Under The Radar

Did you know that Singapore has been home to many foreign banks in the 1800s?  In fact our guest for today is one of them. Having opened its first branch in Singapore in 1877, HSBC Singapore is a qualifying full bank serving the international needs of individual, corporate and institutional clients.  It provides retail banking, wealth management, commercial investment, private banking, insurance as well as securities and capital market services.  Fast forward to today, HSBC Singapore has close to 4,000 employees and serves as an international wealth and regional wholesale hub, while being a sandbox for digital innovation experiments for the Group.  The bank is now carving out a bigger role for Singapore as a regional hub as it expands in Asia, with the city receiving funds from a US$6 billion (S$8.1 billion) investment earmarked to drive its Asian growth between 2021 and 2026. But what can we expect on this front? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter sat down with Kee Joo Wong, CEO, HSBC Singapore for more. He is also the first Singaporean CEO of HSBC Singapore. 

Earlier we told you about the world’s largest mining company BHP. Today we are going to take you closer to home by looking into the operations of a Singapore-grown minerals and resource company.  With a global footprint spanning across countries in Southeast Asia and West Africa, TOP International Holding is an integrated producer of bauxite – or a mineral used to produce aluminium – and offers end-to-end service that includes exploration, mining, marketing, trading logistics and delivery. The company has grown much since its inception in 2014, with over 250 employees in five countries.  It is also emphasising on diversification, having expanded its trading portfolio to include commodities such as iron ore, copper cathode, sand and coal.  Question is – to what extent has that helped the firm navigate the shifting of global supply chains amid the pandemic? Also – what is TOP International Holding’s growth trajectory like in the near term? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Victor Tan, CEO, TOP International Holding.

Today we’re going to talk to a German multinational technology conglomerate that set its foot in Singapore 115 years ago.  Bingo if you’ve guessed Siemens. Founded in 1847 as a small workshop in a back courtyard in Berlin, the company’s offerings now span across a wide range of industries such as digital industries, mobility, and smart infrastructure.  The firm first entered in Singapore back in 1908 by establishing a technical bureau in Singapore as a sales office of London-based Siemens Brothers Dynamo Works Limited in search of new opportunities, and has grown with the country since then. Question is, what is the role of Siemens Singapore in its global portfolio of businesses? Meanwhile, Siemens is set to build a S$290 million new factory in Singapore for its industrial automation and digitalisation product by 2026. That’s as part of a 2 billion Euros global strategy to expand the firm’s manufacturing capacity worldwide. But what can we expect on this front? On Under the Radar, Dr Thai-Lai Pham, CEO, Siemens ASEAN joined Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian in-studio for more.

You’ve probably heard about incubators and accelerators that help startups scale up before they could stand on their own.  But what about a venture platform dubbed as a super incubator?  That’s what we’re going to talk about today. Founded in 2022, VentureBlick is a Singapore headquartered Super Incubator with a presence in countries such as Australia, China, South Korea, India, Germany and the US. It matches early-stage startups with medical investors such as clinicians and industry experts who can validate ideas, fund and support the firms without diluting startup control.  The aim is to provide a fully customisable one-stop solution to build, test and market innovations with the ultimate goal of successful exits or commercialisation.  But really how does this proposition differ from the ones provided by other venture platforms?  Meanwhile, VentureBlick recently secured a total of US$2.6 million for two startups amid the current macroeconomic environment. But what is in VentureBlick’s pipeline for the rest of this year? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Chris Lee, Founder and CEO, VentureBlick for more.

Today we’re going to bring you an inside look into the private education business. Founded in 1907, ESSEC Business school is a major French business school with a tightly knit community of some 62,000 graduates. With the region, ESSEC Business School Asia-Pacific, was established in Singapore in 2005 to offer academic and executive programmes with Asian insights and Western perspectives. It has since welcomed over 5,000 managers and students.  But how does the school differentiate itself from other publicly funded institutions? Who are its target customers and how does it position itself against other players in the education market?  Meanwhile, ESSEC Business School Asia Pacific recently launched its Academy of Luxury to cater to professionals eager to elevate their knowledge and hone skills in luxury management and break into the coveted luxury sector.  The programme was touted as the first of its kind in APAC and seeks to address the ongoing talent shortage in the luxury sector — but to what extent is this shortage driven by a lack in training opportunities? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Prof Reetika Gupta, Deputy Dean of ESSEC Business School, Asia-Pacific. 

Mining for minerals used in farming, infrastructure and even in electric vehicles. That’s what we’re going to talk about on the segment today, with the world’s largest mining company BHP.  Founded in 1885, BHP is a leading resources company headquartered in Melbourne, with about 80,000 employees and contractors across 90 locations worldwide.  It produces essential commodities through its assets such as open-cut and underground mines, as well as gas production and processing facilities. The minerals include copper for renewable energy, nickel for electric vehicles, iron ore, as well as coal used to make steel.  But how does it operate exactly? What is demand like for the different types of minerals at this point in time?  And with China’s leading steelmakers warning of a challenging second half amid sluggish economic recovery – what will this mean for BHP’s iron and coal mining business? Meanwhile, BHP earlier announced plans to decarbonise its mining operations to achieve net-zero by 2050, but how does it balance financial viability and environmental goals? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Vandita Pant, Chief Commercial Officer, BHP for more.

We told you about the wholesale banking landscape in our conversation with ANEXT Bank a couple of months back. Now this time, we’re going to turn our attention to look at the digital retail banking sector.  Our guest for today is Trust Bank, which is the digital bank backed by Standard Chartered and FairPrice Group.  The bank had breached the S$1 billion mark in deposits in early May, with over 500,000 customers signing up, with over 70 per cent of customers coming through referrals.  Meanwhile, the company also set a goal to become the fourth largest retail bank in Singapore by customer numbers by the end of next year. It also intends to breakeven by 2025. Question is – how does it intend to do so with a focus on the mass market and how will it reduce its customer acquisition costs along the way? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down withDwaipayan Sadhu, CEO, Trust Bankfor more. 

Our guest for today is no stranger to Singaporeans. Founded in 1974, Temasek is a global investment company with 12 offices across eight countries.  The state investor has a long term horizon, where activities are guided by their views on long-term structural trends. It mostly invests in equities though it does not set limits for geographies, sectors or asset classes.  The firm released its latest annual review for FY 2023 today, where its net portfolio value dropped to S$382 billion from the S$403 billion seen in 2022.  Meanwhile, its 1-year total shareholder return was at negative 5% due to a fall in the valuation of public and private equities, though its 10-year and 20 year total shareholder returns remained robust at 6% and 9% respectively. So how does Temasek read into its latest performance? What is its current portfolio construction strategy and outlook for Singapore companies? Also – what is Temasek’s view on the crypto sector and new growth investments after its investment in FTX? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down withPng Chin Yee, Chief Financial Officer, Temasekfor more.

Today we’re going to give you a snippet into a South Korean startup that could rival Nvidia in the race to provide high-end AI-chips.  But not without some context about the AI chip prediction landscape. Currently, Nvidia dominates the AI computing market with analysts predicting a market share of between 80 and 95%. It provides graphics processors known as GPUs for users to run AI applications due to its computing power.  Now here’s the thing – GPUs were initially made for 3D gaming and are not optimised for specific AI functions. So that means it can be costly and less efficient to train and run AI models using Nvidia’s GPU.  This also opens up an opportunity for industry players to manufacture chips that cater to the boom in AI, and perhaps for a specific use case. Take for example, a chip made specifically for the use of AI in the finance industry.  And that’s exactly what our guest for today, Rebellions Inc is relying on to get a slice of the AI-pie.  But what opportunities lie ahead of the firm? Also, what are some expansion plans for the firm, which is backed by KT and Singapore’s Temasek Pavilion Capital? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Kyeong-Jae Lee, Business Development Lead, Rebellions Incorporated for more.

Have you ever wondered where the meat we eat comes from? That’s exactly what we are going to find out today.  Headquartered in Singapore, our guest Japfa specialises in producing protein staples and packaged food that feeds millions of people.  Put simply, the company produces animal feed such as poultry feed, cattle feed and aquaculture feed. It breeds animals such as chicken, pigs, fish and cows, fatten the animals, before processing and distributing them.   Japfa has a workforce of over 38,000 people across an integrated network of modern farming, processing and distribution facilities in Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. But what are the benefits of being vertically integrated, and which are the key markets for Japfa?  Also – how is the company diversifying its revenue streams in a post-pandemic world? And how does Japfa position itself in a high inflationary environment with consumers squeezed by price increases? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Tan Yong Nang, Chief Executive Officer, Japfa for more.