Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

What do shipping and property investments have in common? Well, not much, except for the fact that they are both key pillars of our guest’s business. Listed on the Singapore Exchange since 2007, Uni-Asia is an alternative investment group that specialises in creating alternative investment opportunities. Its investment targets are mainly handysize dry bulk ships and properties.  But what does this mean exactly? Well, ship investors can approach UniAsia for ship investments, while operators can reach out to the firm for ship chartering and management.  On the property side of things, Uni-Asia develops small residential properties in Tokyo under its ALERO brand, which are sold for profits. Aside from building properties for sale, the firm also provides property assessment management services in the country.  As you can see, the two engines of growth are very much uncorrelated. But the question is – how far has that boosted the firm’s resilience?  Meanwhile, Uni-Asia had in August reported a 74% on-year drop in first half profits. But why is this the case? How does the firm assess its reliance on the two drivers of growth? Does it intend to move beyond its niche in the near term? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Lim Kai Ching, Group Chief Financial Officer, Uni-Asia.

Why is financial literacy for persons living with dementia more important than ever? What is the role of the persons' caregiver in their financial literacy?  Malcolm Koo, CEO of CGS-CIMB Securities (Singapore) shares more. 

From Manila claiming that Chinese vessels had "intentionally hit" Philippine boats over the weekend to Chinese state media reporting that the country has launched an investigation into Taiwan-based iPhone-maker Foxconn.  Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs gives us an analysis of those headlines and more, 

Giving small and medium enterprises the support they need to sell to the world. That’s what we’re going to talk about today.  Started all the way back in 2015, Amazon Global Selling is a programme that empowers entrepreneurs and SMEs to expand their brands globally.  It does so by providing sellers access to Amazon’s global infrastructure, as well as its network of over 200 million Prime customers in overseas Amazon stores. Also part of the deal – over six million business and institutional buyers in the US, Europe and Japan. Meanwhile, the programme also equips sellers with tools, knowledge resources and training collaborations to help sellers succeed in e-commerce.  Such tools help sellers choose the right products for international commerce and to promote their global brands respectively. With growing competition in the e-commerce market within Southeast Asia, how important is Amazon Global Selling in helping to boost e-commerce sales through Amazon.com in the region?  On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Anand Palit, the Head of Amazon Global Selling for Southeast Asia.

Entrusted by Mikel Arteta to replace Aaron Ramsdale as Arsenal's starting goalkeeper, David Raya has left his manager in a spot of bother after some unconvincing displays that has cost the Gunners. But is this all Arteta's doing, and how will he resolve the issue as his team look to mount a Premier League title challenge? Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Do we need to be scammed for us to learn to be smarter with our money? Investment scams continue to haunt Singapore, costing its citizens hundreds of millions. And surprisingly, 53 percent of scammed victims are actually young adults aged between 20 and 39 years old. A single ill-fated investment upheaved our next guest’s life. Germaine Chow, Founder, I Quadrant shares her experience and why she chose to be an advocate for financial literacy. 

With Singapore's population getting older, will we see training trends change? Mitch Price, National Group Exercise Manager, Virgin Active SG shares more on the gym's customers demographics and how they are tailoring training for older members. 

Price hikes and the increased cost of living are impacting Singaporeans’ spending decisions, but not in the way we might assume. With the cost-of-living crisis in full swing, emotional spending is on the rise, especially among millennials who stand out for saying they impulse buy to cope with stress.  Jo Ling Sun, Senior Trends Analyst, GWI dives deeper into GWI’s latest ‘You Are What You Buy’ study. 

In this week's edition of Washington Report, US President Joe Biden is in focus; from his visit to Israel last week and the possibility of his relationship with the country dragging him down in his political survival.  Trisha Craig, Vice President (Engagement) and Senior Lecturer of Social Sciences (Sociology and Political Science), Yale-NUS College give us an analysis of those headlines and more.

You might be on the lookout for personalised service and good customer experience when you’re out dining, or on a vacation.  But did you know that even the manufacturing industry is looking to increase their ‘human touch’ to serve customers better? Founded in 2021, our guest for today is Phasio, which is an end-to-end manufacturing interface for precision engineering firms.  The platform supports collaboration between manufacturers and customers by allowing both parties to view and comment on the topics such as the design of parts.  Manufacturers can also personalise the orders through the platform, including offering tailored pricing for different orders. But how does it work exactly, and how big of a market gap is Phasio trying to fill with its solution? Meanwhile, the firm raised US$2.5 million in October in a seed round led by VC firm Airtree Ventures. Investors who took part in the round included 500 Global, Entrepreneur First and private investment office Gattaca Ventures.  Question is – what is the strategic value provided by this group of investors and how does the additional funding position the firm for future growth in Asia and Europe? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Sudharshan Raman, Co-founder and Chief Product Offiicer, Phasio.