Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

In the Lion City for the launch event of the inaugural Singapore Festival of Football, Liverpool legend John Barnes spoke to Elliott and Raushan all about the week-long fiesta, which will be hosted at the National Stadium in July 2023. He also took time to talk Premier League football - sharing his thoughts on Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore stocks were down this morning, tracking overnight losses globally. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) was down 0.3 per cent to 3,205.35 points after 69 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, SIA continues to fly high. The group posted its highest full-year net profit in its 76-year history to S$2.2 billion for FY2022/23. That’s to be compared against a net loss of S$962 million in FY2021/22.  Elsewhere, unease over the slow progress of US debt talks further dampened sentiment in Asia markets today. With US President Joe Biden scrapping stops in Papua New Guinea and Australia after attending the G7 summit, how concerned should we be? On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked these developments with Carmen Lee, Head of OCBC Investment Research.

The Move Forward Party achieved victory in Thailand's general election. However, it is expected that the military elite will not welcome them with open arms. Along with that, Mr Pita Limjaroenrat, the potential new Prime Minister of Thailand, would have to face certain challenges if elected. We discuss these headlines on today's Regional Roundup with Dr. Felix Tan, Political Observer, Nanyang Technological University.

We want to talk about the banking sector and in particular the digital banking sector which has gained traction in recent years.  You may be familiar with Grab and Singtel’s GXS, Sea Group’s MariBank, as well as Standard Chartered and FairPrice Group backed Trust Bank.  Aside from these banks catering to retail customers, Singapore also has two wholesale digital banks, namely Ant Group’s ANEXT Bank and Green Link Digital Bank, catering to SMEs and non-retail customers.  But what is the wholesale banking landscape right now, and how are industry players positioning themselves to gain a foothold in this field? What do the recent volatilities in the banking sector mean for wholesale banks targeting SMEs?  On Under the Radar, Drive TIme’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Su Mei Toh, CEO, ANEXT Bank for more. 

Getting scammed for money while renovating your home is not uncommon. We must plan and navigate the process carefully to protect ourselves from being exploited. Inspire ID Group prides itself on its ability to help their clients through this experience. We speak to Russell Chin, Founder and Managing Director, Inspire ID Group more about this.

The role of AI is increasing in Singapore's education system. Many are concerned about job security as a result of that. Moreover, there is skepticism concerning its effectiveness in cultivating a holistic learning experience. We speak to Dr Richard Yen, Founder, Ednovation and ChildFirst Pre-school more about this.

China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs Li Hui is taking a tour of Europe, talks are held this week between China’s foreign policy chief Wang Yi and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and Chinese and Vietnamese vessels are involved in a confrontation in the South China sea. We go deeper into these headlines on today's China Perspective with Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs.

Singapore shares started the day higher. The Straits Times Index (STI) gained 0.2 per cent to 3,219.81 points in early trade after 44.8 million shares worth S$48.9 million changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch for today, we have Singapore Airlines, after the flag carrier and its budget arm Scoot flew close to 2.7 million passengers in April 2023.  That’s an 85.5 per cent increase from the same month the year before when borders in Singapore were first fully reopened since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.  Elsewhere, investors continue to monitor a slew of corporate developments from Elon Musk’s X making its first acquisition to Warren Buffet closing his position on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Alibaba’s investments in Taobao shopping app.  On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked these developments with David Poh, Head of Investment and ESG Strategies, South Asia, Amundi. 

We delve into the football transfers that played a pivotal role in rescuing a player's career from the brink of obscurity. From high-profile stars to promising talents, we explore the transformative moments when a transfer provided a lifeline, reigniting their passion, form, and fortunes.  Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Bringing London's West End to the far reaches of the world. That’s what we are going to talk about today.  Our guest for today is the British Theatre Playhouse, a Singapore-incorporated theatre production company that has produced and presented a series of highly successful British productions in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and the UK. Since its founding in 2004, the company has brought in over 20 shows to Singapore through events such as charity galas and has moved into musicals of late.  But what are the reasons behind the moves to diversify? And to what extent does dollars and cents have a part to play? Meanwhile, the company is also currently exploring gamification and on demand theatre plays, after witnessing how the world came to a standstill during the pandemic.  To what extent can its on-demand offerings increase the monetisation of its theatre productions. Also - how will increased monetisation of its production help the firm gain more funding from investors? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian found out more about the ins and outs of the theatre production business from Cecilia Leong-Faulkner, Managing Director, British Theatre Playhouse.