Straits42 Group

Addressing Long-Term Challenges: Insights from President Tharman 🇸🇬 At the inaugural JY Pillay Lecture, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam outlined key governance challenges impacting our world and future generations. 🌲 On climate change, he emphasised the urgency of acting early to scale clean energy and green technologies. "Delaying action will make tackling climate change vastly more costly and complex," he said. Clear policies like carbon pricing and international collaboration are essential to avoid setbacks like carbon leakage. 🤖 On AI, he highlighted its transformative potential in healthcare, education, and productivity but warned of risks. "We must maximise the benefits and minimise the risks," he said, stressing the need for global cooperation, particularly between the US and China, to manage AI responsibly. 👵 For ageing societies, Tharman called for sustainable systems to finance healthcare and pensions while encouraging active, socially connected lifestyles. "Much depends on our habits and social environment as we age," he noted. Tharman concluded with a call to rebuild optimism and solidarity. "We must move beyond zero-sum thinking and rebuild a sense of common humanity to tackle the challenges we face together." Original article by The Straits Times. Read more in the link in the comments section. Follow Straits42 Group for more curated insights! #Singapore #Leadership #ClimateAction #AI #AgeingSocieties #AdvisoryServices

#Tradefinance innovation , anyone? Join and follow GTR Ventures and access a global community of #Tradetech and #trade About: GTR Ventures , a Straits42 Group joint-venture, is the world’s first discovery and venture platform for trade and trade finance innovation

Amazing #press feature and #media mention on GTR Ventures , a joint venture w Global Trade Review (GTR) , the world’s leading platform for #trade , #tradefinance and #innovation in #supplychain Shout out to FMT News - #SEAsia’s leading digital news daily - for the coverage

Exciting milestone from Straits Advisory, our subsidiary firm, focused on corporate advisory and business services ! Bringing people around a mixture of business networking, music and socials! Accelerate your growth plans for Asia today! Follow their page today and be invited to their next event Straits Advisory is part of the Straits42 Group of companies

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised #Singapore's GDP growth forecast to 2.6% for 2024, up from 1.1% in 2023, citing stronger demand for electronics and financial services. This improvement surpasses an earlier projection of 2.4%. Inflation is expected to ease, averaging 2.6% in 2024, down from 4.8% in 2023, as global #commodity prices stabilize. Singapore's non-oil domestic exports surged 10.7% in August, driven by a 35.1% increase in electronics shipments, further supporting growth in the manufacturing sector. The ADB also forecasts steady #growth through 2025, driven by services like #tech and #finance. Despite global #shipping cost increases, the ADB expects inflationary pressures to remain limited. However, downside risks include fragile external demand and geopolitical tensions, particularly surrounding the U.S.-#China trade relationship. Should inflation fall faster than expected, Singapore’s economic outlook could exceed projections. Article by Ovais Subhani for The Straits Times. Read more at the link below. https://lnkd.in/gs-K3-Vd

According to a report by Avaloq, AI is becoming a crucial tool for investors and wealth managers alike. The report found that 79% of wealth managers in #Singapore view AI as central to the industry's future, while 47% of investors have considered changing their wealth manager or bank, citing poor performance (43%), lack of transparency (31%), and reluctance to adopt modern #technology (31%) as the main reasons. Additionally, 67% of investors say that viewing the impact of their investment decisions during meetings is vital for building trust, while 65% value access to #investment analytics. Meanwhile, wealth managers face #tech challenges, with 62% finding their systems difficult to use and 67% considering them outdated. 29% still do not use advisory tools in meetings, though 92% express a desire to do so. Article from Singapore Business Review. Read more at the link below. Follow Straits42 Group now for more curated insights! https://lnkd.in/gEeNp3xe

#ASEAN as a region continues to show great growth potential. Learn more about why investors are flocking to countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam!

#SoutheastAsia's GenAI startup ecosystem is still young. The "#ASEAN GenAI Startup Report," compiled by Vietnam-based GenAI Fund, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Databricks, reveals that Singapore dominates the landscape. It accounts for 44% of GenAI startups in the region, followed by #Vietnam (27%), #Indonesia (13%), #Thailand (7%), #Malaysia (6%), and the #Philippines (3%). These startups are largely B2B-focused, targeting sectors such as productivity, #healthcare, financial services, and #marketing. Notably, 73% cater to SMEs, and most aim for global markets rather than staying local. The report, based on a survey of over 500 startups, highlights that many of these businesses are already monetizing through subscription models and usage-based pricing, with a significant portion achieving recurring revenue. Vietnam’s rising prominence in the #GenAI space has drawn attention for its innovative spirit, while Indonesia is seen as needing time to catch up. However, the report stresses that the GenAI wave offers equal opportunities for all, with Southeast Asian startups having the same access to tools and data as their counterparts in Silicon Valley. Interestingly, 75% of the startups have pivoted multiple times, a testament to the adaptability required in this fast-evolving space. A panel discussion during the report roadshow in #Jakarta highlighted that although the number of GenAI startups in Southeast Asia remains low compared to #India and #China, this young sector offers significant #growth potential. Article from DealStreetAsia. Read more at the link below. Follow Straits42 Group now for more curated insights! https://lnkd.in/g_XsKWHr

The media-for-equity model, where media companies provide #advertising in exchange for #equity in #startups, is seeing increased interest among consumer-focused startups aiming to scale. Diana Florescu, CEO of mediaforgrowth (MFG), notes a significant surge in activity over the past five years, with more funds and media companies entering the space. Several new funds have launched recently, such as the $50 million Mercurius Media Capital fund in the U.S. backed by Sinclair Inc. and TelevisaUnivision, and regional players like GMPVC German Media Pool and #Australia's Scaleup Mediafund. Vinay Solanki of Channel 4 Ventures, the media-for-equity arm of the UK television channel, points out that how such units are set up within a company also matters: without strategic alignment between the CFO and business units, especially sales and advertising, many funds have shuttered within a year. Media-for-equity deals have also facilitated entry into new markets. Global companies like Uber and Airbnb have used this model to expand into regions like #India. Article by Robert Lavine for Global Corporate Venturing. Read more at the link below. Follow Straits42 Group now for more curated insights! https://lnkd.in/gN4fhfW7

#Singapore and #HongKong are often seen as rivals in the world of family offices serving the ultra-wealthy. But experts suggest this perspective overlooks the potential for collaboration. A survey by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology found that many SFOs operate across multiple locations, including both cities, to diversify their assets globally. Hong Kong's proximity to #China and favorable tax regime attract Mainland Chinese SFOs, while Singapore serves as a gateway to #SoutheastAsia. As such, Prof. Winnie Qian PENG and Prof. Roger King argue that collaboration between the two could expand #investment opportunities, particularly in art collection, philanthropy, and talent development. Playing on their different strengths, both cities could benefit from pooling resources and expertise to amplify the impact of their #familyoffice sectors. Article by Angela Tan for The Straits Times. Read more at the link below. Follow Straits Assets (Singapore) now for more curated insights! A Straits42 Group company. https://lnkd.in/gCQKacZA