each leader hopes to gain and why they may have no choice but to cooperate on AI safety.

Read more: The Tough AI Questions Looming Over the Trump-Xi Summit

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Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Yang Yang and Naomi Ng; Edited by Crispina Robert and Paddy Hirsch Engineering by Alex Sugiura

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It’s been a big week for central banks around the world. Yet among the flurry of rate decisions, the Bank of Japan’s move stands out. After decades of near-zero interest rates, policymakers are betting Japan’s economy is finally returning to something closer to normal.

On today’s Big Take Podcast, K. Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s Paul Jackson explore why the Bank of Japan is hiking rates at its fastest pace in decades, what the shift means for the yen carry trade and how Japan’s policy moves could ripple across global markets.

Read more: BOJ Hikes at Fastest Pace Since 1990 After Bessent’s Calls

Hosted by K. Oanh Ha and David Gura; Guest: Paul Jackson; Produced by Naomi Ng, Julia Press and David Fox; Edited by Crispina Robert and Paddy Hirsch. Engineering by Sean Carter.

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American pharma giants are increasingly turning to Chinese labs to discover, test and develop cutting-edge drugs.

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, Bloomberg’s Amber Tong and Robert Langreth join Oanh Ha to break down why global drugmakers are sourcing their next big breakthroughs from China — and what that means for US biotech dominance.

Read more: Big Pharma Is Hooked on Chinese Licensing Deals

Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Naomi Ng and David Fox; Guests: Amber Tong and Robert Langreth; Edited by Paddy Hirsch and Crispina Robert.

Fact-checking by Brunella Tipismana Urbano; Engineering by Alex Suguira.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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“The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.” An X post by a former employee of both OpenAI and Anthropic went viral this week and is prompting big questions. Among them: are the safety concerns in the US an opportunity for China?

On the Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder and Bloomberg’s Mike Shepard talk through what an AI safety reckoning could look like — and whether an industry in the midst of intense competition can slow down.  

Read more: 

• Anthropic Worker Quits Over AI Firms ‘Gambling With Our Lives’
• Anthropic Says Iran, Russia Used Claude for Weapons Research

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Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Guest: Mike Shepard; Edited by Naomi Shavin and Aaron Edwards. Fact-checking by Brunella Tipismana Urbano; Engineering by Sean Carter Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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