The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

The AI data centre market is booming in Southeast Asia. Recent significant investments by tech giants such as Microsoft, Nvidia and Google underline the region's strategic importance in AI infrastructure growth. One name that’s making waves in the world of AI infrastructure is Nebius (Nasdaq: NBIS). The Nvidia-backed European startup has swiftly established itself as a leading name in the AI infrastructure space with a multi-billion-dollar market cap in less than a year of its launch. Now, it is eyeing Singapore as its hub to advance AI infrastructure across Southeast Asia. Nebius made its Asian debut at the inaugural GITEX Asia 2025 conference, the largest tech, startup, and digital investments event, and showcased its cutting-edge AI infrastructure to the region’s tech ecosystem. Ranvish Vir, its Growth Lead for the Middle East and APAC shares insights into the AI infrastructure boom, Singapore’s strategic role, and what’s ahead for the region.

What if the future of fund investing was real-time, borderless, and as simple as sending a text? Global funds network Calastone recently released groundbreaking research, revealing that tokenisation – the process of transforming asset ownership into digital tokens on a blockchain – holds the potential to unlock over $135 billion in cost savings for the asset management industry. Where are the biggest opportunities for cost savings in the fund distribution chain? How are asset managers integrating tokenisation in reshaping their portfolio strategies? Justin Christopher, Managing Director Asia, Calastone shares insights including trends in Asia’s appetite for digital fund infrastructure and tokenised products.

For YouTube, which has about 332 million users in Southeast Asia, its video shopping features are proving to be a hit with consumers. Following its success in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, it has recently expanded its Shopping Affiliate Program with Shopee to Singapore, giving local content creators an additional alternative revenue stream.  According to YouTube, two in five shoppers in this region use online video during the buying process, and 62% of Singaporean consumers made a purchase after discovering a brand, product or retailer on the platform. Video commerce is reshaping the way we shop online. With shopping closer than ever to where discovery actually happens, what does this mean for creators, consumers, and the retail landscape? Geraldine Ho, Head of Marketing at Shopee Singapore shares more insights into the trends in the video shopping space.

Many brave unpredictable seas daily to support their communities but a lack of infrastructure and communication tools increases the vulnerability and risks of fishermen. Utari Octavianty, Chief Sustainability Officer of Aruna, joins us to discuss how the Indonesia-based marine and fishery startup is transforming the fishing industry with technology and smarter systems, empowering coastal communities through sustainable and safer practices.

Autonomous vehicles (AV) are no longer the stuff of science fiction. From self-driving taxis in China to AV ride-hailing in U.S. cities, the landscape is shifting fast. In Singapore, the Land Transport Authority is on track for a three-year trial for autonomous buses starting mid-2026. When will we see AVs become commercially available at scale? What does this mean for mobility, businesses and careers? Daniel Chow, Principal at global consultancy Arthur D. Little, joins us to unpack the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in the autonomous vehicle industry.

As companies navigate a fragmented global economy, choosing the right location has never been more crucial. Savills Dynamic Wealth Indices revealed that Singapore is the top location for corporate relocations based on corporate tax and business environments, volumes of foreign direct investment, and economies and knowledge bases. Seoul, New York,  London and Abu Dhabi round up the remaining top five places.  We explore these latest findings with Paul Tostevin, Director and Head of Savills World Research. Tune in as Paul breaks down the key drivers behind Singapore’s continued success and why it stands out, and highlights some trends shaping the location decisions of businesses.

As Singapore approaches super-aged status by 2026, with over 21% of its population aged 65 and above, the need for robust financial planning for seniors becomes increasingly vital. What happens when you are retired? How can you continue to grow your nest egg? Susan Tan, Group Segment Head at OCBC, the longest established Singapore bank, shares insights into OCBC's holistic approach to empower seniors to age well and continue to accumulate wealth through its SeniorCare Programme, focusing on health, wealth, lifestyle, and literacy.  Tune to find out the pressing financial challenges seniors face and the ways industry players such as OCBC are playing a role to help you live your best life in your senior years!

Singapore is making waves in the global yachting scene with the return of the Singapore Yachting Festival 2025. Held from April 10 to 13 at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove, the third edition of the annual event features over 100 brands, two world yacht premieres, and 10 Asia and Asia-Pacific premieres as well as a new Superyacht Lounge. In addition, Singapore Yachting Festival 2025 has positioned itself to be most anticipated luxury event in Asia with a lineup of supercars, luxury experiences, and industry innovations, Jonathan Sit, Regional General Manager of the Marina Division at SUTL Enterprise, shares more about Singapore’s growing prominence in the industry, investing opportunities and what to expect at this year’s show.

Machine identities, unique digital credentials, like digital certificates or keys, are becoming increasingly important as organisations accelerate digital transformation, adopt cloud services, and integrate automation. They are Yet, more often than not, they are poorly managed and dangerously exposed. According to global identity security firm CyberArk, over three-quarters of Asia Pacific security leaders have reported incidents linked to compromised machine identities. As enterprises scale their digital operations, how can they safeguard the growing network of bots, APIs, and AI agents interacting behind the scenes? Ssu Han Koh, Solutions Engineering Director for ASEAN, CyberArk, shares insights into the evolving threat landscape and why it is time companies give machines a seat at the identity table. 

The rise of precision medicine is transforming the healthcare landscape, offering personalised treatments based on genetic profiles, enhancing patient outcomes, and reducing costs. On Industry Insight, we explore how technologies like AI and big data are driving innovation in this space. Gena Nikitin, CEO of Norway-based Miphic, joins us to share the latest trends and the future of personalised healthcare. Miphic is a pioneering company with a focus on mitochondrial health and precision medicine.