BIZSpoke | IPS SBF Conference on 29 July to Spotlight Singapores Role in a Changing Global Economy

14 MARCH 2025

PM Wong Emphasises Importance of Economic Resilience

Mark your calendar for 29 July: The IPS-SBF Conference, featuring PM Lawrence Wong and DPM Gan Kim Yong, will bring together top global thought leaders, policymakers, and academics to explore Singapore’s pivotal role in the shifting global economy. Key discussions will cover resilience, economic advancement, and reinforcing a rules-based trading system. Don’t miss the pre-conference forum on 22 July and “Future-Ready Businesses Spotlight” site visits from 23–25 July.

WHAT'S NEW

DPM Gan and Minister Chee Engage SBF Business Leaders in Post-Budget Dialogue

DPM Gan Kim Yong and Minister Chee Hong Tat engaged SBF Council and Action Committee members in a post-Budget dialogue on 12 March, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to fostering a pro-business environment. Business leaders welcomed Budget 2025’s balanced approach—offering immediate cost relief while supporting long-term workforce transformation. Discussions also covered AI’s impact on jobs, R&D diffusion, the JS-SEZ, SME growth, and making Singapore more attractive for listings.

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SBF Vice-Chairman Urges Openness to Global Talent and Focus on Innovation

SBF Vice-Chairman Mark Lee joined Minister Chee Hong Tat, Minister of State Gan Siow Huang, and industry leaders at the Lianhe Zaobao Budget Dialogue, engaging over 100 business representatives on topics from cost-of-living pressures to long-term economic resilience. Mr Lee stressed the importance of staying open to global talent and building a complementary workforce to drive innovation and growth. He urged businesses to scale globally, embrace sustainability, and focus on innovation and productivity to remain competitive. View LinkedIn post here.

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SCALED INTERNATIONALLY

Vietnam’s General Secretary Backs Deeper Business Ties with Singapore

General Secretary Tô Lâm of Vietnam, during his visit to Singapore, highlighted strong bilateral ties and met with SBF Chairman Lim Ming Yan. He recognised SBF’s key role in connecting Singapore businesses to Vietnam and welcomed efforts to boost foreign investment and collaboration in areas such as digital economy, green finance, and sustainable development.

Singapore-Kazakhstan Pact Spurs Business Expansion

SA Singapore-Kazakhstan agreement that recently came into effect is opening doors for Singapore businesses in Central Asia, easing investment rules and boosting market access. Amid global challenges, Singapore companies are diversifying into Kazakhstan, with SBF supporting 280 firms in their regional expansion.

To support this momentum, SBF is organising an Overseas Market Workshop to Kazakhstan from 20–26 April. Explore growth opportunities across its key sectors — Learn more here.

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SBF IAC Chairman Highlights China’s Openness and ASEAN Growth Opportunities

SBF’s Internationalisation Action Committee (IAC) Chairman SS Teo highlighted China’s ongoing openness and the evolving role of foreign enterprises. He noted that Singapore-China collaboration is shifting toward leveraging mutual strengths for global expansion. Optimistic about China’s pro-business stance, he sees ASEAN as a key growth region, with Singapore well-positioned to support Chinese firms expanding globally.

NMP Neil Parekh Calls for Bold Action on Emerging Technologies

Speaking on day two of the Committee of Supply 2025 debate, NMP and SBF Council Member Neil Parekh stressed that Singapore must move beyond keeping pace and actively establish itself as a global leader in critical and emerging technologies such as AI, biotechnology, and quantum computing. He outlined three key priorities—fostering innovation, strengthening international partnerships, and enhancing R&D investment—to sustain Singapore’s position as a premier research hub.

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SBF and CapitaLand Partner to Drive AI and Workforce Transformation in Retail

SBF has signed a MoU with CapitaLand Investment (CLI) to drive digitalisation and AI integration across CLI’s retail ecosystem. The partnership aims to boost business performance and operational efficiency through smart technologies, innovation, and workforce upskilling. SBF CEO Kok Ping Soon highlighted that this collaboration — including partners like Microsoft — underscores the need to align AI-driven transformation with workforce development to ensure lasting impact.

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SUSTAINABILITY-CENTRIC

Review Finds Singapore-Listed Firms Progressing in Climate Reporting, But Challenges Remain

A review by NUS Business School and SGX RegCo found that while 97% of Singapore-listed firms reported on climate in 2024, only 28% met all 11 TCFD disclosures. From 2025, all listed firms must report Scope 1 and 2 emissions, with Scope 3 required in 2026.

SBF's NetZeroHub.SG is a free platform that includes the Singapore Emission Factors Registry (SEFR) to support companies calculate GHG emissions and meet regulatory climate disclosure requirements. Click here to learn more.

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SUPPORTED EVENT

Share Your Views About Sustainability and Receive a $10 Grab Voucher!

What challenges do you face on your sustainability journey? How can we better support you to overcome these challenges? Your responses will directly shape the review and development of sustainability support for businesses.

Exclusively for SBF members, use referral code “SBFBARO2025” and register for your free SME account on Greenprint at the end of the survey to redeem a free $10 Grab voucher.

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