Economy

Singapore's Changi Airport in January: ASEAN economic ministers have discussed the possibility of a shared digital vaccine certificate that could open up travel.
Economy

ASEAN eyes digital vaccine certificate for post-COVID travel

Economic ministers discuss following EU in move toward immunity 'passports'

3 March 2021
Singapore initially will admit 500 foreigners through its Tech.Pass visa program. (Photo by Takashi Nakano)
Economy

Singapore offers tech visas to talent that earns $15,000 monthly

But city-state tightens requirements on lower-tiered foreign workers

25 February 2021
Luxury shopping in Jakarta: Indonesia is projected to see a 67% annual increase in the ranks of its superwealthy through 2025.
Economy

Indonesia to outpace China in rise of crazy rich as COVID abates

Report says vaccine-fueled economic recovery will deepen pockets of superwealthy

24 February 2021
Connect@Changi's meeting rooms are separated by airtight glass panels, with a small window for exchanging documents. Papers inserted into the window will undergo an ultraviolet sanitization process. (Photo by Mayuko Tani)
Economy

Singapore opens Changi business meeting 'bubble' to revive travel

With glass barriers and document sanitizers, facility eyed for 'Davos' role

18 February 2021
Singapore's balancing act is of vital importance to economies everywhere.
Opinion

Singapore risks underestimating 2021 global economic trauma

Overconfidence puts V-shaped recovery at risk

18 February 2021
Proceeds from Singapore's planned bonds will go toward new rail lines like this one as well as tidal walls to protect against rising sea levels.
Economy

Singapore to fund infrastructure with debt as COVID swells deficit

GST hike 'sooner than later' in 2022-25, deputy PM says in budget speech

16 February 2021
Workers put up Lunar New Year decorations in Singapore on Feb. 8: The city-state is counting on an economic rebound this year.
Economy

ASEAN's 2021 GDP forecasts show cautious optimism in COVID shadow

Vaccinations key as Singapore sticks to 4-6% outlook but Thailand lowers sights

15 February 2021
Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, seen speaking in Geneva, Switzerland on Jan. 21. (Photo courtesy of the WEF)
WEF in Singapore

Singapore 'Davos' pushed to August over travel restrictions

WEF announces three-month postponement days after 'Agenda' gathering

4 February 2021
As connoisseurs of Reddit's WallStreetBets forum bought shares of GameStop, the "smart money" lost untold billions.
Opinion

Reddit uprising beats Davos Man at his own game

GameStop crusade draws parallels to Occupy Wall Street movement

1 February 2021
Singapore's Changi Airport Terminal 2 was virtually empty the day before its closure last April as part of measures to shut out the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Coronavirus

Singapore suspends Malaysia business 'bubble' for 3 months

Schemes with South Korea and Germany also affected by global COVID rise

30 January 2021
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addresses the online Davos Agenda meetings on Jan. 29.
WEF in Singapore

US-China meeting possible in Singapore: Davos chief says

Lee Hsien Loong warns against generational 'twilight struggle'

29 January 2021
A customer selects red envelopes for Lunar New Year in Singapore's Chinatown in 2018. 
Finance

Singapore promotes digital money for Lunar New Year cash gifts

Central bank aims to tackle COVID-19 as well as reduce carbon emissions

26 January 2021
Migrants take shelter at a construction site in Ahmedabad, India, during the coronavirus crisis. Experts warn the pandemic could lead to greater inequality, as workers who cannot adapt to telework are left behind.
WEF in Singapore

Mind the digital gap in Asia's post-COVID economy: Davos panelists

Singapore minister and others stress workforce upskilling for 'inclusive growth'

26 January 2021
Last year's World Economic Forum annual meeting held in Davos in January 2020: the importance of bringing decision-makers together in-person cannot be underestimated.
Opinion

World Economic Forum in Singapore will be safe and successful

Special annual meeting will be a major step in building post-COVID future

21 January 2021
A containership docks at a terminal in Singapore in this file photo: The city-state's relatively brisk exports for 2020 contrast with its record 5.8% GDP contraction.
Economy

Singapore exports grow in 2020 despite COVID turmoil

Benchmark figure rises 4.3% on semiconductor and pharmaceutical demand

18 January 2021
Cordoned off Merlion Park, pictured in June 2020: Singapore is a COVID-19 exemplar by being extraordinarily risk-averse.
Opinion

Reckless plan to move Davos 2021 to Singapore must be abandoned

Annual jamboree more likely to become a giant superspreader event

18 January 2021
Spectators watch a light show on New Year's Eve in Singapore. The city-state suffered its worst economic year in 2020.
Economy

Singapore's GDP shrinks record 5.8% in 2020

Q4 contraction slows to 3.8%, setting stage for rebound in 2021

4 January 2021
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, left, shakes hands with then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Putrajaya, Malaysia, after the two countries signed an agreement on the now-terminated Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project in December 2016.
International relations

Singapore and Malaysia terminate high-speed rail project

Governments fail to agree proposed changes to the suspended plan

1 January 2021
Exercising on the waterfront near Singapore's Marina Bay Sands resort: The Asian destination is trying to revive its conference industry while preventing international gatherings from becoming COVID-19 superspreader events.
Travel & Leisure

Singapore trains to be in fighting shape for Davos 2021

MMA events and concerts serve as warm-up for COVID-era World Economic Forum

31 December 2020
A bedding factory in Hanoi: Vietnam has succeeded in curbing both the health and economic impact of COVID-19.
Economy

Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia seen fully recovering in 2021

IMF unveils mixed economic forecasts for Southeast Asia

29 December 2020
Biden, Olympic logo, Suga, and Wuhan (Source photos by Reuters, Ken Kobayashi, Karina Nooka)
Your Week in Asia

Japan's elections, 100th anniversary of CCP: Asia's 2021 calendar

One year after Wuhan lockdown, will there be a Tokyo Olympics?

27 December 2020
COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Singapore's Changi Airport on Dec. 21. (Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Communications and Information)
Coronavirus

Vaccines arrive in Singapore: 5 pillars for overcoming COVID

From rapid tests to meetings divided by glass, city isn't relying on shots alone

21 December 2020
Shanghai became the first mainland Chinese metropolis to enter the global top ten of appealing cities, according to to a new Global Power City Index released on Tuesday. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura) 
Economy

Shanghai jumps into global Top 10 of attractive cities

No. 5 Singapore expects higher place next year; No. 3 Tokyo struggles with talent

8 December 2020
Stream article image
Asia Insight

Cities after COVID: How Manila and others can 'build back better'

For Asian metropolises, crisis offers chance to emerge cleaner, greener and safer

8 December 2020
Cyclists ride past the city skyline in Singapore on June 19: adapting existing road infrastructure to be more bicycle-friendly would be a welcome consequence of the pandemic.
Opinion

Three lessons for Asia from the world's top megacities

Sustainable urbanization is the key to rebuilding after the pandemic

28 November 2020