Let's Talk, Singapore

In Singapore’s move towards a Smart Nation, many seniors, who are less tech-savvy, are the hardest hit. And as banks move increasingly towards digital-first services and cut down the number of service counters at physical branches, these seniors are struggling to do their banking transactions. It gets worse for those who are non-english speaking. How can we help them? We find out from Kevin Wu, Co...

Why Australia's Prime Minister is rooting for song and dance to be accepted as essential to the Australian way of life. Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.  In this episode, she chat...

Alphabet is shutting down its Everyday Robots project - another casualty of job cuts at Google’s parent company and the latest in a long list of failed hardware ventures. It was launched in 2019 with an aim of designing armed robots that could help out in domestic and office settings; taking on light custodial work like sorting trash and cleaning tables. What does that mean for the smart cleaning...

Analysts are mixed on growing speculation of a new successor being groomed to take over North Korean leader Kim Jong Un following his 10-year-old daughter's public appearance in recent days. This comes at a time amid reports of a ‘grave’ food situation in the country.  Oh Joon, Professor of United Nations studies at Kyung Hee University and Former South Korean Ambassador to Singapore and the UN  w...

Henry Loh, Head of Asian Credit on the Asian Fixed Income Team at abrdn discusses how prevalent the issue of greenwashing is for Asian green bonds, how investors should go about filtering for quality, and the type of yields to expect. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New electric vehicle (EV) charging points are slated to be installed in one-third of Housing Board car parks by the end of 2023, as the shift towards greener transport gathers speed. Transport Minister S. Iswaran said that some 2,000 EV charging points are set to be installed in more than 700 HDB car parks by the end of the year. Goh Chee Kiong, CEO at Charge+ , a leading integrated EV charging so...

David Kuo, co-founder, The Smart Investor shares how high interest rates could go with further rounds of hotter than expected inflation data, especially from Europe and the US. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are plans to produce 30 per cent of our nutritional needs by 2030 a far goal for land-scarce Singapore? As they say - take one step at a time, or in this case, taking one tree at a time - Chocolatier & Founder, 2am:dessertbar Janice Wong is determined to plant a thousand cacao trees right here on this island - in the name of food security. She shares more.   [Find Us on Podcast Platforms] Awed...

Singapore is ramping up efforts to grow its tech talent to meet the demands of a fast-growing digital economy. But has there been enough consideration to ensure no one gets left behind? Carol Soon, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies and Vice-Chair of the Media Literacy Council weighs in on how better our little red dot can navigate the digital era.   [Find Us on Podcast Plat...

Recently, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Reserve Bank of India launched the linkage between Singapore’s PayNow and India’s Unified Payments Interface. This cross-border development will enable customers of participating financial institutions in Singapore and India  to send and receive funds between bank accounts or e-wallets across the two countries in real-time. Jeremy Tan, CEO, Liq...

Jordan Stuart, US equities portfolio manager, Federated Hermes, discusses why after a slump in 2022, biotech stocks especially small caps are attractive options to diversify into for their uncorrelated traits. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Mind Your Business (SME) every Tuesday, we focus on a SME in Singapore. In this episode, we are joined in the studio by a second gen business owner who took his parents’ catering business to new heights during the pandemic. Through partnerships and collaborations, he expanded to eight different brands, including urban farming, to be self-sufficient and self-sustainable. But before all of that,...

Despite turbulent global headwinds - Canada is investing $24 million to establish a new Canadian Trade Gateway in Southeast Asia – right here in Singapore. With Singapore and Canada looking to work more closely,  how crucial are climate plans to Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy? Mary Ng, Canadian Minister for International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development shares her p...

Job postings on a leading job site in Singapore fell 4.2% compared with a month earlier, marking the third straight month of decline.  Callam Pickering, APAC Senior Economist, Indeed shares his insights on the latest jobs report and what it means for the labour market.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lee Wai Fai, Group Chief Financial Officer, UOB , discusses opportunities in ASEAN, how much upside is left for Net Interest Margins from rising rates, and cross-selling products to existing customers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United Nations  expects India to overtake China as the world’s most populous country in April 2023, though it may have already reached this milestone since the UN estimates are projections. Dr. Kanti Bajpai Vice Dean (Research and Development) and Wilmar Professor of Asian Studies at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore explains the benefits and drawbacks...

On Mind Your Business, we dive into “Conscious fashion”, not consciously trying to be fashionable but more of being concerned about the environment and the social footprint of the fabric industry, and making shopping choices based on those considerations. Launched just in January 2023 by a banker, Lyn-Lee Foo and Ryan Huang speak with its young C-Suite leader, a rising entrepreneur, Tony K Tan, Fo...

Robert Schmitt, Chief Executive Officer, United Hampshire US REIT discusses if demand for self-storage facilities will taper post-Covid and if there are any signs of a slowdown in US retail spending. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a year since Russia rolled its tanks into Ukraine. And ahead of the one-year mark, we’ve already been hearing reports of Russia stepping up hostilities, with Putin appearing to be preparing Russia for a long war. John Keane, Professor of Politics at University of Sydney and WZB Berlin Social Science Center digs deep into key issues behind the war.  [Find Us on Podcast Platforms] Awedio |...

In 2022, Singapore fintech funding hit a three-year high. This despite lower valuations, turbulence in cryptocurrencies and uncertain economic conditions that have dented global fintech investments. But the massive growth is faced with a lack of professionals with the right skills. On Mind Your Business, Lyn Lee Foo and Ryan Huang find out from Reuben Lim, Chief Operating Officer, Singapore Fintec...

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the country’s Finance Minister, will unveil the Unity Government’s first Budget in parliament.  The high cost of living, escalating core inflation, and an expectation of slower economic growth this year are the main challenges for the nation. All eyes are also on whether Anwar will introduce any new policies or measures that will give some insight...

Terence Chua, Senior Analyst, Phillip Securities Research  looks at the higher Net Interest Margins that propelled UOB's earnings and how much further it can go, plus where growth will come from in 2023 for the bank. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Through digital coaching, organisations can reap many benefits, including increased employee engagement, higher levels of productivity, improved job performance and increased retention.  CoachHub, a global digital coaching platform recently announced its CoachHub Executive program, which includes a new cohort of executive coaches.  Yu Dan Shi , Director of Behavioural Science at CoachHub APAC expl...

While many businesses were forced to shutter due to the pandemic, one Temasek-backed tech-enabled beauty company in Indonesia, has defied the odds, by expanding from their online business to brick and mortar stores. What did they see that the other businesses failed to notice? On Mind Your Business, Lyn Lee Foo and Ryan Huang speak with Christopher Madiam, Co-founder and CEO of Social Bella, to fi...

When it comes to retirement, can we breathe easier after the announcement of additional measures to our CPF? We explore how the latest changes announced at the Singapore Budget affect you and businesses, and whether they’re enough to help you get a step closer to your retirement needs with Christopher Gee, Senior Research Fellow & Head, Governance & Economy, Institute of Policy Studies .  ...