Under The Radar

The NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific at Marina Bay Sands Singapore runs from the 3rd to 5th of June 2025, with MONEY FM bringing you three LIVE “Under the Radar” conversations during this period.  Themed “Retail Unlimited”, NRF 2025 promises limitless possibilities in retail, from enhanced customer experiences to digital transformation strategies. It also aims to foster conversation among leaders in the global retail system, with representatives from over 25 retail associations worldwide in attendance.  In part one of this three part Under the Radar Specials series broadcast LIVE at NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian speaks to Samuel Sanghyun Kim, Vice Chairman & Group CEO, Lotte Retail for an inside look into the retail arm of one of Asia’s largest and most diversified conglomerates – Lotte Group.  Samuel and Tian Tian talked about Lotte Retail's business verticals, as well as the bright spots for growth, its recent moves to expand in Southeast Asia and in Singapore, as well as its plan to invest US$5.06 billion in shopping malls by the end of the decade to diversify its portfolio.

It’s all about the payments landscape today as we speak to a global leader in real-time cross border payments.  Founded in 2014, our guest for today is fintech player Nium, a company whose mission is to deliver the global payments of infrastructure of tomorrow, today.  And there is an interesting story behind how the company came about. The firm was born out of frustration after its co-founder Prajit Nanu faced numerous challenges in sending money from India to Thailand to arrange a bachelor’s party for his friend.  A Thai resort had refused to use his credit card and had insisted on a bank transfer of US$640. And while you might imagine the transfer to be a relatively seamless process, Nanu’s bank in India required an extensive list of documents to facilitate the transaction.  But such issues may be a thing of the past. After all, Nium said its payout network supports 100 currencies and spans over 220 markets, 100 of which in real time.  Funds can also be disbursed to accounts, wallets and cards and collected locally in 35 markets. The firm also has a growing card issuance business available in 40 countries.  With its proposition and its extensive payment network, the San Francisco and Singapore headquartered firm achieved the unicorn status after a series D funding round in 2021. It is valued at US$1.4 billion as of September 2024.  But why are we speaking to Nium you might ask? Well, Nium had in November 2024 opened its new headquarters in Singapore. Its Singapore headquarters will serve as the firm’s strategic hub for the Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa regions.  So how far will the new headquarters position the firm for exponential growth? Did the firm also set up its headquarters here to be closer to its largest shareholder – Singapore’s Temasek? Meanwhile, the firm also said then that it aims to go public within two years. Again – to what extent is the firm on track to do so?   On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Anupam Pahuja, EVP and General Manager of Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, Nium.

Money Matter’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian was at Sentosa to attend the Asia Tech x Singapore or ATx Summit held at Capella Singapore.  Organised by the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore or the IMDA, the event covers a range of topics such as agentic and embodied AI, space satellite and communications, quantum compute and digital sustainability through a series of plenary sessions.  There is also a variety of forums and roundtables to facilitate closer partnerships between the public sector and the digital industry.  Among them, is the first OpenAI Forum in Asia. The series is aimed at sparking thoughtful dialogue on how AI can enhance culture, society, and everyday life.  The forum session dived into OpenAI’s first ever museum partnership in Asia, with the Peranakan Museum and in collaboration with Ask Mona, a French AI studio that specialises in cultural experiences.  In a pilot collaboration, they came up with ways for museum visitors to speak to artifacts like a kamcheng jar or the traditional Peranakan attire using AI-generated conversations, and provide a fresh and interactive way to connect people with heritage ahead of Singapore’s SG60 celebrations. Tian Tian found out more about the experience from Sandy Kunvatanagarn, Head of APAC Policy at OpenAI. 

In November 2023, the Singapore Land Authority, the Singapore Tourism Board, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority launched a collective tender to appoint a master tenant to rejuvenate a row of shophouses along Smith Street, as well as the adjacent pedestrian mall. That’s where the former Chinatown Food Street was located before it lowered its shutters in 2021, amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In part two of this two-part “On the Go” Specials of Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian joined Carrie Wong, Director of Business Planning, Singapore Land Authority at Chinatown for a preview of the rejuvenated site.  They also discussed the features to watch out for as shops along the refreshed site progressively open.

In November 2023, the Singapore Land Authority, the Singapore Tourism Board, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority launched a collective tender to appoint a master tenant to rejuvenate a row of shophouses along Smith Street, as well as the adjacent pedestrian mall. That’s where the former Chinatown Food Street was located before it lowered its shutters in 2021, amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In part one of this two-part “On the Go” Specials of Under the Radar, Money Matter’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian joined Carrie Wong, Director of Business Planning, Singapore Land Authority at Chinatown for a preview of the rejuvenated site.  They also discussed the challenges and objectives in giving the project site a new facelift.

Have you ever tried longkang fishing, or catching fish in canals or drains as a child?  If you have, you just might be familiar with the company that we’re talking about today – Qian Hu Fish Farm.  After all, Qian Hu’s longkang fishing experience remains a core memory of many born in the 1990s. With its beginnings as a humble fish farm in 1988, Qian Hu now looks at aquatic and pet care solutions, with a global footprint in 80 cities and countries.  The company prides itself on its expertise in ornamental fish breeding, aquaculture and pet accessories, with a focus on innovation and technology.  At its ornamental fish trading division, Qian Hu Fish Farm Trading, the firm farms, imports, exports and distributes fish, with direct exports to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.  And the number of species and varieties exported – over 1,000 of them.  The industry that Qian Hu lies in is an interesting one to talk about, given Singapore's status as one of the world's top exporters of ornamental fish.  Despite its position, the market remains niche, with Singapore’s export value standing at about US$35 million back in 2022.  So who are the players within the industry, and what can ornamental fish exporters like Qian Hu do to improve its output and position for further growth in land scarce Singapore? Should they also diversify beyond ornamental fish? Speaking of which, Qian Hu had in 2017 established an aquaculture division in the Chinese province of Hainan to farm antibiotic-free edible fish. The division has since expanded to look at farming Marbled Goby and Vannamei shrimp in Singapore. But how has the firm’s strategic expansion into aquaculture helped it position for future growth?   On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Yap Kok Cheng, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Qian Hu.

Earlier this year, we shared with you that we will be bringing you some on the ground reporting of key business events, launches, features or developer’s days under the “Under the Radar Specials” banner.  This time, Money Matter’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian fulfils the promise she made, travelling over 50 hours to bring you insights from a key business event that is said to be the equivalent of a Taylor Swift concert in the world of finance – the 2025 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting held in Omaha, in the US on the 3rd of May.  She is joined by Willie Keng, Founder, Dividend Titan.com who also attended the year’s event. The duo reflected upon their journey to the shareholder meeting as well as key highlights and nuggets of financial wisdom they gained from the “Oracle of Omaha” – Warren Buffett. The meeting turned out to be arguably one of the most important in Buffett’s career, with the value investor making a surprise announcement to retire at the end of the year and for Vice-Chair Greg Abel to succeed him. In part three of this three-part “On the Go” Specials of Under the Radar, Willie and Tian Tian talked about the peripheral activities shareholders can take part in during their trip to Omaha. Link to Part 1 of our coverage on Berkshire Hathaway's 60th Shareholder Meeting: https://omny.fm/shows/moneyfm-under-the-radar/under-the-radar-specials-travelling-50-hours-to-berkshire-hathaway-s-shareholder-meeting-in-omaha-part-1-heading-to-omaha Link to Part 2 of our coverage on Berkshire Hathaway's 60th Shareholder Meeting: https://omny.fm/shows/moneyfm-under-the-radar/under-the-radar-specials-travelling-50-hours-to-berkshire-hathaway-s-shareholder-meeting-in-omaha-part-2-warren-buffett-s-retirement  

Earlier this year, we shared with you that we will be bringing you some on the ground reporting of key business events, launches, features or developer’s days under the “Under the Radar Specials” banner.  This time, Money Matter’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian fulfils the promise she made, travelling over 50 hours to bring you insights from a key business event that is said to be the equivalent of a Taylor Swift concert in the world of finance – the 2025 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting held in Omaha, in the US on the 3rd of May.  She is joined by Willie Keng, Founder, Dividend Titan.com who also attended the year’s event. The duo reflected upon their journey to the shareholder meeting as well as key highlights and nuggets of financial wisdom they gained from the “Oracle of Omaha” – Warren Buffett. The meeting turned out to be arguably one of the most important in Buffett’s career, with the value investor making a surprise announcement to retire at the end of the year and for Vice-Chair Greg Abel to succeed him. In part two of this three-part “On the Go” Specials of Under the Radar, Willie and Tian Tian discussed the highlights of this year’s shareholder’s meeting – from Warren Buffett’s retirement, to the investment guru’s take on US trade policies, its record cash pile and its investments in Apple. Link to Part 1 of our coverage on Berkshire Hathaway's 60th Shareholder Meeting: https://omny.fm/shows/moneyfm-under-the-radar/under-the-radar-specials-travelling-50-hours-to-berkshire-hathaway-s-shareholder-meeting-in-omaha-part-1-heading-to-omaha Link to Part 3 of our coverage on Berkshire Hathaway's 60th Shareholder Meeting: https://omny.fm/shows/moneyfm-under-the-radar/under-the-radar-specials-travelling-50-hours-to-berkshire-hathaway-s-shareholder-meeting-in-omaha-part-3-activities-to-take-part-in-as-a-shareholder-of-berkshire-hathaway      

Earlier this year, we shared with you that we will be bringing you some on the ground reporting of key business events, launches, features or developer’s days under the “Under the Radar Specials” banner.  This time, Money Matter’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian fulfils the promise she made, travelling over 50 hours to bring you insights from a key business event that is said to be the equivalent of a Taylor Swift concert in the world of finance – the 2025 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting held in Omaha, in the US on the 3rd of May.  She is joined by Willie Keng, Founder, Dividend Titan.com who also attended the year’s event. The duo reflected upon their journey to the shareholder meeting as well as key highlights and nuggets of financial wisdom they gained from the “Oracle of Omaha” – Warren Buffett. The meeting turned out to be arguably one of the most important in Buffett’s career, with the value investor making a surprise announcement to retire at the end of the year and for Vice-Chair Greg Abel to succeed him. In Part One of this three-part “On the Go” Specials of Under the Radar, Willie and Tian Tian discussed the preparation needed ahead of the trip, as well as what they bought at the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder’s shopping day. Link to Part 2 of our coverage on Berkshire Hathaway's 60th Shareholder Meeting: https://omny.fm/shows/moneyfm-under-the-radar/under-the-radar-specials-travelling-50-hours-to-berkshire-hathaway-s-shareholder-meeting-in-omaha-part-2-warren-buffett-s-retirement Link to Part 3 of our coverage on Berkshire Hathaway's 60th Shareholder Meeting: https://omny.fm/shows/moneyfm-under-the-radar/under-the-radar-specials-travelling-50-hours-to-berkshire-hathaway-s-shareholder-meeting-in-omaha-part-3-activities-to-take-part-in-as-a-shareholder-of-berkshire-hathaway  

From undertaking sub-contracting works as an operator for limestone mines to becoming a key producer of high-grade iron ore concentrate – we’re going to take you though the ins and outs of SGX-listed Malaysian miner Southern Alliance Mining today.  The story takes us back to 2001, with the incorporation of Southern Alliance Mining’s subsidiary Honest Sam. Then, the firm was primarily involved in subcontracting works for limestone mines in the Malaysian states of Pahang and Perak.  Seven years later in 2008, the company obtained the right to become the mining operator of an open mine pit in Johor called the Chaah Mine.  The mine pit allows for the exploration, extraction and processing of iron ore that could be used by pipe coating companies in the oil and gas industry to prevent corrosion in sub-sea pipes.  Fast forward to today, Southern Alliance Mining not only offers iron ore for pipe coating. It also ventured into iron ore concentrates to diversify business risks, exporting them to markets such as China, before selling the rest to local steel mills in Malaysia.  It currently has approximately 60,000 tonnes of iron ore concentrates, not including pipe coating materials, and has produced and sold a total 6.3 million tonnes of iron ore products between 2008 and July 2021.  The firm recently also reported its earnings for the six months ended January. Revenue declined 23.8% on the year to about RM70.3 million amid weaker iron ore prices as well as slowing demand for China’s steel industry – so how concerned should we be about this? But what is perhaps more exciting about Southern Alliance Mining is how it is positioning itself for the future.  For one thing, the firm had in April 2023 ventured into rare earth mining after inking two agreements to purchase stakes in iron absorption clay rare-earth mines in Malaysia. Again – what was the rationale behind the move, and how will the move bolster the firm from fluctuations in iron ore prices?  On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Lim Wei Hung, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Southern Alliance Mining.