Commentary

A further tightening of financial regulation in Singapore

It may seem like money laundering is on the rise if recent news headlines are anything to go by. But the fact is, criminals have been successfully laundering money through financial institutions for hundreds of years. The difference now is that financial regulators around the world – including the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) – are cracking down on banks to ensure that adequate processes are put in place to prevent criminals laundering money and financing terrorist activity. The landscape for financial institutions is well and truly changing, and the regulations are only going to get tighter.

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A further tightening of financial regulation in Singapore

Commentary

Top 5 cyber hygiene issues that lead to a breach

Although Singapore was ranked as the safest country in the world based on a report by the World Justice Project in 2018, cybersecurity breaches are increasingly threatening the safety of our digital world.

Commentary

Regulating Facebook protects Facebook

There are increasing calls all around the world for the government to regulate social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter and tech giants like Amazon. A web of reasons explains these sentiments, which were kindled by the Cambridge Analytica scandal which damaged Facebook’s reputation internationally. Coupled with recent scares on fake news and misinformation, the case for government regulation seems compelling. In fact, the Singapore government, in early May, has already passed legislation that would compel sites like Facebook to issue corrections or make changes to posts that are deemed to be against "public interest".

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The future of Singapore's globalisation story is… human

It was now over ten years ago when the cargo ships stopped moving. The Global Financial Crisis reached Asia causing the Singapore Strait, one of the biggest arteries of global trade, to come to a standstill. In fact, Singapore was the first Southeast Asian country to fall into a recession as a result of the calamity. At the time, it seemed the only businesses doing well were the bars and restaurants filled with brokers and traders who had nothing to sell.

Commentary

A choicer way to work and live

The way people want to work is constantly evolving. Driven by needs that are sometimes not provided by a permanent placement, for example, flexible working arrangements or gaining experience without a need to commit to a company, more people today seek greater control over the way they work.

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Building a stronger and globally competitive Singapore

As growing uncertainty mounts in the global economy due to the US-China trade conflicts, the need to transform Singapore into a globally competitive, self-sustaining and technology-driven nation grows increasingly urgent. Singapore, heavily reliant on exports, could lose $22b in GDP according to analysts, due to the trade war.

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Three lessons for ASEAN's Smart Cities Network

To mark the end of Singapore’s ASEAN chairmanship in November 2018, Prime Minister Lee handed Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, a wooden gavel and the Thai premier thanked Singapore for "efficiently driving forward a resilient and innovative ASEAN community". So what can the community learn from Singapore after a decade?

Commentary

Hyperpersonalisation— the holy grail of retail

The retail sales (excluding auto) in Singapore has been declining since 2014 on an average of 0.2% per year, but the yearly decline is much faster in departmental stores and apparels at 0.7% and 0.4% respectively. This decline in retail spending is despite the household incomes going up by 12% during the same period. Clearly, the malls and stores need to have a paradigm shift in shopping experience to be able to reverse the declining trend and give a solid reason for shoppers to spend more in stores.

Commentary

Can business travellers play a part in the fight against cyber threats?

The current approach to addressing cyber threats, implemented by corporations in Singapore, is not being communicated effectively enough to its employees. A study commissioned by global travel management company CWT, found that only 27% of business travelers from Singapore said they feel very confident about not compromising their employer’s data safety when traveling. This is a significant difference when compared with an average of 35% of business travelers globally.

Commentary

Paper to programming: how digital currencies are globalising our economy

The underlying narrative of the 21st century has been underscored by technological advancements, whether it be in smartphones and tablets, the advent of social media, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, to name a few.

Commentary

From pen to mobile devices: will there ever be a paperless school?

Disruptive and emerging technologies are changing the way we work and live today. This new wave of technologies is undoubtedly infiltrating the education sector, not only in Singapore, but all over the world. As a result, our education sector is transforming– with enhanced teaching methods, as well as new ways of learning in our increasingly digital world.

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Singapore's digital future is bright but how do companies survive and thrive?

Globalisation, digitalisation and automation are fundamentally changing the way businesses interact with their customers and the way people work. The good news for Singapore is that it is one of Asia’s, if not the world’s, most digitally advanced nations when it comes to digital adoption and transformation.

Commentary

Five things Singapore sales warrior should consider

One of the most important departments, if not the most important, of every firm is the sales team. That said, sales personnel are often seen in a negative light. A survey from Happi.sg revealed that 64% of respondents believed that sales people are under “constant pressure to meet quarterly sales targets, leading to pushy behaviour and sometimes unethical decisions”.

Commentary

These are 4 questions you need to consider after a data breach

In the moments after a security breach is detected, moving quickly is incredibly important for Singapore businesses, especially now that the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) plans to revise the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) to require companies to notify it of breaches within 72 hours.

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Customer service is giving way to customer experience

Rapid technology innovation in Singapore has made digital disruption the new normal as once safe, stable, and secure industries begin to fully acknowledge the scale, speed, breadth and depth of digital transformation.

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Singapore SMEs must focus on growing better instead of faster

You have a strong product, a great team, and a 5-year business plan at hand – so what’s missing? The answer is simple: it’s not about what you sell, but how you sell.

Commentary

Preparing for a digital future

Worldwide spending on digital transformation will amount to nearly US$2t in 2022 as organisations spend on technologies and services to effectively compete in the new economy. In Singapore, digital transformation (DX) is expected to contribute US$10b to the nation’s GDP by 2021, with a 40% increase in benefits such as productivity, revenue and cost reduction.

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