Singapore

Singapore faces weaker external demand amid slower growth in major trading partners.
Economy

Singapore cuts GDP growth for 2022 to 3.6% as demand sags

City-state keeps 0.5-2.5% forecast for 2023 amid global 'uncertainties'

13 February 2023
Attendees hold lights to deliver a message during the Pink Dot event in Hong Lim Park in June 2019: The repeal of Section 377A does not remove the contending groups' deepest disagreements.
Opinion

Singapore's repeal of anti-gay law shows strength of its system

Political process has met challenge of accommodating divergent interests

12 February 2023
PAP politician Tin Pei Ling says she and Grab decided "it would be best for me to move into a role that did not involve any government relations in Singapore." (Photo courtesy of Tin Pei Ling's Facebook page)
Politics

Grab shifts Singapore lawmaker to new job after conflict criticism

Ruling PAP politician Tin Pei Ling won't have to lobby for unicorn's interests

10 February 2023
Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, left, meets with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana presidential office in Singapore on Feb. 9.
International relations

Vietnam PM Chinh seals green deals on Singapore visit

Neighbors align on renewable energy as Hanoi turmoil clouds prospects

9 February 2023
Singapore had just three public listings on the bourse's main board last year, raising $389 million in funds, according to Deloitte.
Markets

SGX eyes lift from China's reopening as listings lag ASEAN peers

Singapore Exchange logs $178.6 million net profit amid flagging IPO stream

9 February 2023
Business leaders exchange ideas on driving progress in private sector efforts to slow climate change at the Asia Green Tech Summit in Singapore on Feb. 8. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
Climate Change

Green tech investments set up Asia for sustainable growth

Regional companies urge climate crisis collaboration at Nikkei-FT summit

8 February 2023
The Erawan Shrine in Bangkok is on the itineraries of many Chinese visitors to Thailand. (Photo by Yohei Muramatsu)
Travel & Leisure

Thailand, Indonesia battle for Chinese group tours post-COVID

Southeast Asia airlines, hotels have edge on Japan, U.S. as travel resumes

5 February 2023
WhiteCoat has already rolled out services in Indonesia and Vietnam offering digital consultations with local doctors and second-opinion consultations with Singapore doctors. (Source image from WhiteCoat website)
DealStreetAsia

Singapore digital health care group plans to raise $25m

WhiteCoat to expand doctor consultation services to Malaysia and Thailand

3 February 2023
Multiple hydrogen projects are in the works on Singapore's Jurong Island, now a hub for fossil-fuel power and chemical plants. (Photo courtesy of JTC)
Energy

Singapore hydrogen strategy draws local energy firms, foreign tech

Keppel and Sembcorp recruit partners as city-state eyes new supply chain

3 February 2023
Amanda Murphy, HSBC's head of commercial banking for South and Southeast Asia, is looking to set up a lending fund in Indonesia. (Source photos by HSBC and Reuters)
Finance

Banks, investors fill ASEAN tech funding gap with loans

HSBC eyes Indonesia as part of lender's Southeast Asian 'growth engine'

3 February 2023
Singapore-based Coda Payments was among the handful of new Southeast Asian unicorns last year, and Lazada ranked first in the region in overall deal value. (Source photos by screenshot from Coda Payments' website and Reuters) 
Startups

ASEAN startup fundraising slumped in 2022 but still up from 2019

Investors turn to early-stage deals amid dimmer IPO prospects for tech ventures

1 February 2023
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, right, hosts his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim on Jan. 30.
International relations

Malaysia's Anwar tightens Singapore ties in ASEAN travel rush

New PM focuses on economic cooperation on third visit to a neighbor in a month

30 January 2023
Soaring prices across the globe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and rapid interest rate hikes have prompted investors to shy away from bets on young companies. (Nikkei montage/AP/GoTo)
Market Spotlight

Grab, Coupang shares rebound as investors cheer cost-cutting

IPO prospects remain uncertain despite gains by Asian tech stars

30 January 2023
A leather upper fitted to a wooden shoe last: "Japanese shoemakers have a strong sense of curiosity, taking much time and effort to find prewar materials about shoemaking," a magazine editor says. (Photo taken at Orma, in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture)
Arts

Passion and precision: Japanese artisans conquer the shoe world

How law and architecture students plus consumers reshaped a hot fashion trend

29 January 2023
Founded in 2008, Vertex Ventures China has offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. (Source image from Vertex Ventures China website and Akira Kodaka)
DealStreetAsia

Vertex Ventures raises $375m so far for fifth China-focused fund

Temasek-backed company manages U.S. dollar and yuan funds

25 January 2023
SATS gained a presence in airports across Asia by taking advantage of the region's growth. (Photo from SATS Twitter account)
Business deals

Singapore's SATS set to close $1bn deal for French cargo handler

Worldwide Flight Services acquisition to clear regulatory review as soon as March

25 January 2023
The Bigo Live platform uses artificial intelligence to help users find relevant streams based on their interests. (Source image from BIGO Technology website)
DealStreetAsia

Singapore's Bigo expects Web3 to fuel livestreaming growth

Company rolling out features such as 3D avatars to lure users

23 January 2023
Founded in 2015, Blackpanda has offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Manila and San Francisco, and plans to deepen its presence across Asia. (Source photos by Reuters and screenshot from Blackpanda's website) 
DealStreetAsia

Singapore cybersecurity firm Blackpanda bags $15m in funding

Startup plans to use capital to expand in Asia, boost its services

19 January 2023
Grab accounted for 54% of ASEAN’s food delivery gross market value in 2023. (Photo by Dylan Loh)
Food & Beverage

Grab tightens ASEAN food delivery grip despite slowing growth

Singapore-based superapp provider ousts Malaysia, Vietnam rivals from top spots

18 January 2023
Travelers at Singapore's Changi Airport on June 17, 2022. 
Travel & Leisure

Singapore projects visitors to double in 2023 as China reopens

City-state expects 12-14m arrivals, forecasts recovery to pre-COVID level by 2024

17 January 2023
ComfortDelGro has conducted tests of self-driving taxis in Singapore. (Photo courtesy of ComfortDelGro)
Automobiles

Top Singapore taxi company buys into Israeli self-driving startup

ComfortDelGro expands tie-up strategy with $4m bet on software developer Ottopia

17 January 2023
Ankit Agrawal, left, is director of venture debt at Lighthouse Canton, while Sanket Sinha, right, is head of asset management. (Photo courtesy of Lighthouse Canton)
Finance

Singapore's Lighthouse Canton launches venture debt fund in India

Plans to raise as much as $135m as startups hunt for financing

16 January 2023
Singapore believes its new talent visa will attract corporate investment, since companies "always look for the best people," the managing director of its Economic Development Board said.
Economy

Singapore's new elite visa will help lure investment, official says

City-state is competing with places such as Hong Kong, Thailand for foreign talent

16 January 2023
Founded in 2020, Jumppoint offers a one-stop platform for warehousing, order fulfillment and cross-border logistics services. (Source image from Jumppoint website)
DealStreetAsia

Mindworks Capital leads Hong Kong-based Jumppoint's $6.5m funding

Logistics provider sets sights on Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia expansion

13 January 2023
Nasdaq-listed Veradigm has invested in Singapore- and New York-headquartered data analytics startup Holmusk. (Source photos from Holmusk and Veradigm websites)
DealStreetAsia

Singapore health tech startup Holmusk raises $45m

Plans to use funds to expand database for behavioral health industry

12 January 2023