Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

This week, the Netherlands headed to the polls and for the first time in 13 years, outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte was not on the ballot. Geert Wilders was the surprise victor in Wednesday’s elections, after a late surge that catapulted his anti-EU party to a resounding victory over his mainstream rivals.  The Netherlands is a proven bellwether for long-term shifts in European politics. So, what can we expect from the Dutch election and what does it mean for the EU?  Chris Humphrey, Executive Director, EU-ASEAN Business Council breaks it down. 

What do you think of when you hear of the 32-year-old Sonic the Hedgehog? Well, how about Sega? Founded in 1960, Sega Corporation is a player in the games business, having been engaged in the planning, development, sales and operation of games for home video game consoles, PCs and smartphones.  The firm was a major player in the console space back in the early 1990s, having about a 65 per cent share of the 16-bit console market in North America back then, against players such as Nintendo and the Sony Playstation.  A lot has changed since, especially after a number of moves including the failed  launch of the Dreamcast in 1998. Sega stopped the production of consoles in 2001 to become a third-party video game developer. Fast forward to the present, the firm’s boasts over 12 major games titles within its console business division including the Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, the Football Manager 2022 and the Sonic Frontiers.  It is also seeing a number of exciting developments of late. In 2021, the firm said it is exploring a strategic alliance with Microsoft to develop big budget titles using its Azure cloud platform.  This April, it announced a plan to purchase Angry Bird maker Rovio Entertainment for US$776 million to bolster its mobile gaming business. But what does the road ahead look like for Sega in the billion dollar global video game market and what will be its key drivers of growth? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Yoshinori Akiyama, Managing Director, SEGA Singapore.

Despite the strong turnout of close to 30,000 fans at the Singapore Sports Hub - Singapore's 3-1 defeat to Thailand means two defeats in two WCQ matches has left the Lions with the proverbial mountain to climb on the qualification front. And that has raised questions (once again) about Takayuki Nishigaya. Is he the right man to be in the hot seat? Deepanraj Ganesan, sports reporter with The Straits Times, is on hand to discuss.  Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

On Why It Matters, we speak with Andrew Lim, Founder and Principal of 4PLUS8to find out what it takes to build his own luxury fit out firm to help luxury homeowners breathe more life, exclusivity, and personality into their spaces. 

Singapore stocks struggled to advance today, as pullbacks on Wall Street and Europe clashed with the Singapore trade ministry’s expectations that economic growth would come in at around 1 per cent this year. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) was down 0.1 per cent to 3,094.37 points, after 33.7 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch for today, we have China Everbright Water. The group, as part of a consortium, is developing a project in China’s Guangdong province to treat agricultural waste and turn it into biogas and organic fertiliser.  Elsewhere, from Sam Altman returning as CEO of OpenAI to more on Chinese developer Sunac getting funding from bad-debt manager Huarong Asset Management, more corporate headlines remain in focus. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Toby Gresham, Investment Counselor Team Lead, Citi Private Bank.

With its iconic monuments, timeless landscapes and irresistible food, Italy is one of Europe’s most alluring destinations. Italy and Singapore have a long-standing and friendly relationship with Italy being one of the first countries to recognise Singapore after its independence in 1965.  And just recently, Italy's presence was felt at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2023 (SFF 2023) where one of the highlights was their very own Italian Pavilion.  Dante Brandi, Ambassador of Italy to Singapore and Brunei shares his experience at SFF 2023 and an overview of the fintech scene in Italy. 

From the Southeast Asia’s presence at the recently concluded 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, facing serious allegations of establishing a political dynasty through nepotism.  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. 

For this session, we’re going to talk about how artificial intelligence is influencing the way investment firms shape their business decisions.  Founded in 1992, our guest Saxo is an international investment firm for investors and traders under the supervision of the Danish FSA, with a reach of over 2,500 professionals around the world including in key financial hubs such as Singapore. Touted as one of the earliest fintech in the world, the firm’s platforms provide users access to global capital markets across asset classes, while its open banking technology powers over 200 financial institutions to enhance their investment experience. With the AI fever pushing US equities to new extremes this year, what will this mean for Saxo in terms of the range of investment options it provides to users, and the companies it brings on board its platform?  For one thing, the firm partnered with Jaaims Technologies in 2020 to facilitate investors to automate the management of their portfolios. But what are the reasons behind the move?  What role will wealth advisors play in the age of Generative AI then? In this Singapore Fintech Festival edition of Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Adam Reynolds, APAC CEO, Saxo.

The Singapore Slingers, the only professional basketball club in the city-state, are being thrown into uncertainty. This comes after they announced in a media statement that the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) - the league in which the Slingers have played in since 2009 - is unlikely to play in the foreseeable future. Why has it come to this, and where to from here? Delvin Goh, a player with the Singapore Slingers, joins us to tell us more. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore stocks opened slightly weaker today as banks and index counters started the morning mixed. In early trade, the Straits Times Index headed down 0.1 per cent to 3,109.81 points after 62.6 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, Vertex Technology Acquisition Corporation announced today that it will issue 600,000 new shares at S$5 apiece to private investment in public equity (Pipe) investors to raise some S$3 million in gross proceeds.  Elsewhere from OpenAI investors considering suing its board to investors in thematic funds losing over two thirds of their total returns due to poorly timed buying and selling behaviour, more international developments remain in focus. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked these developments with  James Cheo, Chief Investment Officer, Southeast Asia at HSBC Global Private Banking and Wealth.