Singapore morning news for September 13

Singapore PM unsure if China-backed trade pact will be finalised this year
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday said he was not sure if an agreement on major regional trade pact backed by China will be finalised this year.
— Reuters

Go-Jek launches in Hanoi amid SE Asia expansion drive
The launch followed an announcement by the company in May that it would invest $500 million to enter the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, following Uber’s deal to sell its Southeast Asian operations to bigger regional player Grab.
— Bangkok Post

SGX sees share buyback boom: Why and what does it mean for investors?
Singapore-listed companies have been repurchasing more of their own shares this year, with stock buybacks hitting a near three-year high last month, and analysts think this trend could continue for the rest of 2018 amid a volatile market.
— Channel NewsAsia

Cyzone to host 2018 DEMO ASIA Summit in Singapore
Singapore is an international fintech hub with over 200 banks and innovation labs from international financial institutions and has become a premier destination for Chinese startup SMEs to enter into the international market.
— AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)

Banks rev up robo-advisory push in Singapore
OCBC’s foray into the robo-investment arena adds to the momentum already driven by existing players like StashAway, a Singapore-headquartered online investment management company and the first robo-advisor to receive a full capital markets services license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
— Singapore Business Review

Operating pressures strain SIA-pilots relations
It took years to mend ties, but operating pressures are once again putting a strain on relations between Singapore Airlines and its pilots’ union.
— The Straits Times

NETS appointed to handle transactions on unified e-payment platform at hawker centres, coffee shops | Video
NETS has been appointed to unify the e-payment landscape at hawker centres, coffee shops and industrial canteens, announced Enterprise Singapore on Wednesday (Sep 12).
— Channel NewsAsia

Made in Singapore: Crafting leather for a living (video)
Ms Addynna Azlinor grew up wanting to be a surgeon, but eventually put her nimble fingers to work stitching animal skins instead.
— The Straits Times

British Council in Singapore awards IELTS Dream Big Fund to special needs IELTS test taker
The fund supports four special needs students in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan who plan to start their undergraduate or postgraduate studies in 2018 at a local or overseas higher education institution.
— AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)

If education reform is a priority in Singapore and Australia, why not in Hong Kong?
In other jurisdictions, such as Singapore and Australia, the reform of education is high on the political agenda. Although Singapore tops international assessments such as Pisa, its government wants students to do more than pass tests and examinations.
— South China Morning Post

Living longer with breast cancer
Breast cancer is still the most common cancer among Singaporean women, but compared to decades ago, it is no longer necessarily a death sentence.
— Channel NewsAsia

Racist remark by Fandi Ahmad?
National interim football coach Fandi Ahmad and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) owe the Sikh community an apology over a culturally inappropriate comment made at a media conference on 7 September at the Oasia Hotels and Residence.
— TOC

Lucyd Releases the First Prescription Compatible Smart Glasses
Lucyd Pte LTD. has recently released their first product, Lucyd Loud, the world’s first prescription-compatible Bluetooth smart glasses.
— Business Insider

Record $26.9m fine for price-fixing poultry suppliers
The amount is the highest total financial penalty in a single case, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) said in issuing its infringement decision yesterday.
— The New Paper

Rupee Plunge Calls for Action as Currency Overvaluation Easing (video)
There are dangers in using the overvaluation argument to not support the rupee when it is hitting multiple lows, said Vishnu Varathan, head of economics and strategy at Mizuho Bank Ltd. in Singapore.
— Bloomberg

Openness to trade vital for economic growth, say Asean leaders
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said further economic integration in Asean is vital for the Fourth Industrial Revolution “because it is about building networks, creating new synergies and staying connected”.
— The New Paper

What kind of dishwashing and cleaning services provided by Kopitiam to hawkers for $50k every month?
Overall, she said that Singaporeans have benefited from the social enterprise management model which has brought about a more vibrant hawker scene and improved dining experience.
— TOC

Technology can be catalyst in narrowing gender gap: President Halimah
Technology can be a catalyst for narrowing the gender gap, President Halimah Yacob said at the opening of the Women’s Forum Singapore yesterday at the Raffles City Convention Centre.
— The New Paper

Singapore Airlines closes maiden secured club loan
Singapore Airlines has closed its first corporate secured loan, worth S$900mn (US$654mn).
— GTR

StanChart Restructures Sector Coverage as Anantharaman Retires
Singapore-based Anantharaman, who has led the Global Industries Group since it was created in last year’s reshuffle, is leaving the bank after eight years to pursue interests in the technology startup sector, Standard Chartered confirmed in an emailed response to Bloomberg News queries.
— Bloomberg

SEEDS Capital on the lookout for partners to invest in agrifood tech
Enterprise Singapore’s investment arm SEEDS Capital is eyeing for partners to groom Singapore-based startups in the agrifood tech sector through an investment, an announcement revealed.
— Singapore Business Review

Singapore remains the top choice for US investments in Asia
Some US$15 billion were poured into factories and offices in the city state last year, raising the level of investments from the United States to a book value of US$274.3 billion in Singapore – more than the combined US investments in China (US$107.6 billion) and Japan (129.1 billion), the world’s second and third biggest economy respectively.
— Business Times

Lone budget London-Singapore flight to stop flying in January
A London to Singapore flight in November using the airline will cost $286.54 (US$208) which is lower compared to the cheapest flight for the same route with British Airways which costs $460.26 (US334.10).
— Singapore Business Review

Selected coffee shops, hawker centres to accept 10 e-payment schemes by end-2018
In a press release on Wednesday (Sept 12), Enterprise Singapore announced that electronic payment service provider Nets has been appointed to handle e-payment transactions across the multiple payment schemes for these merchants.
— TodayOnline

Singapore stocks close 0.47 pct higher
Singapore stocks closed higher on Wednesday, with the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) up 0.47 percent or 14.74 points to close at 3,124.65.
— Xinhuanet

‘Effectively a ban’: Users, retailers blast new PMD fire safety rule
According to retailers, the majority of PMD users in Singapore will have to discard their current devices and purchase UL2272-certified ones by 2021.
— Channel NewsAsia

Singapore’s GeTS Stepping Up as Key Player to Strengthen China-ASEAN Trade
With a global logistics player that now has a direct connectivity between the two major trading hubs of Singapore and Guangxi, it will encourage other players to come on board through this Guangxi gateway to access other parts of China.”
— Business Insider

Singapore Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions (MICE) Tourism Market Outlook 2025: Top Companies, Trends and Future Prospects Details for Business Development
Singapore is a stellar MICE city, maintaining a perfect tourism impression among world-wide travelers with its stable and conducive business environment, convenient transportation, pleasant environment and well-appointed facilities.
— Business Strategies

Disney is Turning This Singapore Street Into a Winter Wonderland for the Holidays
Ahead of the holiday season, Disney is taking over a street in Singapore.
— Travel Leisure

Singapore DJ launches legal challenge against gay sex ban
Inspired by the decriminalisation of gay sex in India, a DJ has lodged a court challenge against Singapore’s ban on sex between men.
— SBSNews

Intel Core 9000 Series processor prices spotted in Singapore
A few hours ago a Redditor shared a link to a new price list from Singapore-based PC component distributor BizGram (PDF), which included for the first time Intel Core 9000 Series processors
— Hexus

How Does Low Keng Huat (Singapore) Limited (SGX:F1E) Fare As A Dividend Stock?
Dividends play a key role in compounding returns over time and can form a large part of our portfolio return. Historically, Low Keng Huat (Singapore) Limited (SGX:F1E) has been paying a dividend to shareholders.
— Yahoo Finance

HSBC Singapore to roll out new banking solutions to HNWIs
The move comes as an HSBC global report – also released today – showing Singaporeans are among the highest financial contributors for children’s tertiary education in the world.
— International Investment

5 things to know about the chicken industry in Singapore
On Wednesday (Sep 12), the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) fined 13 fresh chicken distributors a total of S$26.9 million – the highest penalty yet.
— Channel NewsAsia

Feature photo Arulonline

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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

Singapore morning news for September 13 added by Maria Mirasol Rasonable on September 13, 2018
View all posts by Maria Mirasol Rasonable →

Bio
Latest Posts

Maria Mirasol Rasonable

Contributor

Maria Mirasol Rasonable graduated with a Bachelors Degree in journalism from Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Santa Mesa, Manila, Philippines.

She previously covered police rounds for Philippine Daily Inquirer as a trainee before becoming editorial staff at Gospel Komiks under the Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA-MG), Santa Mesa, Manila where she wrote lifestyle and trending fashion and styles articles.