The Business Times

A stronger ringgit is giving Malaysians wanderlust again Johor Bahru resident Aera Donz, who travels with her mother, said: “I’m happy the ringgit is strengthening. It makes travel easier. For 2026, I plan to visit Korea…

OCBC’s Lion Global Investors launches Singapore’s first physical gold fund It seeks to track the performance of London Bullion Market Association Gold Price AM.

#BTExplains: What are the Bitcoin, Ethereum futures that just launched on SGX, and how do they work? They aim to meet rising institutional crypto demand by linking traditional finance and crypto-native ecosystems.

Grab-backed digital lender Superbank targets up to 3.1 trillion rupiah in December IPO The bank lends to underserved consumers and SMEs through digital channels, leveraging Grab’s data.

Poh Heng Jewellery comes out tops at #E50SG Awards Second place goes to heavy lift and logistics specialist Pollisum Group and third place to travel operator EU Holidays. #Enterprise50

Apple cuts jobs across its sales organisation in rare layoff Employees who lost their jobs have until Jan 20 to secure another position within the company or they will be terminated with a severance package.

Premium Automobiles teeing up to buy Sime Darby Business Centre for S$55 million The prospective buyer is Premium Automobiles, currently the authorised distributor for Chinese car brands Avatr, Deepal, XPeng and Zeekr.

Why Asean’s next decade will shape the global energy transition Where the region directs its funding next will help set the pace: bt.sg/k5zG Brought to you by Maybank

Start your day with BT ☕️: Stocks to watch: Keppel, CapitaLand Investment, CDL Hospitality Trusts, UOB, Wee Hur Top stories: 1. Property: Premium Automobiles teeing up to buy Sime Darby Business Centre for S$55 million 2…

Singapore to set up embassy in Ethiopia, offer study visits for African officials PM Wong said the new embassy is a “tangible demonstration” of Singapore’s commitment to its partnership with Ethiopia and its belief in Et…

Why is Malaysia trailing behind Asean peers in EV adoption? 🚗 Can the Proton e.MAS 5 - dubbed Malaysia’s “first affordable EV for the rakyat” - kick off the EV revolution in the country? 🔌 BT takes a deep dive into the…

Civil servants to receive 1.3-month year-end bonus This is higher than the 1.05-month payment given for 2024.

IJooz squeezes US$2.5m in net profit in FY 2024 Founded in Singapore in 2016, IJooz’s machines have been deployed to 32 countries worldwide. It aims to list on a US stock exchange by 2027.

Far East Orchard targets S$3 billion AUM, 110,000 lodging units by 2030 The company, held by the Ng family’s Far East Organization, also plans to expand to 25,000 hotel rooms and 85,000 purpose-built student accommodatio…

Singapore’s core, headline inflation both rise to higher-than-expected 1.2% in October Food inflation edged higher, to 1.2%, compared with 1.1% in the preceding month. This was on the back of a faster increase in non-coo…

Singapore court clears way for US$2.7 billion suit against Stanchart in 1MDB scandal-linked claim Claims involve alleged US$150 million deposit to Najib Razak and millions for Rosmah’s bags and jewellery.

More than 6 in 10 retail investors in Singapore hold crypto, but allocation size conservative: survey More than half of the respondents identified as “HODL” – holding on for dear life – traders, while 20% identified as a…

Goto nominates chief operating officer Hans Patuwo to replace Patrick Walujo amid leadership reset GoTo Group CEO Patrick Walujo will step down after two and a half years at the helm, marking the most significant leaders…

Start your day with BT ☕️: Stocks to watch: Jardine Matheson, Mandarin Oriental, BRC Asia, Lum Chang Creations Top stories: 1. Companies: More than 6 in 10 retail investors in Singapore hold crypto, but allocation size c…

‘My uncle, Robert Kuok would expel me’: Wilmar chief rebuts China fraud finding Calling the finding ‘inconceivable’, Wilmar International’s chairman and CEO Kuok Khoon Hong says if he had done such a thing, his uncle wou…

#BTLifestyle: Under Kaws’ moonlit glow, a Singaporean leads Manar Abu Dhabi’s night-time art show Curator Khai Hori turns mangroves, deserts and historic sites into a cosmic wonderland.

Authorities draw links to car leasing companies in Singapore as US money laundering probe widens The premises of Singapore-registered SRS Auto Holdings was raided by police last week, say sources.

Johor to implement RM3 hotel tax for overnight visitors from 2026 It is unclear if the charge applies to each person per night.

Singapore eldercare startup Aire eyes Malaysia expansion as revenue hits seven figures Within two years, it has secured shelf space for its adult incontinence products in 100 outlets including FairPrice and Sheng Siong.

Beyond designer bag busts: Singapore’s counterfeit problem is bigger than luxury goods Many Singaporeans operate under a false sense of security, says this writer. We rarely see counterfeit goods sold openly, so we assum…

Is salary talk still taboo? Your younger colleagues may not think so. Gen Zs are more likely to question pay structures, compare salaries with peers and share wages online. “Pay transparency is crucial in today’s job mar…

Japan tourism faces US$1.2 billion hit on China rift; Singapore sees new bookings rise Some travellers are choosing to re-route their holiday plans - Singapore and South Korea saw new bookings increase as much as 15% ove…

#Brunch: Hands off the company’s data: How protecting such intellectual property becomes challenging With more cases of data theft from firms, do we need to have tougher legal options to protect proprietary information?

Touchstone Partners launches US$10 million green fund, tapping Net Zero Challenge to attract global startups to Vietnam Vietnamese venture capital firm Touchstone Partners seeks to leverage its annual competition, Net Ze…

Planning for senior living needs rethink on regulations, costs and stigma: property players Seniors want autonomy and social support, panellists say.