Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

The world of cross-border payments is evolving faster than ever—especially across APAC. Fueled by booming digital trade, instant transaction demands, and the hunt for smarter infrastructure, the game is changing. With innovation skyrocketing and key markets like Singapore and Australia leading the charge, a new question emerges: Where is the smart money flowing in this fast-shifting payments ecosystem? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Mishal Ruparel, CCO at Banking Circle, to find out more. 

Portcast is a supply chain intelligence platform that helps logistics companies become more predictive, efficient, and resilient. By combining real-time container tracking, AI-powered predictive visibility, and dynamic demand forecasting, Portcast enables businesses to anticipate disruptions, optimize operations, and improve profitability. Its proprietary machine learning engine integrates over 70 data sources including carriers, ports, satellites, and weather to deliver accurate ETAs, delay insights, and actionable analytics across ocean freight, air cargo, and terminal operations. On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong spoke to Nidhi Gupta, CEO, Portcast, to find out more.

Jetstar Asia will cease operations from July 31 as part of its “strategic restructure” Now this development raises broader questions about the long-term sustainability of cross-border low-cost airline models and the challenges legacy airline groups face when expanding into foreign markets.  Does Jetstar Asia’s exit mark a broader retreat from international diversification strategies? Is this a one-off restructuring decision—or a sign of deeper structural limitations in the intra-Asia aviation model? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Shukor Yusof, Founder, Endau Analytics, to find out more. 

Singapore’s Asian Cup qualifying campaign took flight as the Lions beat Bangladesh 2-1, courtesy of goals from Song Ui Yong and Ikhsan Fandi. Sports Minutes recaps it all with exclusive interviews from Hariss Harun, Hami Syahin & Ikhsan Fandi plus analysis from Deepanraj Ganesan. READ MORE: Lions survive late onslaught to claim first win of Asian Cup third-round qualifiers Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore shares fell today even as traders mull cooling trade tensions between the US and China. The Straits Times Index was down 0.53% at 3,913.01 points at 2.45pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$726.63M seen in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, we have Koh Brothers Eco Engineering, after a joint venture between Japanese firm Penta-Ocean Construction and a subsidiary of Koh Brothers Eco Engineering bagged a S$999 million contract for the construction of intra-terminal tunnels at Changi Airport’s upcoming Terminal 5.  Elsewhere, from the US and China setting up a framework towards a trade pact after two days of high profile talks in London, to Qantas shutting down the operations of its Singapore-based unit Jetstar Asia, more international and corporate headlines remain in focus. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Abhilash Narayan, Investment Strategist, HSBC Global Private Banking and Premier Wealth.

In a year of global currency shifts, the Singapore dollar has emerged as a quiet powerhouse, climbing 6 to 7 percent against the US dollar in 2025 and marking its strongest performance in two decades. As markets take note, whispers of an unprecedented milestone grow louder: could the Singdollar be on track to hit parity with the once-dominant greenback? Behind the rally lie critical questions. Is this a temporary blip driven by US dollar weakness, or a sign of Singapore's economic clout coming into its own? What would a 1:1 exchange rate mean for trade, inflation, and investment flows? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong breaks down the forces behind this currency surge—and explores just how close the Singdollar is to rewriting the rules of regional finance with Gan Jing Kai, Dealer, Contract for Differences, PhillipCapital.

What began as a temporary move to Singapore during the pandemic quickly morphed into something far bolder: Alex co-founded EON Protocol, a decentralized infrastructure company building the connective tissue between data and intelligent agents. Her mission? To equip SMEs across Asia with access to privacy-first AI — no Big Tech middlemen, no data exploitation. But Alex’s path is far from your typical founder story. She didn’t rise through the ranks of product or engineering. Instead, she came from the high-stakes worlds of finance, telecom, and cybersecurity — industries where risk isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a battlefield. On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Alex Szomora, Co-Founder, EON Protocol to find out more. 

Money Matter’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian started her day early at Raffles City Convention Centre to speak with enterprise blockchain and cryptocurrency player Ripple.  That is because the firm’s global leadership team flew in from the US for Apex 2025, or what’s said to be the largest annual summit on the XRPL calendar bringing together developers, businesses, fintechs, researchers, VCs and more. Founded in 2012, Ripple uses blockchain technology to help global financial institutions, businesses, and developers to move, manage and tokenise value.  In Singapore, the firm received in-principle approval by the Monetary Authority of Singapore in November 2024 to offer digital payment token products and services in the country. So what should we know about the significance of Singapore as a market to Ripple, as well as the firm’s plans for the region? Meanwhile, what is also worthy of note is how the US Securities and Exchange Commission has decided to settle a long-running legal battle against the firm.  While the lawsuit may be over, how far is Ripple's plans in APAC a response to regulatory challenges in the US, and how is the firm then navigating the regulatory landscape in Asia? On this “On the Go” Special episode of Under the Radar, Tian Tian posed these questions to Monica Long, President, Ripple.

OCBC’s bid to take Great Eastern Holdings private takes a step forward as independent directors back the offer. Globally, Apple’s muted AI push at WWDC leaves markets wanting more, while Warner Bros Discovery faces mounting pressure after a fresh credit downgrade. Meanwhile, US-China trade talks resume in London, with rare earths and tech exports at the core of discussions, but will this round bring lasting progress? On Market View, Alexandra Parada speaks to Too Jun Cheong, Dealing Manager at Moomoo Singapore, to discuss about the latest market movements.

Trade negotiations between the US and China have entered a second day in London, with a focus on export controls impacting global supply chains and economic growth. The talks, taking place at Lancaster House, follow a preliminary agreement reached in Geneva last month. Tensions have resurfaced after the US accused China of blocking exports critical to sectors like semiconductors, aerospace, and defense. In May, China’s exports to the US dropped by 34.5%, the steepest decline since early Covid-19. US President Donald Trump noted, “China’s not easy,” yet signs of progress appear to be emerging. But China has remained mostly silent post-first day of talks. So what’s really at play behind these high-level talks? What does each side stand to gain - or lose in this negotiation?  On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong discusses the key issues emerging from the meeting with Chris Humphrey, Executive Director of the EU-ASEAN Business Council.