Singapore Morning News For March 17

Singapore morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Singapore news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities.

Being Singaporean The Best in Asean
When it comes to ease of travelling nationals from Singapore and Malaysia have the fewest hassles with their passports among the most convenient in the world for gaining visa-free entry to other countries.
— AEC News Today

MAS looking at legal tender limit for coins
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is proposing to change the legal tender limit for coins and will seek public feedback before making its decision, it announced yesterday.
— The New Paper

President Tony Tan Keng Yam gives go-ahead for Budget 2017
President Tony Tan Keng Yam gave Budget 2017 the green light on Thursday (March 16), clearing the way for the Government to carry out its spending plans for the new financial year starting on April 1.
— The Straits Times

February exports surge 21.5% in 4th straight month of growth
Non-oil domestic exports (NODX) in Singapore surged 21.5 per cent year-on-year in February, beating analysts’ forecasts and marking the fourth straight month of expansion.
— Channel NewsAsia

Singapore’s Plan to Woo More Unicorns Would Be a ‘Game Changer’
Singapore ‘s plans to become the first Asian bourse to allow dual class share listings is catching the attention of tech entrepreneurs and could help turn a staid market into a buzzing tech hub, as the city-state looks to rebrand its image.
— Fortune

Singapore sees slow start to M&A activity: Thomson Reuters
THE mergers and acquisition (M&A) scene in Singapore is witnessing its slowest start since the first quarter of 2013.
— The Business Times

US State Department OKs mortar rounds sale to Singapore
The U.S. State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale to Singapore for 120mm guided mortar rounds worth $66 million.
— Defense News

Singapore medtech firm EndoMaster raises S$20.5m Series B funding
SINGAPORE medical robotics company EndoMaster said on Thursday it has raised S$20.5 million in Series B funding, said to be one of the largest such amounts for a medical technology (medtech) company here.
— The Business Times

Singapore banks to reap surprise benefits from real estate
Singapore banks are more than likely to get a boost from the recent easing of property rules.
— Singapore Business Review

US Fed hike will hit Singapore home loan customers
While the three-month Singapore Interbank Offered Rate (Sibor) has declined since January, analysts expect the benchmark rate to which most residential property loans are pegged to double by the end of 2017. The increase is in line with the expected rate hikes by the United States Federal Reserve this year.
— Today Online

Singapore February exports strongest in 5 years, beat forecasts
Singapore exports expanded for the fourth consecutive month in February, exceeding economists’ expectations, helped by shipments of electronics and non-electronics.
— Today Online

McKinsey picks Singapore to open Digital Capability Centre
McKinsey & Company has launched a global network of Digital Capability Centres (DCCs), with a key hub in Singapore for Southeast Asian companies. McKinsey’s Singapore DCC will help companies harness “the powerful emerging technological changes—known collectively as Industry 4.0—that are disrupting industries across the world”, said the company in a press statement.
— Marketing-Interactive

Singapore trumps peers in THE Asia rankings; Malaysia, Indonesia named emerging stars
They did it again. The prestigious National University of Singapore (NUS) beat its Asian peers for the second year running to emerge top in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings 2017.
— Study International News

Singapore stocks at highest since August 2015 as Fed signals gradual rate hikes
Singapore stocks rose to their highest level in one and a half years on Thursday (Mar 16), taking cues from overnight gains on Wall Street after the US Federal Reserve signalled a more gradual pace of monetary tightening.
— Channel NewsAsia

Singapore endorses roadmap to fight piracy
SINGAPORE has endorsed a roadmap to fight piracy and armed robbery at sea, said a press release from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
— The Business Times

Singapore Condemns Indonesia’s Detainment of Singaporean Boat and Captain
The government of Singapore protested against the Indonesian government’s detainment of a Singaporean vessel and its captain, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday (16/03).
— Jakarta Globe

Singapore enacts key restructuring law reforms
The Singapore Government has just passed the Companies (Amendment) Bill 13/2017 (the Bill), which contains major changes to Singapore’s restructuring and insolvency laws. As planned, these changes are expected to come into effect at the latest by the second quarter of 2017,1 and will be a major shake-up to the restructuring landscape of the region.
— Lexology

Feature photo: Carol Kraal

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Singapore morning news is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Singapore Morning News For March 17 added by Leakhena Khat on March 17, 2017
View all posts by Leakhena Khat →

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Leakhena Khat

Leakhena is a junior journalist at AEC News Today who is also currently studying International Relations, which she finds adds perspective to her work reporting on the Asean Community.

“I love what I am doing so much as it gives me a lot of great experience and provides challenges to my mind.