Welcome to Your Week in Asia.
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, now in its ninth year, is set to showcase China's advances in AI as its low-cost models gain traction globally. The conference comes on the heels of a United Nations meeting in Geneva on AI governance, which highlighted the contrasting attitudes of the U.S. and China.
With inflation above the Bank of Korea's target and robust growth fueled by the semiconductor sector, the South Korean central bank is expected to begin a cycle of rate hiking. The monetary policy meeting also comes amid weakness in the won.
Get the best of our coverage of Asia and much more by following us on X, where our handle is @NikkeiAsia. We are also on Bluesky with the handle @asia.nikkei.com.
MONDAY
Data: India inflation
TUESDAY
Chinese economic data
China releases closely watched economic statistics, including trade data, on Tuesday, followed by its gross domestic product growth on Wednesday. Analysts in a Nikkei survey estimated that the world's No. 2 economy expanded by 4.6% on the year in the second quarter, slowing from 5% in the first quarter.
Data: Singapore advance GDP estimate
WEDNESDAY
Data: India trade
THURSDAY
Nikkei Asia Forum
Nikkei Asia Forum APAC 2026 will take place in Bangkok, bringing together political and business leaders from across the region to discuss topics including energy, mobility and AI. Speakers include Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Sony Group Executive Chairman Kenichiro Yoshida and Thammasak Sethaudom, president and CEO of Thailand's Siam Cement Group.
South Korea monetary policy
South Korea's central bank will hold its rate-setting meeting, with observers expecting a hike to 2.75%. Policymakers will likely factor in positive signs for growth and rising inflationary pressure.
TSMC earnings
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the key manufacturing partner for Nvidia, Apple and other global chip developers, reports second-quarter earnings. As debate continues over how much more room the AI investment boom has to run, investors will be keen to see what the Taiwanese titan has to say about its demand outlook.
Earnings: Wipro
FRIDAY
World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai
Shanghai hosts the WAIC, which is "dedicated to exploring the frontiers of AI technology and driving innovation in the field," according to its website. The four-day event will see "record-breaking" participation, China's state-run Global Times said, with more than 1,400 guests and 1,100 companies showing over 3,000 exhibits.
Earnings: JSW Steel
Data: Malaysia advance GDP estimate and inflation, Singapore trade
SATURDAY
Indian bank earnings
India's largest private lender, HDFC Bank, as well as ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank, are set to report their earnings for the April-June quarter. All three companies recorded increased net profit in the preceding quarter, while asset quality also improved across the board. The earnings come as the lenders are witnessing a change of top leadership: HDFC recently appointed Rajiv Kumar as its part-time non-executive chairman after predecessor Atanu Chakraborty abruptly resigned in March, while Kotak Mahindra's CEO and Managing Director Ashok Vaswani said he will leave the lender at the end of this year.