Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

It’s crunch time for the Lions - and calm leads the charge. Interim head coach Gavin Lee joins Sports Minutes ahead of Singapore’s crucial double-header against India to talk belief, balance, and bold decisions. With history within reach, will composure be the Lions’ greatest weapon? Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore’s equity scene is heating up. Fullerton Fund Management has just launched the country’s first retail equity fund under MAS’ new Equity Market Development Programme, a move that could open fresh opportunities for investors looking to tap into local companies and high-growth potential. On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Robert St. Clair, Managing Director, Head of Investment Strategy, Fullerton Fund Management, to find out more.

Singapore’s teachers are working harder than ever, but not necessarily in the classroom. They are working an average of 47.3 hours a week, higher than the OECD average of 41, according to the Teaching and Learning International Survey (Talis). The survey’s findings also indicated that Singapore teachers are quick to adopt digital technologies, with three in four using artificial intelligence (AI) to teach or facilitate student learning. This is more than double the global average of 36 per cent. With more teachers turning to AI tools, but also facing mounting stress, what will it take to keep the profession sustainable — and the passion for teaching alive? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Mike Thiruman, General Secretary, Singapore Teachers’ Union, to find out more. 

Medow Health AI is an Australian healthtech company now launched in Singapore, bringing its AI-powered medical scribe to help specialists streamline documentation and focus more on patient care. Built by doctors for doctors, the platform works in real time during consultations, automatically capturing and structuring clinical notes, reports, and referral letters, and is already trusted in over 500 clinics and hospitals across Australia. Adapted for Singapore’s healthcare context with multilingual support and seamless integration into existing workflows, Medow delivers customised note structures, referral formats, and specialty-specific phrasing, reducing administrative workload while ensuring clinical accuracy. On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks with  Clement Tan, Singapore Country Lead, Medow Health AI, to find out more. 

The STI opened in positive territory, inching up 0.13%. It held on to those gains through the day, closing 1,1% higher at 4,472 point. Across global markets, enthusiasm for artificial intelligence continues to power tech stocks to new heights. That rally got an extra boost overnight, after OpenAI unveiled new features for ChatGPT that integrate with everyday apps like Spotify and Booking.com, moves that sent several partner company shares sharply higher. Adding to the momentum, OpenAI also announced a multi-year collaboration with AMD to build AI data centres running on AMD processors. So, what do these latest developments signal for the AI race and for investors? On Market View, Nadiah Koh breaks it all down with Thilan Wickramasinghe, Head of Equity Research at Maybank Securities.

Singapore and Malaysian authorities have been clamping down on illegal cross-border transport services. But despite clear rules banning chartered cars, limousine and private-hire operators continue to shuttle passengers across the border. Vehicles have been impounded, contracts suspended, and enforcement stepped up. But the market hasn’t disappeared. What keeps the cross-border business alive despite bans? Can the introduction of new legal services convince passengers to switch from illegal operators? And can regulators strike a balance between enforcement and meeting demand? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with transport analyst Terence Fan, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Singapore Management University, to find out more. 

Bond markets are shifting fast. From U.S. rate cut expectations to surging corporate and emerging market issuance, investors are chasing yield like never before. In Asia, credit markets show resilience, while Gulf issuers are drawing global attention. What does this mean for risk, opportunity, and where investors should be putting their money? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Kheng Siang Ng, Asia Pacific Head of Fixed Income, State Street Investment Management, to find out more.

Inductiv is a Singapore-headquartered startup rethinking how AI can be trusted to work in the real world. Unlike the trend of simply layering large language models onto interfaces, Inductiv builds AI that is deterministic, dependable, and explainable, with guardrails that meet the stringent demands of regulated industries. Its approach is anchored in a Trust Triad of privacy-first data handling, reliability in mission-critical environments, and explainability for auditability and accountability. On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Saurav Dhungana, Founder of Inductiv, to find out more. 

Singapore shares nudged higher today as Asian markets traded mixed. The Straits Times Index was up 0.1% at 4,416.27 points at 12.57pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$536.62M seen in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, we have AEM after US semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Test Solutions made allegations of patent infringement against AEM and its subsidiaries.  Elsewhere, from how Tokyo’s Nikkei surged over four per cent to a record high early on after fiscal dove Sanae Takaichi was elected to lead Japan’s ruling party, to how Stellantis is reportedly planning to invest about US$10 billion in the US – more international and corporate headlines remain in focus.   On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Chin Hui Leong, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.

It’s all about ice-cream and fast food today as we turn the spotlight on one of America’s most beloved brands. This brand is also well-loved by billionaires, more notably value investor Warren Buffett and Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban.  You might have by now guessed that I am talking about International Dairy Queen, a company known globally for its soft-serve treats like the Blizzard and the Dilly Bar.  Founded in 1940, International Dairy Queen or the parent company of American Dairy Queen Corporation and Dairy Queen Canada has grown to a global quick service restaurant player.  The firm is also famously known as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, having been acquired in 1998.  Currently, the firm develops, licenses and services a system of over 7,700 Dairy Queen restaurants over 20 countries. But the firm doesn’t seem to stop there and appears to be on a charm offensive to expand internationally.  For one thing, the firm had in 2022, through American Dairy Queen Corporation and private equity firm FountainVest Partners, unveiled plans to open up 600 Dairy Queen restaurants in China by the end of the decade.  Then came July 2024, when International Dairy Queen teamed up with FountainVest Partner’s franchise ownership company CFB Group to open what’s said then to be the first DQ Blizzard & Burgers restaurant in Shanghai in Asia. So what was the rationale behind the firm’s aggressive expansion moves? And how far will the company’s international business bolster sales as global trade tensions and tariffs weigh on consumption in the US? Beyond international expansion, International Dairy Queen is also said to be placing a stronger emphasis on hot food, versus the dessert treats it was once famous for. But why is this the case? On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Dr. Brandon Guthrie, Director of International Development, Dairy Queen.