Commentary

Winning the innovation arms race with business defence for FinTech

With Singapore continuously strengthening its position as a global financial hub – now ranked third in the current Global Financial Centres Index – government bodies like the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) are increasingly looking to technology to not only support and expedite growth in the financial sector, but also to protect it.

Commentary

Winning the innovation arms race with business defence for FinTech

Commentary

Bye bye, TPP

With the new US President-elect, Mr. Donald J. Trump, it is now almost official that the TPP Trans-Pacific Partnership is over and will not be signed by the US Congress, putting the word end to what was envisioned as the largest free-trade agreement between the USA and 11 countries along the Pacific rim, namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam, representing 40% of global economy and 30% of global trade.

Commentary

Training: Secret to business success?

LinkedIn recently published their annual list of the most sought-after skills employers are looking for in 2017. Amongst the skills noted, it was great to see data analytics take the spotlight, with statistical analysis and data mining holding strong again this year at #4 for Singapore employers (#2 globally). For the first time ever, data presentations, which is visualising data, also made the global list in the #8 spot1.

Commentary

What is the potential impact of President Trump?

Right after it became clear that Mr Donald J. Trump had become President Elect, like many of us, I started getting emails and WhatsApp messages asking the single question. What does this all mean? The wise reply is of course – we need to wait and see. But having said that, we can reasonably expect policy shifts in both immigration and taxation.

Commentary

What Singapore marketers need to know about making data count

Recognising data as a resource similar to traditional resources like water and energy can give Singapore a competitive advantage and propel the country to become a key player in the global digital economy.

Commentary

Why flexibility can't be ignored by successful companies

When Compass Offices surveyed 1,200 employees across Asia, the findings gave us amazing insight into what makes workers tick. And we weren't too surprised: employees expected their companies not only to have good corporate values, but even more importantly, to be flexible.

Commentary

5 ways to network in Singapore

One of the things I love most about Singapore is the ease of networking. Not only where and when to network but how to network once you're in the venue.

Commentary

5 things Singapore business travellers should know about their mobile and data plans

In the beginning, telcos fixed rates between inbound and outbound calls, with a little extra if such calls were needed to connect overseas.

Commentary

Savvy and hard-to-please Singaporean consumers – mapping their omni-channel journeys is simply not enough

Minister for Trade and Industry, S Iswaran, recently spoke on how retailers need to start thinking of omni-channels (including online sales and mobile applications) to stay relevant. The success of Honest Bee, Carousell, Zalora, and RedMart (bought over by Lazada) only proves e-commerce works really well in Southeast Asia.

Commentary

Building a sustainable enterprise in Singapore

In recent years, the role of corporations has increased in importance due to growing awareness and societal expectations. Besides financial accountability to stakeholders, ever-diversifying responsibilities, profit maximisation and so forth, consumers still expect corporations to demonstrate business sustainability.

Commentary

Singapore: The next big step towards RBC2

While the Risk-Based-Capital (RBC) framework has served Singapore insurers well over the last 12 years, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is driving a major overhaul on a new capital regime (RBC2) in light of evolving market practices and global regulatory developments.

Commentary

DBS Bank's innovation in assurance: doing more, and more effectively, with less

In 2014, Jimmy Ng, the head of Group Audit at DBS Bank, implemented the bank's continuous auditing project in Singapore. A year ago, Ng had received an urgent call from Kelvin Lam, Country Head of Taiwan Audit. Lam had requested a higher headcount budget to meet the new audit requirements established by the Financial Supervisory Commission in Taiwan.

Commentary

Why a crisis will show how diversified you really are

If you own an ETF that tracks Singapore's STI, some bonds, and an Asia Pacific unit trust, you might think your portfolio is diversified. But it probably isn't.

Commentary

Do you have what it takes to be a CEO in Singapore?

Are great leaders born or made? Many of the greatest leaders in history have engaging personalities and are thought of as ‘natural’ leaders. Think Napoleon Bonaparte, Bill Clinton, and Steve Jobs.

Commentary

5 reasons Skype increases my productivity in Singapore

I am a true global business citizen. I’m English but I have created a company in Singapore and another in Hong Kong. My clients are from right across Asia Pacific and Europe.

Commentary

Everything you need to know about being a leader in Singapore

Leadership in Singapore has recently gained a lot of attention, especially with the elder generation of leaders explicitly indicating that new leadership is imminent. A leader is someone who connects, is forward-looking, and transforms the organisation – public or private – as a whole. Here is everything you need to know about being a leader today from some of Singapore’s most powerful LinkedIn profiles this year.

Commentary