Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

It’s always a challenge to restore a heritage building, and it can be a fine balance between preserving links to the past and embracing the future. But there’s a new hotel in Singapore that’s doing just that! 21 Carpenter breathes a new lease of life into the former Remittance House, Chye Hua Seng Wee Kee, dating back to 1936.  Tarun Kalra, General Manager of 21 Carpenter tells us more about the hotel's unique selling point and how they are staying ahead of industry trends for the new generation of travelers.

Singapore stocks began trading in negative territory this morning, following overnight losses on Wall Street amid earnings releases. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) headed down 0.8 per cent to 3,127.06 points, after 97.8 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, we have Keppel, after the asset manager posted a 2.5 per cent rise in net profit to S$439.9 million for the second half ended Dec 31, 2023. Elsewhere, from the language used in the Federal Reserve’s latest post meeting comments, to big tech CEOs grilled by US officials, more international headlines remain in focus. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian dived into the details with Terence Wong, CEO, Azure Capital.

Women account for almost half the working population, yet this is the stark opposite of the actual representation in boardrooms of major companies worldwide. Singapore is no exception, despite positive policies and changing attitudes, women's advancement in corporate leadership lags behind other developed markets.  As of June 2023, women held only 22.7 percent of board seats in top 100 listed companies in Singapore. Junie Foo, President, Singapore Council Of Women's Organisations (SCWO) & Co-Founding Chair, BoardAgender tells us more about the non-profit's efforts to help female leaders get a seat in the boardroom. 

Long lines have popped up in Russia and beyond to get Boris Nadezhdin, an anti-war candidate, onto the ballot for Russia’s presidential election in March. Mr Nadezhdin is running against Vladimir Putin, who has headed Russia since the beginning of the millennium. Will the Kremlin allow an anti-war candidate to run for the presidency? On the other hand, what does Putin's unsurprising re-election bid mean for Russia's future? We find out from Dr Samir Puri, Associate Fellow, UK in the World Programme, Chatham House.

Investing in next-generation infrastructure for the future – that’s what we’re going to talk about today.  Named after the tallest tree in Singapore, Seraya Partners is a Singapore headquartered private equity firm that focuses on mid-market Asia infrastructure.  The firm invests in areas such as digital infrastructure and the energy transition, and aims to address what it describes as “the region’s burgeoning trillion dollar infrastructure gap” amid mega trends such as intensive climate change, rapid urbanisation and ageing infrastructure. So far, the Seraya Partners raised S$800 (or S$1.08 billion) for its Asia infrastructure fund that focuses on digital infrastructure and energy transition investments in what’s said to be an oversubscribed round.  The PE company said it secured capital from global institutional investors including sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, insurers and family offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.  Limited partners included Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Alberta Investment Management, as well as funds and accounts managed by BlackRock.  The firm added that 50 per cent of funds had already been allocated to data centre operator Empyrion DC, offshore wind farm vessel operator Cyan Renewables and solar, wind and energy solutions developer Astrid Renew. But how much money is in this pool? What is the ROI expected by the participants in its Asia infrastructure fund? Also – where is the firm looking to deploy the remaining funds?  On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to James Chern, CIO and Managing Partner, Seraya Partners. 

Having led Balestier Khalsa to a top-four finish in the Singapore Premier League, equaling the team's highest ever finishing position, in his first full season at the helm - Tigers' head coach Peter de Roo is already plotting to do better in 2024. We caught up with the Dutchman on how his revolution is taking shape, new signings for the new season and on the vacant managerial position of the Singapore National team. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Top global CEOs from real estate and other industries have pledged to reduce building-related emissions by at least 50% by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum. That's important because the built environment sector generates 39% of annual global CO2 emissions, whileglobal floorspace is projected to double by 2060. We speak with Lakshita Wijerathne, CEO of Eutech Cybernetic, which owns iviva to find out more about the dynamic intersection of real estate, sustainability and technology.

Avventura, local creative tech firm focused on pioneering immersive experiences, spearheads the DanceXR Showcase to enhance local performing arts experiences through extended reality. Supported by the National Arts Council, this series unfolds during the National Library Board’s PRESSPLAY biennial arts festival from January to February 2024.    We speak with Christopher Chew, Founder, Avventura to find out how this technology serves as a gateway to creativity, and why XR performances can future-proof the performing arts industry.   

Singapore stocks remained relatively unchanged at the opening bell today, after a muted performance of global equities.  In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) edged down a marginal 0.01 per cent to reach 3,149.76 points after 64.1 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, we have Seatrium, after the offshore and marine group said in its profit guidance that they expect a financial loss for FY2023, that is “significantly higher than the previous year”. Elsewhere, from more on China’s manufacturing activity, to the Philippines overtaking Vietnam and Malaysia to become Southeast Asia’s fastest growing economy last year – more international headlines are in focus today.  Also on deck today – a deep dive into earnings from Microsoft, Alphabet and Starbucks, and layoffs over at PayPal. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Redmond Wong, Global Market Strategist, Saxo.

From official sources saying that former Malaysian prime minister's Najib Razak’s jail term getting halved from 12 to six years to Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor taking over the reins as the country’s Agong.  Nicholas Fang, Managing Director, Black Dot and Director for Security and Global Affairs, Singapore Institute of International Affairs gives us an analysis of those headlines and more.