Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

It’s all about digital assets today. Founded on Swiss and Singaporean heritage in 2017, our guest is Singtel-backed startup Sygnum, which touts itself as “the world’s first regulated digital asset bank”.  The company was awarded with its Swiss banking and securities dealer license in 2019 by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority or FINMA.  While the firm is not licensed as a bank here in Singapore, its Singapore arm Sygnum Singapore operates under a Capital Markets Services license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore to help accredited and institutional investors tap the digital asset markets.  More recently, Sygnum Singapore also received in-principle approval of the Major Payments Institution license from the MAS. That’s a move said to position the firm to provide regulated crypto brokerage service in future.  Quite a bit of jargon to get through, but at the heart of our conversation is this question – what exactly are the products and services offered by the firm and how do they differ by geography? Meanwhile, the firm has on a group level participated on projects to tokenise paintings by artists such as Picasso – but how important is this as a business vertical for the firm?  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Gerald Goh, Co-founder and CEO, Sygnum Singapore.

Is sanitising your hands often a habit that has stuck with you in this post Covid-19 world? How important is it for us to continue with the good hygiene practices as we move forward in life?  And in an effort to continue evolving the health and hygiene landscape in the region, Reckitt has announced the launch of its new Research and Development (R&D) Centre in Singapore.  Vijayanand Sinha, President of ASEAN, Japan and Korea, Reckitt shares with us the role of innovation in changing up the health and hygiene landscape moving forward. 

From China launching military drills around Taiwan over the weekend to the country’s authorities publicly accusing a government worker of spying for the CIA.  Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs gives us an analysis of those headlines and more. 

Spain reigned supreme to be crowned World Champions down under, but the true winners of the 2023 Women's World cup could be more than just La Roja. Sara Merican, former National Footballer and Singapore women's premier league champion, joins us to discuss and dissect the tournament and it's far-reaching impact on the women's game. READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/why-is-women-s-football-worth-it-this-is-why Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore stocks opened weaker today after global markets ended the week mixed. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) headed down 0.6 per cent to 3,155.93 points after 181.9 million securities changed hands across the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch for today, we have Singtel, after the telecommunications operator posted a net profit of S$483 million for the first quarter ended June.  Elsewhere, from China’s smaller than expected cut to lending rates to a media report of Citi considering a plan to disband its Institutional Clients Group and what to expect at the Jackson Hole symposium later this week,  more international headlines are in focus.  On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked the developments with Chin Hui Leong, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.

Lung cancer is the first and third leading cause of death for males and females in Singapore. It accounts for one in six cancer incidents in male patients above the age of 80 and is also common among older females.  365 Cancer Prevention Society, a non-profit organisation that serves the community in its tri-fold mission - Cancer Prevention, Cancer Fighting and Cancer Education, has launched Are You At Risk?, Singapore's first free lung screening program for lower-income families from now to 30 September 2023.  To find out more, we speak with Andrew Soh, Assistant Director for Fundraising, Marketing and Volunteer Management at 365 Cancer Prevention Society and Dr Wong Siew Wei, Senior Consultant, Parkway Cancer Centre.

The latest American Express (Amex) Shop Small Research has unveiled generational differences in our support for local businesses. So are Singaporeans supporting local businesses enough?  According to the report, it looks like the younger generations see less importance in supporting locals compared to the older generations. Marlin Brown, Singapore Country Manager, American Express shares more with us on the findings from this report and what local businesses can do to get the support from Gen Zs? 

Purpose built workers and student accommodation – that’s what we’re going to talk about on the segment today.  Headquartered in Singapore, our guest Centurion Corporation owns, develops and manages quality specialised accommodation assets.  This includes Purpose Built Worker Accommodation in Singapore and Malaysia, and Purpose Built Student Accommodation across Australia, South Korea, the UK and the US.  As at the end of March last year, the firm offers a home-away from home to more than 64,000  (64,300) residents across 17 worker accommodation and 19 student accommodation.  But what is the number like right now given that the company reported their financial results not too long ago?  The SGX-listed firm is also withdrawing its secondary share listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchanges for what it all “reasons of cost and utility”, but what will the withdrawal mean for the firm financially? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to David Phey, Head of Investor Relations at Centurion Corporation.

Donald Trump has confirmed that he will not attend the first Republican primary debate on Wednesday, amid reports that he is weighing several options in an attempt to upstage the opening event in the party’s nominating contest. Will he change his mind? How will Donald rump’s absence impact the GOP debate? For more on this and the key issues  that could shape the first debate of the 2024 vote, we speak with Pushan Dutt, Professor of Economics, INSEAD.

Asian esports organisation Team Flash has announced a partnership with Vietnamese football club Hai Phong FC.The organisation and the club have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) enabling the two parties to collaborate on a range of activations. What exactly are these collaborations? Mark Chew, CEO of Team Flash joins us to shed some light. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg