Commentary

The five new virtual banking licenses that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) intends to award this year promise to contribute significant enhancements to customers’ experiences with the country’s financial institutions. The companies that secure the licenses will likely introduce new services to spur fintech innovation from traditional banks and help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) reach previously unbanked consumers across Southeast Asia.

The coronavirus pandemic has proved a bitter pill for the world’s business leaders to swallow and one unlikely to digest any time soon.

Fintech flourished in the decade after the 2008 financial crisis, but how will the industry fare in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak?

Food, besides being the main source of energy for humans, is one of the best ways to propagate one’s culture to the rest of the world and unify people. Yet, with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we’re witnessing instead, how food can drive fear and disunity among people. In recent weeks, food security and the Food Value Chain have come under the spotlight following the ‘panic-buying’ and stockpiling of food and amenities in supermarkets in Singapore and globally.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a global pandemic. This news has sent shock waves across the world and has forced governments to implement swiftly several measures to contain the virus. For example, in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has advised employers to use videoconferencing wherever possible, allowing employees to commute at off-peak hours and other social distancing measures. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has advised special work-from-home arrangements to be made for older and pregnant employees, and those with underlying medical conditions. As a result, many Singaporean companies now face challenges in managing their workforces remotely and stay productive at the same time.

Sentosa Cove was launched with much fanfare in 2005. Back then it was positioned as a destination for the rich and famous, and property prices were mind-blowingly high. To give you an idea of how high prices were, the most expensive landed unit in Sentosa was transacted at $39m in February 2012 for a 148sqm detached house along Cove Drive. In terms of highest $psf, the highest that was transacted was at $3,214psf in Oct 2012 for a 939sqm detached house along Ocean Drive. Clearly, the days of such astronomical prices are far behind us.

I have read articles, self-help books, and sought out every older working person to share with me their secrets to success. Beside the echoes of peers and superiors regaling their past learning experiences, the one thing they always recommended to me was to find a mentor.

Financial institutions around the world are facing greater operational and compliance risks with the emergence of the recent pandemic, Covid-19. Financial authorities and organisations everywhere are acknowledging these difficulties with the US Securities and Exchange Commission offering relief and guidance to registered funds and their investment advisers. In the EU, financial authorities have provided initial guidance to ensure continuity of business under financial stress.

The COVID-19 viral disease is officially a pandemic now. As of 15 March, there are over 153,000 confirmed cases globally according to World Health Organisation, with 121 active cases in Singapore according to the Singapore Ministry of Health.

The Singapore transport sector, more than any sector, contributes a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. As such, it’s no surprise that encouraging more people to switch to electric vehicles (EVs) is at the heart of the government's efforts to tackle climate change. Just last month, Singapore announced its ambitious targets for 2040 with a plan to phase out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, paving the way for greater adoption of hybrids and EV’s that run on cleaner energy.

It’s been notable that Google’s elimination of third-party cookies in Chrome is not negatively impacting all adtech companies equally. Whilst Google’s announcement in January did see some adtech stocks fall, it has by no means been market-wide.

With COVID-19 now having been declared a global pandemic, I say that these have been some of our busiest weeks in recent memory at InCorp. A brutish confluence of events has impacted our region with a ferocity that has unnerved us all. This means we have been helping many organisations reassess their operations with a view to not just surviving through these uncertain times, but flourishing once we see their end.

Is the future of work already here? Automation, artificial intelligence, IoT and other advanced digital technologies – broadly termed the fourth industrial revolution – have irreversibly changed the way we work, live, and play. With eight of the ten most valuable brands in the world now being technology companies, the digital age is here to stay.

Technology innovation does not need to be intrusive or all-encompassing. It is something that can be achieved by every manufacturer—no matter where they are along their digital transformation journey. What is important is the approach taken towards its implementation.

The data is unequivocal: no matter where in the world you are born, life is harder if you are born a girl. From health to education to work, women face a multitude of barriers to achieving their full potential.

I am pretty sure every working individual has at some point thought to themselves, “Do we need to go to that meeting? I’m so busy as it is!”