Singapore

Asian companies will lose out if they don’t lead on ESG, says Olivier Blum, chief sustainability and strategy officer at Schneider Electric. (Source photos by AP and courtesy of company)
Interview

France's Schneider group upbeat on Asia's decarbonization push

Exec says supply chain woes no excuse for delay on sustainability targets

14 February 2022
Foreign ministers from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meet for the first time this year under Cambodia's ASEAN chairmanship on Thursday.
Your Week in Asia

South Korea presidential campaign, Singapore Airshow, ASEAN meeting

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

13 February 2022
The Singapore Stock Exchange's results for July-December 2021 marked the second straight period of profit decline. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Business trends

Singapore Exchange's profit drops 9% amid weaker stock trading

CEO Loh expects newly listed SPACs to spur investor participation

4 February 2022
Hong Kong's travel restrictions are among the strictest in the world.
Business trends

Hong Kong financial talent flees to Singapore under 'zero COVID' policy

Strict travel restrictions prompt exodus of personnel and business

1 February 2022
Fintech and logistics were among the major targets for investors pouring money into Southeast Asian startups in 2021. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

'Gold rush': ASEAN startup fundraising more than doubled in 2021

Fintech and logistics lead growth as region mints 25 new unicorns

31 January 2022
Singapore's DBS has agreed to buy Citigroup's consumer business in Taiwan. (Source photo by Reuters)
Business deals

Singapore's DBS to buy Citi's Taiwan retail business

Southeast Asia's largest lender to pay $706m premium and retain 3,500 staff

28 January 2022
A worker checks a wafer chip at a plant in Singapore. The head of the city-state's investment board expressed optimism for the local industry's prospects on Jan. 26.
Semiconductors

Singapore investment inflows show U.S. chip hunger amid overall dip

America's portion grows as China's shrinks; annual total falls to SG$11.8bn

26 January 2022
Singapore Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at the city-state's Changi Airport.
Coronavirus

Grim Singapore tourism stats underscore ASEAN's omicron hurdles

City-state reports record-low 330,000 arrivals amid halting regional revival

25 January 2022
Women are more than half the world's population and they hold a significant amount of wealth.
Opinion

We need to teach women to think differently about money

How to drive more investment to female entrepreneurs

22 January 2022
Grab and Singtel expand their financial businesses by investing in an Indonesian bank. (Source photos courtesy of Grab and Reuters) 
Finance

Singapore's Grab, Singtel take stakes in Indonesia's Bank Fama

Superapp provider and telecom major increase bets on promise of banking sector

21 January 2022
Consumers shop at a new Don Don Donki store that opened in Bangkok, in February 2019. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Retail

Japan retailers Nitori and Donki speed Southeast Asian push

Expansion comes as department stores fade from region due to e-commerce

21 January 2022
A container ship sails through New York Harbor. 
Climate Change

Decarbonizing shipping will cost '$1.5tn over 20-30 years'

'We need sustainable profitability,' Ocean Network Express chief says

20 January 2022
Ahmed Mazhari, president of Microsoft Asia, speaking at the Nikkei Forum Innovative Asia 2022. (Photo by Weixiang Lim)
Technology

Asia is a tech innovation game changer: Microsoft regional head

Singapore's DBS 'quite confident' competing on fintech with Grab, Sea

20 January 2022
Singapore label Love, Bonito intends to leverage artificial intelligence and other emerging tech to come up with fashions that better suit Asian women.
Interview

Singapore e-commerce fashion label races rivals in AI gambit

Love, Bonito eyes Hong Kong and Japan in $50m tech-fueled expansion

18 January 2022
Regulators across jurisdictions are moving to tighten scrutiny of the emerging crypto sector, which is known for operating across borders and away from regulatory oversight (Source photo by Getty Images and Reuters).
Cryptocurrencies

Singapore clamps down on ads for 'highly risky' crypto trading

Move signals further caution despite platforms' eagerness to tap financial hub

17 January 2022
Muskmelons are grown at Nishijima Horticultural Park's farm in Nankoku, Kochi Prefecture. (Photo by Ken Hotai)
Agriculture

Premium Japanese melons bound for Singapore, grapes for Vietnam

Farm once popular with Asian tourists looks overseas for fresh growth

17 January 2022
China will be the first among major economies to release its fourth quarter and 2021 full year GDP data on Monday, alongside statistics for retail sales and industrial output.
Your Week in Asia

Australian Open, China GDP, Cambodian opposition leader's trial

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

16 January 2022
A UOB branch in Singapore. The bank's acquisition of Citigroup's consumer banking businesses in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam enables it to instantly expand its customer base from 2.9 million retail customers to 5.3 million in the four markets.
Finance

Citi sells ASEAN assets to Singapore's UOB in $3.6bn deal

Purchase of commercial banking units comes as region's digital battle heats up

14 January 2022
Shares of Grab, a Singapore-based superapp, have been falling after they plunged 21% in their Dec. 2 debut.
Markets

Indian and ASEAN tech stocks crater as U.S. rate hikes loom

Investors wake up to losses, likely dampening IPO boom

14 January 2022
With SPACs on the way, Singapore could draw the attention of investors looking for new opportunities in fast-growing Southeast Asia. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) 
IPO

Singapore poised to beat rival Hong Kong in listing first SPACs

Temasek-owned Vertex and Novo Tellus file for 'blank check' IPOs

13 January 2022
Nurses in Singapore prepare a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The city-state will require boosters to maintain "fully vaccinated" status.
COVID vaccines

Singapore COVID booster coverage nears 50% as Asian gap widens

Japan looks to improve on slow start while omicron gains momentum in region

13 January 2022
Singapore's Orchard Road shopping district: The government is looking to raise the 7% goods and services tax.
Economy

Singapore eyes tax hike as nations aim to refill COVID-hit coffers

Expert says 2022 is 'last window' for government to raise GST before elections

11 January 2022
Tencent last week trimmed its stake in Sea by selling shares worth $2.8 billion to $3 billion, sparking a sell-off among investors. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Caixin

Tencent's stake sale in Sea not about regulatory risk: source

Source says move was simply to cash out on an investment

10 January 2022
IHH Healthcare CEO Kelvin Loh and Mount Elizabeth Novena hospital. The Malaysian health care group is expecting medical tourism to bounce back from pandemic travel restrictions. (Source photos by Kentaro Iwamoto and AP)
Interview

Malaysia's IHH says medical tourism to grow past pre-COVID levels

Hospital chain looks to M&As as Asia's aging population fuels health care demand

6 January 2022
Forrest Li, founder and CEO of Singapore's Sea, will have overwhelming voting power if a proposed share restructuring is approved that will reduce Chinese shareholder Tencent's voting rights. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Startups

Singapore's Sea plans to reduce Tencent control as it goes global

Proposed share structure change would give CEO Li majority voting power

4 January 2022