Indonesia's financial regulator is considering imposing a limit on the microlending interest rate to reduce the cost of funds for small and medium businesses in Southeast Asia's largest economy, a spokesman said on Monday.

Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden) received approval from the kingdom's regulator to undertake a 5.6 billion riyal ($1.5 billion) rights issue, a stock market filing from the Capital Market Authority said on Sunday.

Indonesia's capital market regulator is projecting a drop in the growth rate of Islamic banking assets and is developing an array of initiatives to boost the sector, including much-awaited rules governing Islamic pension funds.

Saudi Arabia's securities market regulator said on Wednesday that it would permit off-market trading of shares in companies which had been suspended or delisted from the stock exchange.

Indonesian lawmakers have approved a pact for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to tackle smog pollution, becoming the grouping's final member to sign up to the regional cooperation effort.

Indonesia's president is against a draft bill that would retroactively limit foreign ownership of plantations to no more than 30 percent, the country's investment chief said, on concerns it may expose the government to possible legal action.

A proposed Indonesia-style ban on exports of unprocessed metal ores from the Philippines may not be implemented for about seven years, the proponent of a bill before Congress said on Tuesday, potentially easing pressure on nickel prices.

Thailand's court of appeals on Tuesday overturned an earlier ruling that had required the country's top coal miner Banpu Pcl to pay more than $1 billion in compensation to partners in a former Laos joint venture.

Nvidia Corp has sued rival chipmakers Qualcomm and Samsung Electronics, accusing both companies of infringing its patents on graphics processing technology.

India's antitrust regulator said on Thursday it had made an initial observation that Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's agreed $3.2 billion acquisition of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd could hurt competition, asking the companies to provide more details.