The Business Times

[SPACS IN SINGAPORE] Catch up on BT's coverage of the flurry of SPAC listing activity in Singapore: #BTExclusive: Pegasus Asia trumpets international ties; CEO says intention is to de-SPAC soon after IPO BT's Raphael Lim…

Regulation and compliance - Singapore's crypto game in 2022 New rules will allow MAS to streamline the industry and provide more clarity to players

Sampling, advertising and events: Shopee ramps up strategy in 2022 Both Shopee and Lazada have been aggressively launching sales events, but questions have been raised about potential consumer fatigue and whether the pla…

Novo Tellus lodges preliminary prospectus for S$150m SPAC listing This makes the buyout firm, Novo Tellus Capital Partners, the third entity to file to list a SPAC, which it is calling Novo Tellus Alpha Acquisition, on t…

Scrap SMS use in wake of rising scams, banks urged "No single entity can address this alone. Cybersecurity is a team sport and it is constantly evolving," Koo Juan Huat, Cisco director of cybersecurity for Asean, told Th…

Shipping congestion is growing at world's biggest port Ships are skipping Ningbo port for Shanghai, as well as Xiamen in the south, after being spooked by Covid-19-induced delays there. The strict testing of workers and…

SCCCI launches framework to help trade associations transform, upskill workers Aligned with SkillsFuture Singapore's (SSG) national skills framework, the competency framework identifies 22 job roles across 7 functional t…

[JUST IN] UOB to acquire Citi's consumer business in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam For the proposed acquisition, UOB will pay a cash consideration of S$915 million plus the net asset value of Citi’s consumer…

Employment rates for fresh poly grads return to pre-pandemic levels The median gross monthly salary for fresh graduates went up to reach S$2,400 in 2021, up from both S$2,350 in 2020 and S$2,300 in 2019.

Singapore's GIC set to manage extra S$185b in reserves Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said the move, part of the MAS's long-standing practice of transferring what it considers excess foreign reserves to GIC, would boost…

Vertex Tech starts trading on Jan 20 in Singapore's first SPAC listing VTAC is issuing 11.8 million units at an offer price of S$5 apiece, as stated previously in its preliminary prospectus.

#BTOpinion: Here are 4 things to expect for the crypto-economy in 2022 Stricter regulation, decentralised autonomous organisations, China's digital currency, the metaverse and loads of investments -- that's what NTU Asst…

Asean at take-off point towards economic integration: panel "Helter-skelter globalisation has reached its zenith," said Singapore's former foreign minister George Yeo. "Asean has overtaken the US and Europe to become Chi…

Indonesia's retail investor boom sends Pluang into another US$55m round, led by Accel Pluang began by allowing Indonesian retail investors to put micro-investments in gold, then broadened its offerings to mutual funds, g…

Fintech startup Airwallex launches global payment services in Singapore The fintech platform, which aims to facilitate foreign exchange payments around the world, offers global account issuance, domestic and cross-border…

VIDEO: Singapore's EV Journey in 2021 Singapore has been making significant moves over the last year to encourage more electric vehicle adoption. BT recaps the key events of the EV sector in 2021. Read more: bt.sg/JMHp

#BTOpinion: As an ER doctor, I fear healthcare collapse more than Omicron “When a healthcare worker falls ill, another steps in to cover the shifts. But there are only so many of us and severe staffing shortages have led…

LTA awards 2 civil contracts worth S$861m for Cross Island Line Phase 1 LTA said the first contract has been awarded to mainboard-listed Hock Lian Seng Infrastructure. The second was awarded to Japanese company Sato Kogy…

Startups raked in US$621b in 2021, shattering funding records The Silicon Valley region and New York retained their top spots for both the most money raised and the most deals completed. Those tallies were helped along b…

Covid has dealt a big blow to Asean but the region's economic outlook is bright Analysts BT has spoken to say the region, despite being harder-hit than the rest of Asia, is growth-driven and has relatively cheap stocks.…

Singapore Airlines prices US$600m notes due 2029 at 3.375% The Series 010 notes will bear a coupon of 3.375 per cent per annum until their maturity on Jan 19, 2029, the national carrier said in a bourse filing on Thursda…

Calls for China to cut rates grow louder as economic risks grow China's central bank fuelled speculation it will ease monetary policy sooner rather than later with its vow in December to take "proactive" action.

Hong Kong warns Covid-19 curbs on air cargo to hit goods supply "The consequences of these cargo policies will be seen very soon," Chief Executive Carrie Lam told legislators. "We almost have no goods entering via cargo…

Fragrance's James Koh bags Lornie Road GCB for S$981 psf The property tycoon purchased the old bungalow in the Caldecott Hill GCB area, which has a freehold land area of 25,271 sq ft, for S$24.8 million. Last year, he so…

Fake SMS scams: Do banks and telcos have a duty of care to customers? Industry experts The Business Times spoke to about the ongoing spate of SMS scams targeting bank customers here said such scams are possible because m…

Thailand plans to impose tourist fee from April The new 300 baht (S$12.14) fee will be priced in with airline tickets and is part of the government's sustainable tourism plans, according to a government spokesman.

#BTOpinion: Singapore's foresight practices should be taken beyond the government Foresight practices can enhance one's capacity to prepare for and shape the future and can help citizens to become more comfortable with u…

Asean startups shine with Asia-Pacific VC deals set to surpass US$152b record Against this backdrop, South-east Asia continues to buzz with deals. The growth of 3 "decacorns" - Grab, GoTo Group and Sea - is likely to set…

Sony is dealing with PlayStation 5 shortage by making more PS4s Increasing production orders by adding the cheaper-to-make PS4 would also give Sony more leeway when negotiating with manufacturing partners for a better de…

Morgan Stanley to award bonus of over 20% to top performers Investment banks globally adjust their bonus pools according to business momentum. Higher bonuses help them to retain talent in a cut-throat competitive busines…