Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

The Lion City Sailors aren’t just building a team - they’re sending a message. With the blockbuster signing of Brazilian striker Anderson Lopes hot on the heels of Tsiy Ndenge, Ivan Sušak, and Safuwan Baharudin, Singapore’s ONLY privatized football club is making it clear: they’re not here to play catch-up - they’re here to compete with Asia’s elite. Big names. Big ambition. But will big spending bring big success? READ MORE:  Lion City Sailors score coup with two-time J1 League top scorer Anderson Lopes Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg

There is an ongoing crackdown on e-vaporisers here in Singapore, following a spike in seizures of drug-laced e-vaporisers. K-pods or e-vaporiser laced with the anaesthetic drug etomidate, have been at the center of public attention this week, with The Straits Times’ launch of an anti-vaping campaign on July 13. Over the past few weeks, young people have been caught on video shaking uncontrollably, purportedly from the effects of using drug-laced vapes. In fact, the vaping issue today mirrors what was seen in the early 1980s, when Singapore was grappling with glue-sniffing. So how deep does this crisis run and what’s fueling it? And how can we address this issue? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Melvinderpal Singh Ishar, Deputy News Editor, The Straits Times, to find out more.  To report vaping offences and the sale of vaping devices to the authorities, the public can contact HSA’s Tobacco Regulation Branch on 6684-2036 or 6684-2037 from 9am to 5.30pm on weekdays.

Singapore shares rose today as investors continue to mull US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats to trading partners around the world. The Straits Times Index was up 0.55% at 4,154.89 points at 2.45pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$882.07M seen in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, we have embattled entertainment player mm2 Asia, as the group is seeking to delay a S$54 million bond repayment by six years to the end of December 2031.  Elsewhere, from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company posting a better-than-expected 61 per cent jump in profit for the June quarter, to China pledging to rein in “irrational competition” in its electric vehicle (EV) sector – more corporate and international headlines remain in focus. Plus – the ongoing saga between US President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian dived into the details with David Chow, Director, Azure Capital. 

Markets are anything but predictable right now. Central banks are pulling in different directions, inflation’s uneven, and geopolitical risks are on the rise. So, how can investors protect their portfolios without sacrificing yield? Short-term interest rate strategies might just be the smart middle ground. On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Angus Hui, Deputy CIO and Head of Fixed Income at Fullerton Fund Management, for a breakdown of why these flexible, liquid approaches are gaining attention and what it means for your investments.

Synagie is an enterprise AI company focused on helping businesses adopt secure, compliant, and cost-effective AI solutions that go beyond the limitations of traditional single-LLM models. And they have created Geene, an intelligent AI platform that combines Generative AI, Blockchain, and Big Data to solve critical challenges like data privacy, regulatory compliance, AI hallucinations, and high operational costs. Geene features a multi-model engine, Geene-M2, which dynamically routes queries to the best-performing AI models for optimal results and cost savings. On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Olive Tai, CEO & Co-Founder, Synagistics, to find out more.

Around 5,500 flats will be offered in the July 2025 BTO launch, spanning a diverse range of locations, which include mature estates such as Bukit Merah, Clementi, and Toa Payoh, as well as emerging areas like Sembawang North and Simei. Around 1,400 flats in Clementi and Bukit Panjang have waiting times under three years, including Sembawang Beacon, Sembawang North’s first BTO project.  This aligns with the year’s second Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise, pushing total 2025 SBF supply past 10,000 units amid high demand. What should we know about how location, waiting time, and affordability will shape application patterns? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Lee Sze Teck, Senior Director of Data Analytics, Huttons Asia, to find out more.

Singapore shares rose today as Asian markets traded mixed.  The Straits Times Index was up 0.23% at 4,129.29 points at 1.08pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$700.73M seen in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch, we have Singapore Airlines. The group’s operating results released yesterday showed the national carrier and its low-cost arm Scoot reported a 4.5 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger traffic in June.  Elsewhere, from a trade deal reached between Indonesia and the US, to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calling China’s open-source artificial intelligence a “catalyst for global progress” as he addressed an expo in Beijing – more international and corporate headlines remain in focus. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Too Jun Cheong, Dealing Manager from Moomoo Singapore.

Southeast Asia’s startup scene is booming — but behind the buzz, a quiet challenge is testing investor confidence: governance. As global capital flows shift and regulations tighten, the question isn’t just about innovation anymore. It’s about trust, transparency, and how startups build the frameworks that investors demand. Why might governance just be the make-or-break factor for the region’s future? What do founders and investors need to get right to win in this fast-evolving landscape? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Jecky Pelaez, Partner for Investments, Legal & Compliance at Kickstart Ventures, to find out more.

Sustainability in tech often feels like just another buzzword. But what does real, long-term change look like in a world that replaces phones every two years? That’s the challenge Mahir Hamid and his team at Cinch are tackling. As Asia’s largest device-as-a-service platform, Cinch is rethinking how we use and reuse tech, working with brands like Samsung to offer phone subscriptions with perks like upgrades and damage protection. On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Mahir Hamid, CEO and Co-founder, Cinch, to find out what it really means to build sustainable tech, Singapore’s growing e-waste issue, and why device ownership might be on the way out.

With the Festival of Football about to explode in Singapore, Sports Minutes brings you two voices from Arsenal - new signing Christian Nørgaard and Riccardo Calafiori. From settling in to sailing out to Singapore, title ambitions and to pre-season expectations, the Gunners duo pull no punches. Will you be cheering them on at the Singapore Sports Hub on 23 & 27 July 2025?  GET YOUR TICKETS HERE: https://premier.ticketek.com.sg/shows/show.aspx?sh=RSFOF6074 Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg