Singapore

The Ministry of Trade and Industry said the Singapore economy is expected to grow by around 7% in 2021 — the top of its previous forecast range of 6% to 7%.

Nonfungible tokens or NFTs have opened up the market for crypto assets to many more people this year, said Cuy Sheffield, head of crypto at Visa.

Singapore’s central bank and financial regulator doesn’t encourage retail investors to get involved in cryptocurrencies, said MAS Managing Director Ravi Menon.

Vaccinated travelers from Malaysia, Sweden and Finland will be able to enter Singapore without serving quarantines from Nov. 29.

DBS reported a net profit of 1.7 billion Singapore dollars ($1.26 billion), exceeding an average forecast of 1.57 billion Singapore dollars on Refinitiv.   

The world’s biggest polluters were not among the countries taking on new commitments to phase out coal at the COP26 climate summit.

A new report ranks the pandemic response of 50 cities across five categories: economic resiliency, governance, healthcare, quarantines and vaccinations.

Fully vaccinated travelers from New Zealand can now enter Australia while those from Singapore would be allowed in from Nov. 21.

Singapore-based Mdada, a social commerce startup, did its first livestream a year ago. Now it boasts $371,000 in weekly revenue.

Singapore’s top three listed bank stocks — DBS, OCBC and UOB — have beaten the benchmark Straits Times Index this year.

The bank’s reported pre-tax profit came in at $5.4 billion in the third quarter of 2021 — beating expectations.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government was in the final stages of working out a travel arrangement with the Singapore government.

Singapore scientists are making wound-healing bandages from durian husks. But questions — mainly around the smell of the pungent fruit — leave some skeptical.

Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Nancy Shukri said she’s meeting Singapore officials next week to discuss resuming cross-border travel.

Covid restrictions in Singapore have been extended for four more weeks, authorities announced Wednesday after new daily cases hit a record high on Tuesday.

Facebook has announced a research project in which it collected 2,200 hours of first-person footage from around the world to train next-generation AI models.

Eleven out of 13 economists polled by Reuters had expected the Singapore central bank to keep its policy unchanged.

The United Kingdom plans to increase its presence in the contested South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston said Monday.

Quarantine-free travel between Singapore and South Korea will start from Nov. 15 for vaccinated travelers, Singapore’s ministry of transport said Friday.

An annual list of the world’s 50 best restaurants is back — and for the first time, one city dominated the top two spots.

Around 82% of Singapore’s population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, health ministry data showed.

Renewables account for more than 20% of average energy generation across Asia, said Eugene Cheng, group chief financial offer of Sembcorp Industries.

From Phuket to Singapore, some of Southeast Asia’s most popular islands are slowly opening the doors to international travelers again.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday increased its travel advisories for Singapore and Hong Kong by one level each.

The Covid wave may mean people are gaining further protection against future infection while avoiding severe illness, two medical experts told CNBC.

The Asian Development Bank lowered its growth forecast for the region to 3.1% for 2021, from its previous forecast of 4.4%.

Singapore confirmed 1,009 new infections on Saturday, and 1,012 new cases on Sunday, according to data from the health ministry.

SGX is speaking with potential SPAC sponsors and seeing “a robust pipeline” of potential listings, its CEO Loh Boon Chye told CNBC in an exclusive interview.

The new fund, to be set up with state investment firm Temasek, will help “promising high-growth” companies raise capital through public listings in Singapore.

Dubai’s new attraction, Ain Dubai, will be able to carry 1,750 people at a time when it opens on Oct. 21.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said Singapore wants to limit deaths and avoid overwhelming its hospitals, so it’s not opening up the economy further for now.

Singapore’s stock exchange began allowing SPACs to list Friday, a move which it hopes will draw more firms to raise funds amid a stagnant IPO market.

Citi Commercial Bank has set up a China desk in Singapore dedicated to helping mid-sized Chinese firms expand into the city state and Southeast Asia.

These groups were selected because they are at higher risk of severe illness as a result of catching Covid-19.

Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said the Taliban is now in charge and has to take responsibility for the people in Afghanistan.

The WHO said in February that Covid-19 “most likely” originated in animals before spreading to humans. China has rejected a second phase of investigation.

Around 51.7% of respondents from the auto sector said disruptions to supply chains were “very significant,” according to the survey.

Vice President Kamala Harris said Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea are “unlawful” and undermine international rules-based order.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a sharp rebuke to China for its incursions in the South China Sea, warning its actions there amount to “coercion” and “intimidation” and affirming that the U.S. will support its allies in the region against Beijing’s advances.

The White House on Monday announced a series of new agreements with Singapore aimed at combating cyber threats, tackling climate change, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and alleviating supply chain issues

The aviation sector contributes around 3% of Singapore’s gross domestic product.

During a summer when it was hoped travel would start to normalize, medical evacuation companies are setting records for both memberships and rescues.

Some travelers from Hong Kong, Macao, Germany and Brunei will soon be able to enter Singapore without having to serve quarantine.

The upgrade comes as the Singapore economy grew 14.7% in the second quarter of 2021 from a year ago.

Unvaccinated people are eager to travel again. But increasingly, the rules make that harder.

Around 67% of Singapore’s population has received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

DBS Group Holdings’ net profit for the April-to-June quarter jumped 37% from a year ago to 1.7 billion Singapore dollars ($1.26 billion).

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp and United Overseas Bank will report second-quarter earnings on Wednesday, while DBS Group Holdings will do so on Thursday.

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Singapore and Vietnam next month to strengthen the U.S.’s relationship and economic ties with the Indo-Pacific region, the White House said on Friday.

The Southeast Asian country has struggled to tame a surge in Covid-19 cases despite implementing multiple rounds of restrictions and a state of emergency.

The three-listed banks — DBS, OCBC and UOB — make up around one-third of the benchmark Straits Times Index.

Singapore retailers have seen sales plunge between 30% to 70% since the start of Covid-19, says the executive director of the Singapore Retailers Association.

Separate sets of Covid restrictions in Singapore will kick in on July 19 as a new cluster linked to nightlife establishments continues to grow.

The spread of the more transmissible delta variant has pushed daily Covid-19 cases to record highs in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in recent weeks.

Current artificial intelligence systems can automate repetitive tasks, analyze large volumes of data, recommend content, translate languages and play games.

If macroeconomic momentum in Asia starts to stabilize, stocks in the region could move a lot higher, said Mixo Das, Asia equity strategist at JPMorgan.

Southeast Asia is home to some 400 million internet users and 10% of them went online for the first time last year.

But compared with the previous quarter, the Singapore economy contracted by 2%, said the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Temasek’s one-year shareholder return jumped to 24.53%, the company said in its latest annual report.

The city-state will set up new communications testbeds in 5G and beyond-5G, support technology development and training, and build up a talent pool.

Some 40 million people across Southeast Asia came online for the first time last year, according to a report from Google, Temasek Holdings and Bain & Company.

“We don’t have the luxury of waiting for Covid to be over,” said Singapore’s Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

The Australian city of Melbourne has been found to be the best city globally for remote working, according to a ranking by on-demand housing platform Nestpick. 

There are rising concerns about packaging waste as internet shopping takes off, but some retailers say they won’t let sustainability take a backseat.

The latest Mastercard new payments index survey conducted across 18 markets globally, showed a majority of consumers are willing to try new payment methods.

The Chinese Communist Party government in Beijing claims Taiwan as a runaway province that must be reunited with the mainland — using force if necessary.

Consumers are flocking to online shopping as they seek to avoid crowds due to Covid-19, but getting the goods into the hands of the buyer can be challenging.

Even small and medium sized companies, which were previously less inclined to operate online, had to rethink their strategies when the pandemic hit.

Singapore is working with global internet companies like Google to further transform itself into a leading e-commerce hub in the region.

Travelers often unknowingly violate local protocols. Experts say these are the worst tourist offenses they see on their home turfs.

Singapore said Thursday that some permanent residents and long-term pass holders can begin booking appointments on July 2.

A global semiconductor shortage is causing havoc, delaying car production and affecting operations at large consumer electronics manufacturers.

Travel options for the unimmunized are starting to dwindle as nations prioritize safety and simplified entrance requirements over open-door policies for all.

Controlling Covid-19 would put Asian economies in good stead to manage rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve, said Steve Cochrane of Moody’s Analytics.

Singapore has to be cautious in resuming higher-risk activities due to the delta variant first detected in India, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

Singapore is investing in renewable energy and decarbonization technologies, and is considering a range of criteria for bonafide green investments.

Founder and CEO Aaron Tan told CNBC there are plans to take the company public in the next 18 to 24 months.

The global pandemic has aggravated existing inequalities around the world, and triggered questions about whether technology can help level the playing field.

Local infections in Singapore have fallen to single-digit levels in recent days.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Monday that the country’s Covid restrictions may be relaxed after June 13 if the situation improves.

Malaysia has been struggling to control a surge in Covid-19 infections and last week reported five-consecutive days of record increases in cases.

Shares of JD Logistics made their debut in Hong Kong on Friday and surged to more than 18% from their issue price at one point, before later paring those gains.

Asia is not experiencing a resurgence in Covid-19 cases for the first time, said Ken Peng, Citi Private Bank’s head of Asia investment strategy.

The Southeast Asian economy expanded by 1.3% in the first quarter of 2021 compared with a year ago, the ministry of trade and industry said.

John Ng started his career as a boiler engineer more than 35 years ago and is now CEO of power company YTL PowerSeraya, based in Singapore.

Emerging markets risk falling further behind developed markets in the economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, said Steve Cochrane of Moody’s Analytics.

Climate Impact X is a joint venture from DBS Group, British bank Standard Chartered, Singapore state investor Temasek and market operator Singapore Exchange.

The move from Singapore came after unsubstantiated comments from an Indian politician this week sparked a diplomatic incident between the two countries.

The air travel bubble, which would have allowed travelers to skip quarantine, was initially planned to begin on May 26 after several delays.

Singapore will shut most schools from Wednesday after the city-state reported the highest number of local COVID-19 infections in months.

The new manufacturing site would be able to produce several hundred of million doses of mRNA-based vaccines per year, depending on the type, BioNTech said.

Vivian Balakrishnan, a medical doctor before entering politics, said subsequent waves of coronavirus infections will be a usual occurrence in the coming years.

The company’s media business includes English broadsheets The Straits Times and The Business Times, as well as Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao.

Dale Fisher, chair of the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, says he’s confident in the way Singapore is managing its coronavirus outbreaks.

Singapore said the “double mutant” coronavirus variant first detected in India has been found among locally transmitted cases in the city state.

Singapore’s health ministry reported 16 new locally transmitted coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest number since mid July.

The Philippines’ new law will reduce corporate income tax and boost foreign investment into the country, finance secretary Carlos Dominguez said.

Lawrence Wong, current education minister and second finance minister, will helm the finance portfolio from May 15, the prime minister’s office said on Friday.

Huibert Vigeveno, downstream director at Shell, said the company intends to grow its global electric vehicle charging stations network worldwide.

Southeast Asian ride-hailing giant Grab is going public via a record-setting SPAC merger with Altimeter Growth Corp., valued at nearly $40 billion.