Singapore: HDB resale and BTO, private launches and developer sales, government land sales, en bloc, and the cooling measures that move them.
Anthropic is merging the chat and Cowork features of its Claude AI assistant into a single interface and launching new document and presentation tools, Claude Docs and Claude Slides in beta. The move follows OpenAI's July launch of ChatGPT Work, as the two IPO-bound firms compete for enterprise and
Novo Nordisk has partnered with Anthropic to use its Claude models to accelerate drug discovery and development. The Danish drugmaker will deploy the AI in research workflows and software development, building on existing use of Claude to cut trial report generation from months to minutes.
Tan Chew Ling, 58, a former HDB group director for estate administration and property, was charged with breaching the agency's housing management submissions database 161 times over two days in April 2024. She allegedly kept documents and information on seven HDB flats without authorisation. She fac
India's National Stock Exchange will launch its US$2.3 billion public offering on Sep 16, pricing shares 15-20 per cent below earlier roadshow expectations amid declining derivative trading volumes. The offer values the bourse at US$46 billion, with subscriptions opening Thursday and closing Sep 21.
A family court dismissed a 90-year-old man's bid for spousal maintenance from his 89-year-old ex-wife after their 64-year marriage, saying the S$2 million-plus he receives from the matrimonial pool sufficiently provides for him. The court also ordered the couple's S$5.8 million home sold within six
Singapore launched more than 200 AI-related training courses on Sep 16, with eligible citizens receiving six-month free subscriptions to premium AI tools. The Skills and Workforce Development Agency also opened Connect by SWDA, a one-stop careers and skills centre at the Lifelong Learning Institute.
Meta is preparing to launch a camera-free pair of smart glasses, code-named Luna, this fall, according to The Information. The device features six microphones and a side button for activating Meta AI, and could be unveiled at the Connect conference next week.
Meta Platforms has launched Meta One, a subscription service offering enhanced AI capabilities and more than 50 features across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. Monthly plans start at US$2.99 for single products and rise to US$14.99 for creator and business bundles. The service has already attracte
Two NUS professors have asked to be removed from the acknowledgements of a working paper alleging civil servants bought homes near unannounced MRT stations. The paper, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, claims evidence of informed trading by public officials. The Public Service D
Fujifilm Corp. has unveiled two new instax products: the Pal 2 palm-top digital camera and the Link WIDE 2 smartphone printer. Both devices will go on sale in Japan next month, with a Philippine release expected after a local teaser. The Pal 2 features a 10-megapixel sensor and upgraded design.
Forbes’ real-time data ranks Philip and Robert Ng of Far East Organization as Singapore’s wealthiest property billionaires, with net worths of US$7 billion and US$6.9 billion. Hotel tycoons Ji Qi, Choo Chong Ngen and Asok Kumar Hiranandani round out the top five.
Malaysian developer Eco World Development Group has submitted the highest bid of S$208.1 million for a 99-year leasehold residential site at Lorong Puntong/Sin Ming Avenue in Singapore's Bishan area. The bid, at S$1,612 psf ppr, was 11.1% above the second-highest offer and exceeded analysts' forecas
A five-room flat at Pinnacle@Duxton in Cantonment Road has had its Option to Purchase exercised at S$1.72 million, which would make it Singapore's second-highest HDB resale price. The deal is S$8,000 below the national record of S$1.728 million set at City Vue @ Henderson in April 2026.
JPMorgan will launch its GBI-EM Edge frontier market local currency government bond index by end-September, covering 26 countries and tracking nearly US$330 billion of debt. The new benchmark includes Egypt, Vietnam, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka, with nominal yiel
Far East Organization, controlled by Singapore's third-richest billionaires, has sold a freehold site at 134 Watten Estate Road for S$66 million, or about S$2,266 psf. The buyer is boutique developer Aurum Land, a subsidiary of Woh Hup Group.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has urged AI companies to moderate the pace of model advancement, proposing a three-step framework to slow development and create more time to manage associated risks.
Construction of Singapore's North-South Corridor has entered its most technically demanding phase, with tunnelling taking place as close as 1m beneath the operational North-South Line at Novena. The Land Transport Authority said ground conditions have been more challenging than expected, requiring a
AI startup Discovery Loop is targeting a US$50 billion valuation in its latest fundraising, Business Insider reports. The California-based company, founded by former Google AI leaders including Jeff Dean, was reportedly valued at around US$10 billion in discussions last month.
The Ministry of Education will increase Phase 2C places to 60 per school from next year, reducing alumni priority under Phase 2A. Alumni parents express disappointment and worry, while experts say the changes signal a decisive narrowing of legacy advantages for greater social mixing.
Amara Holdings has put its 140-room Sentosa hotel on the market at an indicative S$158 million, nearly double its 2025 valuation. Jones Lang LaSalle and Knight Frank are running the expression-of-interest exercise until 1 Oct.
True Fitness and True Yoga in Singapore are set to close, with parent company Kontafarma China Holdings citing intense competition and rising customer acquisition costs. Insolvency practitioners have been provisionally appointed and creditors' voluntary winding-up will be proposed at an extraordinar
Singapore billionaires Raj Kumar and his son Kishin have acquired the Scotts Square retail mall in the Orchard Road area for S$310 million through a share purchase. The freehold mall has a gross floor area of 130,875 sq ft and a net leasable area of nearly 76,660 sq ft.
Microsoft plans to expand its data-centre capacity to roughly 38 gigawatts by 2032, more than triple its current 12GW, according to a Bloomberg News report. Only about 2GW of its existing capacity is dedicated to AI-specific chips, a share expected to rise to about a third of the 2032 target. The co
OpenAI has launched ChatGPT for Financial Services, a version of its AI model built for investment bankers and equity researchers. Developed with Morgan Stanley and Evercore, the product integrates datasets from LSEG, PitchBook and Daloopa, and is powered by the new GPT-6 Astra model.
IBM and NASA have released an open-source AI model to help scientists analyse decades of lunar data. The model, trained on data from nine instruments across four NASA missions, can identify ice deposits and map craters with up to 23 per cent greater accuracy than existing methods.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the PAP government does not believe in using higher pay to draw people into politics, but competitive salaries prevent candidates from having to upend their financial responsibilities. He made the remarks during the parliamentary debate on Singapore's revised politi
Perennial Living has opened a S$265 million assisted-living development at Parry Avenue, offering 200 private apartments alongside medical care, rehabilitation and social activities. The 195,000 sq ft centre targets Singapore's rapidly ageing population with monthly rents ranging from S$8,000 to S$1
The Singapore Food Agency is studying the feasibility of allowing food past its quality-based date marks to be donated. Parliament passed a motion on Wednesday calling for enhanced food resilience and waste reduction through partnerships across society.
The government has no current plans to designate Tagore forest as a nature reserve, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat. The site, zoned for residential use, was proposed for protection by scientists in 2024.
Marina Budiman of Indonesia is the wealthiest woman in South-east Asia with a net worth of US$6 billion, followed by Thailand's Somurai Jaruphnit and Vietnam's Pham Thu Huong, each at US$4.4 billion. The ranking comes from Forbes' real-time data and includes heiresses and self-made billionaires from
A wave of new wealth from AI-focused companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic is reshaping luxury markets, with buyers prioritising private jets, expedition yachts and customised supercars over champagne and white-glove service. Property prices in San Francisco have surged, with the median single-fami
AI coding startup Cognition AI has raised US$2 billion in a Series E funding round, valuing the company at US$48 billion. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and Accel, with existing backers also participating. Cognition's run-rate revenue has grown to nearly US$900 million since its last round
Twelve countries, including Britain, Canada and France, announced Tuesday they would impose trade sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, citing rising settler violence against Palestinians. The move includes import bans and restrictions on companies providing services for settlement expa
Singapore's parliament passed the Land Titles (Strata) (Amendment) Bill on Sep 8, lowering collective sale consent thresholds to 70% for developments aged 40-59 years and 65% for those aged 60 years and above. The law also tightens rules, including halving the signature collection timeline to six mo
ASML has begun construction of the BIC North production campus on 35 hectares near Eindhoven Airport, adding capacity for up to 20,000 workers. The expansion comes as the chip-equipment maker races to fulfill orders for EUV lithography tools booked through 2027, driven by surging AI demand.
QES Group Bhd's Singapore unit has agreed to acquire two freehold Clean Industrial (B1) units at Space Nova for S$5.47 million (RM17.49 million). The fifth-storey units at 21 New Industrial Road will provide additional office and product-demonstration space to support the company's expansion in Sing
Singapore's Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) has introduced the Digital Infrastructure Bill in parliament, proposing licensing regimes for data centres and major cloud services. Operators of data centres with a critical IT load of at least 3MW must meet energy efficiency requir
Jaguar Land Rover has announced plans to cut around 4,000 roles over the next two years, citing geopolitical uncertainty, US tariffs and the aftermath of a cyberattack. The voluntary redundancy scheme targets management roles, with most cuts expected in the UK.
Phu My Hung has unveiled Casa Luna, a 49-unit ultra-luxury condominium in Ho Chi Minh City’s Phu My Hung urban area, with apartments priced from VND100 billion (US$3.84 million). The two-tower project, part of the developer’s “2.0” phase, targets senior executives and offers units spanning more than
Richard Eu Yee Ming and his three siblings have sold a freehold Good Class Bungalow at Bishopsgate for S$40 million, or S$2,480.72 psf. The buyer is a family member of Nippon Paint Holdings co-president Wee Siew Kim.
Singapore's five richest billionaires saw their combined net worth fall 7% to US$90.6 billion as the wealthiest man, Eduardo Saverin, lost US$10.1 billion. Kwek Leng Beng and family retained second place with US$16.1 billion, reducing the gap with Saverin to US$16.8 billion from US$28.7 billion last
Pham Thu Huong, wife of Southeast Asia’s richest man Pham Nhat Vuong, ranked 963rd on Forbes’ real-time billionaire list on Friday. Her net worth rose nearly US$200 million in a single day as Vingroup shares hit a record high.
Singapore's tax revenue rose 9.4% year-on-year to S$97.3 billion in the 2025/2026 financial year, driven by stronger economic activity and consumer spending. The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore reported that corporate income tax remained the largest contributor at S$34.4 billion, followed by G
A land betterment charge estimated at over S$2 billion is complicating the sale of 16.6 hectares held by Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail between Holland Road and Tyersall Avenue. Some prospective buyers baulk at bearing the cost, and the uncertainty has pushed his representatives to seek buyers in t
Microseries platform aTwist launched on Thursday with 10 original series and curated library content, targeting mobile-first viewers. The platform, formerly known as MicroCo, is available in eight markets including the US, UK, India and Australia.
Hongkong Land is in talks to enter Japan's property market with deals exceeding US$1 billion for mixed-use complexes in prime Tokyo locations, as part of parent Jardine Matheson's pivot towards becoming an investment firm. The developer has struggled to find suitable properties or partners amid Japa
Enterprise AI operating system provider Wonderful has raised US$550 million in a funding round led by Insight Partners, more than doubling its valuation to US$5 billion. The company will use the capital for product development and expansion, having grown to 650 employees across 35 markets since its
Mapletree Investments has secured more than $500 million in equity commitments at the first close of a logistics development strategy targeting $2.1 billion in assets across Malaysia, Vietnam and India. The fund, MEGA, will target high-growth markets amid growing domestic consumption and supply-chai
Singapore has committed another S$112 million to built environment research and innovation under the RIE 2030 plan. The Building and Construction Authority also announced a refreshed Green Mark scheme and mandatory accredited site supervision for large-scale projects from 2028.
A joint venture between UOL Group, Singapore Land Group, and CapitaLand Development has made the highest offer of S$1.43 billion for a 99-year leasehold residential site on New Upper Changi Road in Bedok. The bid, 13.8 per cent above the next closest offer, could set a record for the highest price e
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