The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

Investors are rethinking real estate in Asia Pacific. Beyond offices and malls, living sectors like multifamily housing, co-living, student accommodation and senior living are emerging as the fastest-growing asset classes. On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo speaks with Emily Fell, Senior Director at Savills Asia Pacific Capital Markets, about the demand drivers behind these sectors, the cultural and demographic shifts shaping them, and why global capital is increasingly moving into this space.  

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and AIA Asia Employee Benefits Report 2025 revealed how rising costs, digital transformation, and evolving workforce expectations are reshaping employee benefits across Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. But what are the biggest forces shaping benefits strategies?  On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo speaks to May Leng Kwok, Head of Market Development, Global, CIPD to find out what this means for the future of work in Asia.

Category A COE premiums have surged to a record $119,003 (17 Sep 2025), sparking new debate about affordability, inequality, and whether younger Singaporeans are giving up on the dream of car ownership. In this candid Viewpoint conversation, Lynlee Foo speaks with Money FM 89.3's Dan Koh of the Breakfast show and Friday Night Live, and host of the Gear Torques podcast. As a rare younger Singaporean who owns both a Ducati and a second-hand car, Dan shares his personal journey, the trade-offs he’s made, and what the car dream really means for his generation.

K-pop is no longer just South Korea’s cultural export. It is evolving into a global training and talent pipeline. From Seoul to Los Angeles, academies are shaping the next generation of performers, and now Singapore is home to the first SM Universe K-pop Academy outside Korea. So why was Singapore chosen, and what does this mean for Southeast Asia’s role in the global K-pop ecosystem? On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo speaks with Jonathan Ang, Regional Director at SM Universe, about the business of training idols, Southeast Asia’s potential as a creative hub, and how K-pop’s globalisation is reshaping music, fandom culture, and the wider creative economy.

Deepfakes are no longer science fiction. They are emptying bank accounts, impersonating CEOs, and undermining trust in digital identity. On Industry Insight, iProov Chief Technology Officer Dominic Forrest explains how businesses and governments can fight back. From SingPass logins to global border control, he reveals how biometric authentication and liveness detection are being used to prove a person is genuinely present, and why that matters as over 130 deepfake tools spread online. This is Part 2 of our special series on deepfake fraud, focusing on the technology protecting digital identity. (*Part 1 of this deepfake fraud series, 'AI fraud and deepfakes: Why trust is at risk in banking' focuses on the industry-wide risks and why collective defense is critical to safeguarding digital finance)

Scheduling shifts may sound routine, but for hospitals it can mean the difference between burnout and balance. Enter NurseShift.ai, an AI-powered rostering solution from IHH Healthcare Singapore that’s winning awards and winning over nurses. So how is it cutting rostering time in half and reducing overtime? And what does it mean for our healthcare workers? On Good Tech, Lynlee Foo speaks to Kavitha Dhanabal, Project Lead of NurseShift.ai, Mount Elizabeth Hospital to find out more. 

Deepfakes are no longer a niche concern. They are fuelling scams across Asia Pacific, from Singapore to Hong Kong, and eroding public trust in financial institutions. On Industry Insight, Christophe Barel, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC), explains why AI-powered fraud is now a systemic risk to the region’s financial sector. He shares how phishing and synthetic identities are evolving, why fraud cases have surged by over 1,500% in Singapore, and what happens when consumer confidence in banks starts to crack. This is Part 1 of our special series on deepfake fraud focusing on the industry-wide risks and why collective defense is critical to safeguarding digital finance. (*Part 2 of this deepfake fraud series, 'Biometrics & Liveness: Securing digital identity against deepfakes' focuses on the technology protecting digital identity)

After years of debate over hybrid work, APAC’s office market is bouncing back. Companies are tightening return-to-office rules, expanding again, and competing for the best CBD locations. In Singapore, resilient rents, limited supply, and strong investor appetite are keeping the CBD firmly in focus. On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo speaks with Ada Choi, Head of Research for Asia Pacific at CBRE, about what’s driving this rebound; from stricter workplace policies to the “flight to quality” shaping corporate real estate strategies, and what it means for investors, occupiers, and Singapore’s role as a regional hub.

Singapore’s nightlife scene has always been about the music, the energy, and the night out. But a new generation is changing the game. Known for being budget-conscious and wellness-minded, the Gen Zs are redefining what it means to party.  So what is driving the Gen Zs to change how Singapore’s nightlife is like? And to what extent is it really caused by the younger generation? On Viewpoint, Lynlee Foo speaks to Teo Kai Xiang from The Straits Times and Patrick Lewis (DJ LeNerd), Founder of Revelry Entertainment to find out more.

With the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone expected to spur cross-border business, travel and investment, what role will hospitality play in anchoring that growth? Ascott’s newly announced flagship in Coronation Square Johor Bahru, directly connected to the RTS, offers one of the first real tests. How are hospitality players positioning themselves to capture rising demand? And what does it mean for the future of cross-border stays?  On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo speaks to Serena Lim, Chief Growth Officer, The Ascott Limited to find out more.