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Andy Mukherjee
For Andy Mukherjee's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
The real question is whether Hong Kong’s revival plan is moving in the right direction and bettering the lives of most ordinary people.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2024
Is Hong Kong over? The answer lies beyond stock prices
When it comes to determining its future, Hong Kong may have no sway over the big forces, such as China’s policies.
Farmers in India take part in a recent march on New Delhi to demand that minimum crop prices be written into law in scenes reminiscent of protests in 2021. 
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 27, 2024
India’s farmers are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore
Farmers in India are marching to demand that guaranteed crop prices promised in 2021 be written into law. Will Modi acquiesce like he did three years ago?
A scientist works on a quantum computer at the IBM Quantum lab in Yorktown Heights, New York.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2024
Your money may not survive a quantum heist
Prime numbers have served the internet age well, but the private sector and public authorities can no longer take their continued guardianship for granted.
The yuan's stealthy climb in global payments could see it pose a challenge to the U.S. dollar's dominance.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2023
The yuan is finally showing some muscle in international trade
The yuan's stealthy climb in global payments could see it pose a challenge to the U.S. dollar's dominance.
What’s worrying from the stock market’s perspective is that the Reserve Bank of India is taking more direct steps to rein in debt-fueled consumption.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 7, 2023
The world’s most-loved emerging market is feeling jittery
India's economic prosperity is primarily being attributed to a small elite class referred to as the "Octopus class."
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2023
The mighty U.S. dollar can fight off the digital upstarts
The de-dollarization project is counting on blockchain technology to end the greenback’s hegemony. The hope may be misplaced.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2023
Asian startups are rising to the financing challenge
Once the world’s hottest stock because of its single-minded pursuit of growth, Singapore’s Sea is slashing costs as it seeks safety in profitability.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 16, 2023
Why the Fed needs to take the digital yuan seriously
The e-CNY will be more than just a paperless version of cash for China's local economy, its use in trade settlements would pose a challenge to the U.S. dollar.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 9, 2022
Breaking Japan’s cash habit by nudging wage earners
The Japanese government plans to pay workers directly into digital wallets to move them off cash and into virtual payments.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2022
Banking could go the way of news publishing
Tech giants pose a far bigger challenge to brick-and-mortar lenders than fintech startups that don't have the scale of platform businesses.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2022
Does your country really need digital cash?
Everyone's jumping on the digital cash bandwagon. But doing so should really depend on if your economy is more like that of Poland or Peru.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 10, 2022
Japan warms up to the potential of cryptocurrencies
Mitsui & Co. is planning a cryptocurrency linked to the yen-denominated price of one gram of gold.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2021
Cash is dying, but we aren’t ready to bury it
As cash vanishes — without a central bank digital currency replacing it — the public's trust in the convertibility of deposits into official money may become an issue.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 26, 2021
A digital Singapore dollar may be too much of a good thing
Singapore says no to electronic cash not because it may flop, but because it'll most likely be a hit and could have consequences for the island's financial stability and monetary policy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2021
Will a wealth tax affect Singapore’s rivalry with Hong Kong?
Singapore wants to take a different path from Hong Kong and may turn to some kind of tax on capital — perhaps as early as next year's budget.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2021
There’s an $80 billion hole in India’s climate pledge
As long as free electricity for pumping groundwater remains a popular ploy to garner farmers' votes, politicians won't want to lose control of the power sector.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 4, 2021
Hong Kong's unique history with currency may prove valuable for crypto
The city's monetary authority is currently studying the feasibility of retail digital cash, and one of the design options laid out in a technical white paper looks promising.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2021
This Bitcoin chaos will blow up your cyberpunk utopia
The mania and panic that have gripped decentralized cryptocurrencies are heightening the attraction of their coming rivals: digital cash, issued by central banks.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2021
Unseen digital cash will stretch your money
These invisible blockchain tokens could still turbocharge our everyday money: by making it move faster and stretching its worth.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2021
Let’s cut capitalism some slack
Rapid digitization, especially in emerging markets, will compensate for decompression.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?