The Business Times

HDB launches second BTO project under prime location model in Kallang/Whampoa The project comprises three-room and four-room flats housed in one block with two wings of 33 and 47 storeys. Bounded by King George's Avenue,…

Sunseap unit launches public fast-charging EV network in Singapore Charge+, the electric mobility unit of Sunseap Group, said its "Turbo" line of fast chargers provides a direct current power rating of up to 120 kilowatt…

SoftBank leads US$294m fundraise for Singapore lender Funding Societies The fintech company, known as Modalku in Indonesia, allows micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in South-east Asia to access short-term loans…

Property agent commissions may not rise with higher developer ABSD: poll Singapore real estate senior executives do not expect the latest hike in ABSD for developers to drive further increases in property agents' commiss…

Starbucks faces backlash in China over police incident at store The company came under scrutiny on Monday (Feb 14) after a user on Weibo said that a number of police officers had been eating outside a Starbucks store in…

Delaying GST increase high on wish list for SMEs in community and personal, professional services industries: UOB Topping the wish list of the 800 SMEs surveyed between Dec 20 last year and Jan 7 this year was "extend Jo…

China's Xi sets Hong Kong's leaders 'overriding mission' to control Covid The directive ramps up pressure on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam a day after she said her government's response to the outbreak had been un…

Singapore keeps export forecasts for 2022 as Omicron virus dampens outlook; NODX beats official forecasts to gain 12.1% in 2021 Total merchandise trade grew by 19.7 per cent in 2021, reversing the previous year's 5.2 per…

[BREAKING] Singapore’s economy sees 7.6 per cent expansion in 2021: MTI For 2022, MTI has maintained its GDP growth forecast at between “3.0 and 5.0 per cent”.

Hybrid working can save employers US$11,000 per worker a year: IWG Not only does this result in leaner corporate real estate footprints, this gives businesses the opportunity to increase profit margins, it said, noting t…

Mastercard is going on a hiring spree after starting a crypto consulting arm With its crypto consulting practice, Mastercard said it is aiming to help banks navigate the adoption of digital currencies. It can also assist…

#BTOPINION: Why iFast's sell-off might be short-lived In the latest #HOCKLOCKSIEW, BT writes that despite iFast's dip in March 2020, by September 2021, it had rallied 11 times in value from its March 2020 lows. Much like…

Japan to play catch-up with global peers in 2022 The economy is reopening, companies are witnessing a healthy earnings recovery, and equity risks have subsided. We are optimistic on the outlook of Japanese equities and w…

Temasek-backed ShopBack seeking US$150m for expansion, sources say The Singapore-based startup is working with Morgan Stanley on the funding round, which is expected to value the company at about US$1 billion, the people…

Sea level projected to rise 30 cm on US coasts by 2050 "By 2050, moderate flooding — which is typically disruptive and damaging by today's weather, sea level and infrastructure standards — is expected to occur more than…

#BTOPINION: Four tax measures to look out for in Singapore Budget 2022 On Feb 18, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong will deliver his first Budget Statement for the nation. We discuss here 4 tax measures that will most likel…

[JUST IN]: Singapore-Malaysia VTL (Land) quota to be restored, border measures streamlined The multi-ministry task force announced on Wednesday (Feb 16) the 50 per cent reduction in quota effective from last December wil…

[JUST IN] Singapore removes safe-distancing rules in a ‘reset’ of Covid-19 restrictions Social gatherings remain limited to 5 persons, but the maximum number of unique visitors per household will be adjusted from 5 perso…

[JUST IN] Singapore to streamline Covid-19 recovery, testing protocols to ‘adapt to Omicron’ Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has asked employers to accept HealthHub documentation (and not only an MC) in excusing staff from w…

[JUST IN]: Singapore simplifies Covid-19 border measures; new VTLs with Hong Kong, Philippines, among others From Feb 25, new VTLs will begin with Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Applications…

BT’s Top Stories from Last Week: 1. MAS orders DBS to set aside S$930m more in regulatory capital over serious service failure bt.sg/JuEN 2. Will Singapore levy a property-related 'wealth tax' at Budget 2022? bt.sg/JXBV…

Kimly's former chairman, executive director plead guilty to disclosure gaps Lim Hee Liat and Chia Cher Khiang were fined S$150,000 and S$100,000 respectively, and were additionally disqualified from acting as directors f…

OCBC rolls out 'kill switch' so customers can immediately freeze accounts in scams The kill switch extends to joint accounts, ATM access, debit and credit cards, digital banking, as well as the OCBC Pay Anyone app access…

EU's chips drive 'poses no threat to Asia's semiconductor ops' Industry observers told The Business Times that the move — which is similar to efforts by the US and China — is not expected to see companies pull out of the…

SIA signs US$2.8b order for 22 GE jet engines, services GE said SIA initially ordered 40 GE9X engines from the engine supplier in 2017 and currently has a total of 31 Boeing 777-9 aircraft on order. SIA is scheduled to b…

Full-time employment rates, pay for fresh grads better than pre-Covid levels: survey In 2021, the median gross monthly salary among fresh graduates in full-time jobs was S$3,800, up from S$3,700 in 2020 and S$3,600 in 20…

Singapore condo, HDB rents continue to rise in January; volumes recover: SRX, 99.co Overall condo rents rose by 1.6 per cent month on month and 11.2 per cent year on year. The outside of central region (OCR) saw the high…

Genting's unfinished Global Dream cruise ship attracts investors Among the earliest interested parties is billionaire Lim Kok Thay, who has resigned as Genting HK's chairman & CEO, but the ship's insolvency administrator…

Inflation partially erodes Singaporeans' wage gains, but recovery still ongoing High inflation and the end of pandemic-related wage subsidies "may erode the gains from rising wages, especially for the lower-income groups…

[FREE WEBINAR] The Business Times Market Outlook 2022: Identifying this year’s key investment themes The spread of Omicron, ongoing geopolitical tensions and slowing growth in several economies has led to volatile stock…