risks – KCS Group Asia Ltd

UK’s Manufacturing Crisis: JLR cyberattack, supply chains and industrial fragility

Articles / cyber awareness, Cyber Security, Cyber-attacks, Due Diligence, European Union, Industrial, manufacturing, risks, security risks, supply chains, United Kingdom / 10/2025

When a cyberattack hit Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) - owned by India’s Tata group - at the end of August 2025, production paused across key UK sites and thousands of factory staff were told to stay home while systems were rebuilt. JLR moved to a phased restart in early October beginning with Wolverhampton, then Solihull [...]

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Supply Chains and Sovereignty: the rising trend of localisation vs globalisation

Articles / Asia Pacific, China, Due Diligence, European Union, Geopolitics, Global trade, manufacturing, risks, supply chains, USA / 10/2025

In the past, the logic behind global supply chains was deceptively simple: source components where they were cheapest, assemble products where production was most efficient/ economical, and sell where demand was strongest. This model, refined over decades, essentially prioritised cost and scale above nearly all other considerations. Yet, in recent years, geopolitical pressures, technological competition

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Scandium Stockpiling: the new minerals arms race

Articles / Canada, China, Due Diligence, exports, minerals, risks, Russia, scandium, supply chains, USA / 10/2025

Scandium has quietly shifted from an obscure industrial input to a geopolitical bargaining tool. In mid-2025, Beijing brought it under its export licensing system, meaning buyers now wait longer and face tougher approvals. The EU reacted in July with a formal resolution criticising the move, underlining how even minor minerals are being pulled into bigger

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Difficult Decisions: infrastructure choices, payments, sanctions and alternative networks

Articles / currency, Due Diligence, financial governance, Geopolitics, global payments, payment networks, risks, Sanctions, US-China trade / 09/2025

Cross-border payments for the most part still run on SWIFT and old-school correspondent banking, but rules are now forcing banks to go real time. Since 9 January 2025, EU banks have been required to receive euro instant payments within 10 seconds, 24/7. By this October, they also need to be able to send them. That

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Laos, China and the Corridor

Articles / Australia, China, Due Diligence, European Union, Foreign investment, Global trade, Japan, Laos, risks, Southeast Asia, trade corridor, United Kingdom, USA / 09/2025

Since the China Laos Railway (CLR) began service in December 2021, Laos has shifted from a land-locked cul-de-sac to a viable overland bridge into China and, by extension, East Asia and Europe. Throughput is climbing with the line moving close to 3 million tonnes in the first half of 2025, up 8.8% year-on-year, indicating deeper

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West Africa’s Cocoa-driven Power Plays

Articles / Cocoa, Cote d'Ivoire, Due Diligence, Economy, farming industry, Foreign investment, Ghana, risks, trade relations, West Africa / 09/2025

After two poor seasons in West Africa, cocoa supply remains volatile. Forecasts now point to another output drop in 2025/26 - driven by erratic weather, disease pressure, ageing trees and even mining encroachment - pushing prices to extreme levels and straining operations. This squeeze has created the political space for Accra and Abidjan to lean

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Mongolia’s Rare Earth Strategy: balancing risks and rivalries

Articles / China, Due Diligence, economic growth, Foreign investment, global trade routes, minerals, Mongolia, political instability, risks, Russia, supply chains / 08/2025

Wedged between China and Russia, Mongolia is often viewed through the prism of its geography: landlocked and dependent on its neighbours for access to global trade routes. Yet, beneath its deserts and steppes lies a resource base that has the potential to redraw supply chains for critical minerals. Copper, gold and rare earth elements make

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Energy, Politics and Power: Guyana’s High-Stakes Ascent

Articles / China, Due Diligence, economic growth, energy markets, energy supply, Foreign investment, Guyana, Oil, risks, supply chains, USA / 08/2025

ExxonMobil’s deepwater discoveries in Guyana’s Stabroek Block have transformed the country from a marginal player to one of the most promising oil frontiers globally. The block holds over 11 billion barrels of recoverable reserves, placing Guyana among the largest new offshore producers. Since 2022, Guyana’s GDP growth has been the fastest in the world, averaging

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Central Asia: from sanctions to strategy

Articles / Central Asia, China, Due Diligence, Economy, Europe, Foreign investment, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, risks, Sanctions, trade corridor, Uzbekistan / 08/2025

Kazakhstan is moving the fastest. Construction is under way on the new Darbaza-Maktaaral rail link to Uzbekistan (US$523 million) and a second track on the Dostyk-Moiynty section to lift China-Europe capacity five-fold by 2027. At the Caspian end, Aktau will add a 200,000 TEU container hub by 2025 for just US$42 million, while Kuryk gains

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Corridors or Chokepoints – the infrastructure bet driving Ethiopia’s future

Articles / Africa, China, Denmark, Due Diligence, Economy, energy supply, Ethiopia, European Union, Foreign investment, Geopolitics, Infrastructure, risks, Saudi, trade corridor, UAE / 08/2025

Although the Pretoria accord halted open warfare, Ethiopia’s political temperature has begun to rise again. Rival factions inside the Tigray People’s Liberation Front now contest the authority of the federally backed Interim Administration; analysts warn that internal splits could ignite a fresh insurgency and draw Eritrea back in. In parallel, the Fano militia in Amhara

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