Singapore is one of the top locations in the world for new small and medium enterprises (SMEs) looking for financing. This is according to a new study by MasterCard Worldwide. The study shows that Tokyo and Singapore are ranked in the top four out of 53 leading global cities in the potential size of its SME financing market. Tokyo is second while Singapore is ranked fourth. In the Asia Pacific, Middle...
Finance
Move is milestone in S’pore’s push to develop alternative mode of investment City Developments (CDL) is raising $1 billion in Islamic debt through a pioneering notes programme as a means to diversify its sources of financing. This will be Singapore’s first Islamic Sukuk-Ijarah unsecured financing arrangement by a company, marking a milestone in the Republic’s push to develop Islamic finance as an...
The financial ratings of Singapore's banks are stable, thanks to a buffer built up during the economic boom last year and conservative management of their balance sheets. According to ratings agency Moody's, the overall impact of the tightening global credit markets has been moderate. However, Moody's has also revealed that there are risks ahead that could undermine the stability for banks in Southeast...
Two Singapore banks on Wednesday reported falls in first-quarter net profit as trading activities took a hit from global financial turmoil. DBS Group, Southeast Asia's biggest bank, said its net profit in the first quarter ended March 31 dipped 2.0 percent to S$603 million (US$446 million) compared with the previous year. Singapore's smallest bank, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC), reported a four...
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore will continue to develop the financial sector as more activities are being moved to the city-state. Mr Lee, who was speaking to 120 bankers at the hour-long Thomson Reuters Dialogue on Tuesday, added that more would be done to ease capacity constraints, such as the crunch in office space and accommodation. The financial sector in Singapore grew by some 17.5...
Global ratings agency, Fitch Ratings, sees a more challenging operating environment for Singapore banks going forward. According to its latest report, Fitch expects the three local banks – DBS, OCBC and UOB – to see a slowdown in investment banking and capital market-related income over the next two years. Loans growth is seen to be moderating while loan-loss provisions are rising. But Fitch said it...
The central bank has reiterated its stance that it will not regulate the Islamic banking market here in Singapore. At a conference on Islamic Finance on Tuesday, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) instead argued that Shariah-compliance should be regulated internally as part of a bank's good practice in governance and control. The Islamic banking market is estimated to be worth as much as US$800...
OCBC Bank said it does not expect further impairments on its exposure to collaterised debt obligations (CDOs). Chief Executive David Connor made that comment at the bank's annual general meeting on Thursday. So far, 85 percent of the bank's CDOs have been marked-to-market, with provisions made for. OCBC said it does not expect any impairment losses from the remaining 15 percent. Concerns were raised...
Industry watchers expect more home owners to consider refinancing their mortgage loans as interest rates look set to dip further. In fact, mortgage and financial planning firm SingCapital has seen a three-fold jump in enquiries in the last two months. Property agents are also getting a crash course in mortgage planning, including answering questions about refinancing of home loans. This occurs when...
The Singapore Interbank Offered Rate or SIBOR is expected to dip a further 0.5 percentage point over the next six months. Industry watchers said this will present an opportunity for homeowners and companies to refinance loans on their properties. The US Federal Reserve recently cut its benchmark interest rate to 2.25 per cent in a bid to prop up the American economy. And this has indirectly put a drag...