Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

Saudi Arabia is in the spotlight on this episode, with Lewis Hamilton indicating his unease over return to the country for the Jeddah Grand Prix - after the 2022 edition was marred by missile strikes on an oil facility near the circuit. Gianni Infantino has also been speaking about the gulf-state, with the FIFA President discussing Saudi sponsorship for football events.

Singapore stocks opened higher today, tracking solid gains in global markets following several major developments in the banking sector worldwide. Back home, data from Enterprise Singapore also showed key exports contracted for the fifth straight month in February, albeit at a slower pace than the month before, as the decline in non-electronic shipments eased. The Straits Times Index rose 0.5 per cent to 3,170.38 points in early trade after 148.9 million securities changed hands. The banking sector in Singapore continues to be in focus today after the Monetary Authority of Singapore said yesterday that the trio of Singapore banks’ exposures to Credit Suisse are insignificant and that the banks are well-capitalised and conduct regular stress tests against credit and other risks.  On Market View, the Drive Time team got down to the details with Benjamin Goh, Head of Research and Investor Education, SIAS.

Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) is the most common type of leukaemia for adults in Singapore, especially among those 65 years old and above.  However, despite it being so common, survival rates are low, an average of 27 percent of adults diagnosed with AML are expected to live past five years.  So what are the treatment options for AML, how effective are they, and is it possible for doctors and patients to stay a step ahead of the disease?  Dr Yvonne Loh, Haematologist, Curie Oncology tells us more. 

The internationally renowned 360-degree digital immersive art experience, Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, made its Southeast Asian debut at the Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) on 1st March 2023. But how is this edition in Singapore different?  Natalie Hong, Exhibition Director, Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience tells us more. 

The biotechnology scene in Asia is rapidly growing and has become a major player in the biotech industry globally. And in recent years, Singapore has also become a hub for biomedical startups. Vishal Doshi, Chairman & CEO, AUM Biosciences shares how he is paving the way for disruption in Asia’s biotech landscape and oncology drug space. 

Grab Singapore has introduced a feature on its app that allows passengers and the driver to record audio for safety purposes. But how would such a feature help passengers and drivers in any dispute? Privacy out of the window?  Jeremiah Chew, Associate Director, Ascendant Legal shares his views. 

At this time of the day we want to ask the question - what’s for - not dinner, but what’s for tea break!  How about bubble tea? Speaking of bubble tea - here’s a fun fact. Did you know that Southeast Asia spent US$3.7 billion on bubble tea and similar “new tea” drinks in 2021?  That, by the way, is according to a report published by venture outfit Momentum Works and payments startup qlub, which also found that Indonesia’s bubble tea industry ranked first in terms of market size with an annual turnover of US$1.6billion.  Singapore, despite being the smallest nation in the region, came in fourth with an annual turnover of US$342 million.  The numbers tell us just how much Singaporeans or Southeast Asians love our bubble tea. But it also raised more questions as to what the sheer market size means for bubble tea chains and the expansion of their franchise operations.  Also with over 60 active bubble tea brands in Singapore and 31,000 stores and other retail channels in Thailand, is the market oversaturated now? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Martin Berry, Founder & Chairman Gong Cha Global.

Singapore shares started the day lower after US and European markets ended mostly in the red overnight, as a liquidity crisis faced by Credit Suisse sparked fears across trading floors. The Straits Times Index shed 0.9 per cent in early trade to 3,143.43 points as 48.2 million securities changed hands. In terms of companies to watch, we have Prudential. The insurer yesterday posted profit from continuing operations of US$998 million for FY2022. That’s down 54 per cent from the previous year due to a decline in profit from its Indonesia segment. Meanwhile, the global financial sector continues to be in focus after signs of trouble at Swiss lender Credit Suisse sent traders running for the hills. On Market View, the Drive Time team closer look at these developments with David Chow, Director Azure Capital. They also discussed Credit Suisse’s move to borrow from the Swiss National Bank and the launch of Baidu’s Ernie Bot shortly after OpenAI’s unveiling of GPT-4. 

With Zlatan Ibrahimovic being called up to the Sweden National Team at the age of 41, we wonder is old truly gold? 

If you own a physical Kopitiam card, you would have heard that the cards will transition to the FairPrice app. And to help patrons with the transition, Kopitiam have deployed more than 80 digital buddies at 15 high-volume outlets from March to June to help patrons transition from physical Kopitiam cards to the FairPrice app. Pauline Png, Head, Customer Experience and Marketing (Food services), FairPrice Group shares more on how the Group is helping patrons with the transition.