Global Edition - The Business Times

How are Singapore’s largest family-owned real estate groups passing the baton? Who’s who among the names to watch?

Legacy builders: How Singapore's property tycoons primed their empires for the future

How did Singapore’s largest family-owned real estate groups build their businesses and pass the baton? Who’s who among the names to watch?

Malaysia shifts EV push from consumers to factories

New import rules aim to spur local EV investment, but affordability and consumer choice remain key concerns

Indonesian consumer firms brace for more earnings pressure as rupiah weakens

Indofood Sukses Makmur, which owns Indomie maker Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur, has been hit by the weaker rupiah.

Challenges likely to persist amid weak demand, currency swings and volatile commodity prices

PM Wong to announce details on support for families, costs of raising children at NDR

Singapore’s growth has been robust in the first half of the year, and the momentum is expected to continue, PM Wong says.

He notes that family life is coming under strain across the world

Capital markets should not protect investors by restricting choice; instead, they should ensure investors can make informed decisions.

THINKING ALOUD

Every investor deserves a second opinion

As Singapore embraces a disclosure-based regime, investor protection should evolve to enable better-informed decision-making

R Sivanithy

Iran says Hormuz deal with Oman is ‘very close’, but demands must be met before reopening

In recent weeks, the US has repeatedly signalled that a deal to open Hormuz could be close, only to have Iran deny that talks are under way.

UAE says Iran had attacked a carrier affiliated with the UAE’s state oil company

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Malaysia keeps voting for change. Is Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan running out of time to deliver?

Veteran Ismail Lasim, who has been an Umno assemblyman since 1999, being sworn in as Negeri Sembilan chief minister on Aug 2 after PH lost the state a day earlier.

It is Anwar that is now the face of the establishment and a growing liability

After a blockbuster IPO, can China’s memory chipmaker CXMT compete globally in the AI era?

CXMT was founded in 2016 in Hefei after acquiring technology and intellectual property from the bankrupt German memory maker Qimonda.

Firm’s realistic near-term target remains below the performance of today’s leading AI memory

From old bungalows to chic cafes: How the RTS is reshaping JB neighbourhoods

Annie Low runs Shuu Patisserie, a European cottage-inspired bakery located in Taman Abad in Johor Bahru.

There are concerns about a rise in rental prices ahead of the RTS Link opening

Opinion

Singapore at 61: How we can ensure opportunity, security and ownership for the next generation

Euston Quah and Eugene Or

Singapore can show Asean how to cool cities without air-conditioning

Giovanni Cossu

South-east Asia’s data centres need to be planned like public infrastructure, not buildings

Paul Brien

Behind The Name

Scaling Berli Jucker’s retail empire – daughter of Thai beer billionaire seeks growth outside home country

Thapanee Techajareonvikul, CEO and president of Berli Jucker, sees Vietnam as an important growth enginee for BJC, which has traditionally been heavily invested in Thailand.

CEO thinks diversifying its revenue is important for both BJC and TCC Group, which BJC is a part of

Malaysia’s 8th richest man Jeffrey Cheah wants Sunway business to last 10 generations

Sunway Group's founder and chairman Jeffrey Cheah says international expansion will increasingly be driven by the next generation.

Having weathered two crises, the founder pairs professional management with slow-burn succession to keep the business and family intact

Richard Eu on how core values, customers keep Singapore’s TCM chain Eu Yan Sang relevant

Eu Yan Sang group chairman Richard Eu has been with the company since 1989 and has seen plenty of change over the years, such as how employees view their jobs.

New markets expansion, heightened focus on online e-commerce penetration and continuous new product development are on the cards

Singapore

Sembcorp will develop a 2.2 gigawatt-peak floating solar system at Linggiu Reservoir, with up to 4.3 gigawatt-hours of battery energy storage.

Singapore grants approvals to import 900 MW of Malaysian solar power, including from Linggiu Reservoir facility

The awardees are Singapore’s Sembcorp Utilities and a unit of Malaysian developer Ditrolic Energy

To court the young, a Hakka clan association in Singapore is offering overseas internships

Loh Tian Kai, a volunteer at Char Yong (Dabu) Hakka clan association, argues that Chinese clan associations need to think of ways to stay relevant.

Char Yong (Dabu) Hakka clan association is not the only clan that is trying to mix tradition with modern support

OCBC raises 2026 loan growth forecast after Q2 profit jumps 22%, lifts dividend

OCBC’s non-interest income is up 51% at S$1.91 billion, driven by broad-based growth across fee, trading and insurance income.

Higher guidance comes as wealth, trading and insurance offset pressure from lower interest rates

‘Size in banking is not everything’: UOB pursues capital-light strategy as Q2 profit rises; trims fee growth outlook

SGX has IPO pipeline of around 50 companies in various stages of readiness amid record results

The Leadership Playbook

DBS COO’s most important tip for AI transformation: Lead with ‘why’

Goh is DBS’ first group chief operating officer.

In executing the bank’s artificial intelligence strategy, Derrick Goh sees his role as a ‘midfielder’

‘Asia will be the growth engine’: FedEx’s Salil Chari on riding the AI boom

Greater change also means more personal growth, said FedEx’s Asia-Pacific regional president Salil Chari on leading the logistics firm in a time of uncertainty.

Global logistics is in a volatile era but this has not derailed his focus on regional high-value trade

‘Keep things simple’: HP Greater Asia chief Michael Boyle on leading the tech giant beyond hardware

Boyle says: “If we look at the relationship between cloud and the edge, HP is very much positioning ourselves to be not only at the compute level but also the orchestration around the edge and reducing that friction.”

The managing director says setting a clear direction is biggest lesson he has learnt as a leader

The Big Four’s dominance in STI audits may not have pushed up fees, but this concentration has implications beyond competition, industry players say.

BRUNCH

No room for a fifth? The Big Four’s iron grip on STI audits

Every company in the index uses PwC, KPMG, EY or Deloitte. Why can’t mid-tier rivals break in?

Asean

The latest Port Dickson data centre contract marks Gamuda’s first major contract win for FY2027, lifting its outstanding order book to around RM54 billion.

Gamuda seen as key winner in Malaysia’s AI data centre boom

Analysts say the award reinforces its position to capture a growing share of the country’s AI infrastructure build-out

From left: Heng Koon How, UOB’s head of markets strategy, global economics and market research, moderates a panel discussion with John Kain and Edmund Leong.

AI infrastructure can lead South-east Asia’s next growth story: UOB

Financial institutions play a key role as ‘superconnectors’ in enabling a project’s success

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said that he will appoint an agency under his ministry to take over the stake in KCIC, the firm that operates the bullet train.

Indonesia government to take over state firm's stake in US$7.3 billion China-funded high-speed railway

The authority will buy a 60% stake in the project while Chinese state firms continue to hold 40% interest

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