Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Iran’s confrontation with Israel and the United States has escalated into one of the most dangerous crises the Middle East has seen in decades. A joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign aimed at crippling Tehran’s leadership has triggered retaliatory strikes across the region from missile barrages on Israeli cities to attacks on Gulf states. On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Dr Leon Goldsmith, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Middle East Politics at the University of Otago, to examine how this conflict reached this point, what the death of Iran’s supreme leader means for Tehran’s next moves, and whether diplomacy is still possible.

Brent crude has spiked sharply after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, with disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz raising fears over a major supply shock. Some analysts say this is just a temporary risk premium. Others warn oil could surge past US$100 a barrel. So, are we looking at a short-term geopolitical spike… or the start of a much bigger energy crisis? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Priyanka Sachdeva, Senior Market Analyst, Phillip Nova, to find out more.

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong and Nadiah Koh dive into the biggest buzz online, from Singapore’s move to regulate trading card booster packs under new blind box rules, to the growing debate over chance-based collectibles, rare card hype, and whether nostalgia is turning into speculation. Then, we shift gears to tech with Samsung’s latest privacy screen feature that blocks side-angle peeks and even auto-detects when someone is trying to look at your display. Is this the future of public phone use? Would a built-in anti-kaypoh screen change the way you scroll, text, and bank on the go, or even make you switch phones?  

Singapore shares slid today as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East weighed on global markets. The Straits Times Index was down 1.77% at 4,906.86 points at 12.56pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$2.01B seen in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, shares of Singapore Airlines and Sats fell this morning as the US-Israeli war against Iran led to flight cancellations over the weekend.  Meanwhile, from how the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said that it is closely monitoring developments arising from the ongoing situation in the Middle East, to how oil surged by the most in four years, more economic and international headlines remained in focus. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with David Kuo, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.

History was made this past weekend as a goalkeeper scored for the first time in the Singapore Premier League - rescuing a late point for the league-leading Lion City Sailors. But beyond history, there was yet more refereeing calls that had implications on results and outcomes that had ramifications on the title race. Sports Minutes unpacks it all, in the company of Deepanraj Ganesan of The Straits Times. Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg

Today we’re going to take you through the ins and outs of a leading independent digital wealth platform in Asia that provides bespoke investment solutions for personal savings, private wealth and even public pension (say in the case of CPF and SRS in Singapore).  Founded in 2017, our guest for today Endowus operates out of both Singapore and Hong Kong with a vision to help investors grow their wealth holistically and offer what it describes as conflict-free advice and access to institutional financial solutions, through a personalised digital wealth experience.  Fast forward to today, the firm works with over 80 global fund managers to provide access to investment strategies across public and private markets, hedge funds and alternatives.  The digital wealth platform had also in October 2025 crossed US$10 billion in assets under management after seeing record inflows and assets from Hong Kong customers tripling. The firm also noted that its alternative business surged to over US$500 million.  So what’s driving the numbers and what are the growth trends for the firm with Federal Reserve interest rates set to fall further this year? At the same time, Endowus also raised over US$70 million that same month, in a funding round led by Illuminate Financial and joined by existing investors including Citi Ventures and various Asian family offices.  According to Tech Node Global, the firm said at the time that funds raised will be used to help the firm scale further, and to zoom in on creating retirement solutions and pension platforms in Singapore and Hong Kong. Resources will also be channelled to AI innovation, new B2B solutions for financial advisers and further geographic expansion.  But how far are we seeing that play out? Where is Endowus moving into next and how will the role of its Singapore operations evolve?   Meanwhile, robo-advisory AutoWealth had in January 2026 become the second digital adviser for the CPF Investment Scheme after Endowus. So what does the move mean for Endowus then and will it double down on efforts to grow its market share right here in the Lion City? On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Samuel Rhee, Co-founder, Chairman and Group CIO, Endowus.

Investor interest in space is growing rapidly, driven by falling launch costs, expanding satellite constellations, and high-profile scientific discoveries like NASA’s Curiosity rover. With commercial programs scaling globally and technologies such as Earth observation and in-orbit servicing coming online, the focus is on identifying companies that can turn these opportunities into predictable, scalable revenue streams. On The Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Alexandra Vidyuk, General Partner at Beyond Earth Ventures, to discuss how investors can identify the most promising opportunities and navigate the risks in the evolving space market.

Would you spend thousands on a candle that claims it can change your destiny or shove someone out of the way in the middle of Shibuya Crossing just to get through a crowd? On today’s episode of What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong and Alexandra Parada look at the Chinese influencer who earned over 50 million yuan selling luxury “wish candles” that promised love, luck, and career success before she was arrested for fraud. Also, they discussed the viral video out of Tokyo showing a little girl being shoved to the ground by a passer-by while taking a photo at the world-famous crossing, sparking outrage and renewed discussion about deliberate bumping in crowded spaces.

Singapore’s total fertility rate has fallen to a historic low of 0.87, raising fresh concerns about whether the nation is heading toward long-term population decline. Despite years of pro-family policies and generous financial incentives, birth rates continue to slide, with Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong warning that the citizen population could start shrinking by the early 2040s without intervention. So what’s really driving Singaporeans to have fewer children? And if incentives fall short, will immigration be enough to offset the decline, and at what cost? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Dr Norman Li, Psychology Professor, Singapore Management University, to find out more. 

Singapore shares rose today as investors continue to digest corporate earnings from blue chip companies in the country. The Straits Times Index was up 0.32% at 4,980.16 points at 2.25pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$1.43B seen in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch, we have ST Engineering, after the engineering company today reported a net profit of S$59.9 million for H2 FY2025, an 83.6 per cent decline from S$381 million a year prior.  Elsewhere, from how Meta Platforms reportedly signed a multi-billion dollar deal to rent artificial intelligence (AI) chips from Google to develop new AI models, to how Paramount Skydance emerged as the winner in a months-long battle to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, more international and corporate headlines remained in focus. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Benjamin Goh, Head of Research and Investor Education, SIAS.