UBS Singapore leadership has been strengthened with the appointment of Kwa Chong Seng as chairman for Singapore and Southeast Asia, effective December 1. The veteran executive will report to APAC president and global wealth co‑president Iqbal Khan, working closely with regional chairman Edmund Koh and Singapore head Jin Yee Young. Kwa has chaired major firms including SGX, ST Engineering, Olam International and MediaCorp, and previously served as deputy chair of Temasek Holdi

FinTech family offices are accelerating a structural shift in Asia’s wealth ecosystem, as Dr Kimmis Pun, managing director of Asia Green Family Office, told the Hubbis Digital Wealth Forum Singapore 2025. She said FinTech family offices now blend institutional discipline with entrepreneurial agility, drawing on Asia Green’s evolution from a FinTech platform into a modern family-office model. UHNW clients increasingly seek holistic solutions spanning digital assets, business r

AI disruption Singapore trends are intensifying, with nine in ten organisations reporting AI-driven role changes or displacement, according to an IDC survey commissioned by Deel. Globally, 99% of firms have adopted AI, and nearly 70% have moved beyond pilots. In Singapore, 66% expect to slow entry-level hiring over the next three years, while 48% recorded the region’s highest displacement rate. The study found 75% of companies say shrinking entry-level pathways make grooming

Singapore crypto adoption is rising among retail investors, although exposure remains conservative, a joint SingSaver–Coinbase Pulse of Crypto Survey shows. The August poll of 3,513 respondents found 61% hold crypto, yet 74% of these allocate less than 10% of assets to it, and only 8% hold more than 25%. Median portfolios total SGD3,000–5,000 (USD2,210–3,683), with the average investor owning three tokens, mostly coins. Some 58% identify as HODL-style investors, while 20% tra

The DBS Alliance Bank stake proposal has been scaled back, with the Singapore lender reducing its request for approval to acquire up to 30% of Alliance Bank Malaysia, replacing an earlier bid of up to 49%, according to reports. The larger stake required an exemption under Malaysia’s foreign-ownership cap for banks and had not received regulatory clearance. If approved, the revised application will allow DBS to open talks with Alliance’s biggest shareholder, Vertical Theme, a

A new Citi Hong Kong survey shows the number of Hong Kong multimillionaires has reached about 395,000 in 2025, up 5,000 from a year earlier and equivalent to one in 14 residents aged 21 to 79. These individuals hold at least HKD10m (USD1.28m) in net assets, including HKD1m in liquid assets, and report a median HKD20.5m in wealth and HKD10m in liquid holdings split evenly between property and cash or investments. The average multimillionaire is 55 years old, attained their fir

Swiss lender AMINA Bank has secured Hong Kong’s first full-service crypto approval for an international group after the Securities and Futures Commission granted an uplift to its Type 1 licence for professional investors. The AMINA Bank crypto licence comes as Hong Kong’s trading volumes rose 233% in the first half of 2025, signalling stronger institutional adoption despite strict regulation. AMINA can now support 13 assets including bitcoin, ether, USDC, tether and leading D

The IMF says the G20 growth outlook is the weakest since the 2009 financial crisis, with the bloc projected to expand just 2.9% by 2030 as protectionism, tariffs and policy uncertainty weigh on trade and investment. Advanced G20 economies are forecast to grow only 1.4%, far below the 3.9% expected for emerging markets. The Fund expects G20 output to rise 3.2% in 2025 before easing to 3.0% in 2026, down from 3.3% in 2024. It warned that higher tariffs risk driving inflation hi

Recruiters expect Hong Kong finance hiring to increase 10–15% in 2026 as asset growth and stronger equity markets prompt banks and fund houses to expand headcount. Robert Walters reports a 20% rise in active roles this year, though completed offers remain behind as employers stay cautious after pandemic overhiring and subsequent cutbacks. Robert Half noted increased openings in front-office and revenue-generating roles, with steady demand across middle and back offices. Banks

Hex Trust and Fireblocks crypto custody collaboration is targeting institutional clients across Asia and the Middle East as regulators tighten rules on how virtual assets are held. Under the strategic deal, Hong Kong-based Hex Trust will act as a qualified, locally licensed custodian on the Fireblocks Custody Network in key markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE. The arrangement allows banks, brokers and fintech firms to combine Fireblocks’ transaction and wallet te

A new Global AI Competitiveness Index flags a widening governance gap as the European Union emerges as the world’s de facto rule setter for artificial intelligence while the United States and China retain an edge in deployment. The Global AI Competitiveness Index, which tracks AI governance and regulation across about 25 jurisdictions and includes Hong Kong’s Financial Services Development Council as an observer, identifies three competing models: the EU’s rights based AI Act

Hong Kong financial centre advantages in liquidity and law are in focus as the city competes with rival hubs in a volatile macroenvironment. Bankers highlighted Hong Kong’s role as a fundraising hub, with the market raising HKD216bn (USD28bn) from IPOs in the first 10 months of 2025 and tipped by some to reclaim the top global listing spot, even though its stock market currently ranks only fifth worldwide by size. Speakers at a recent Financial Times conference pointed to dee

South Korea economic recovery momentum is strengthening on the back of heavy fiscal spending and firmer exports, according to finance minister Koo Yun-cheol, who pledged fresh measures to spread gains beyond Seoul. He told a meeting of economic ministers that consumer demand is improving, supported by government “consumption coupon” schemes, while 26 major public institutions plan to raise investment this year to KRW69tr (USD47bn) from an original KRW66tr budgeted for infrast

Global wealthy families are increasingly turning to Hong Kong family offices as a base to access private investments in mainland China, particularly in electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, biotech, and selectively in real estate, according to Swiss family office platform Club Estate. The Zurich-based firm, which manages about 700m Swiss francs (USD884m) and operates in Luxembourg, Singapore, and Hong Kong, said clients are also diversifying away from US dollar assets i

A sharper-than-expected Japan GDP decline of an annualised 1.8% in Q3 marked the country’s first economic contraction in six quarters, driven by slumping exports to the US under higher tariffs and weaker housing investment. The fall, though milder than predicted, showed net external demand shaving 0.2 percentage point off growth, while private consumption inched up 0.1% and capital spending rose 1%, reflecting uneven domestic momentum. Economists view the setback as temporary

More than 100 global investors from Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, Europe, and the UK will convene in Ho Chi Minh City on 3–4 December for the Vietnam 2.0 investor conference, a two-day event aimed at channelling long-term foreign capital into Vietnam. Organised by Dynam Capital, Vantage Point Asset Management, and Shinec Vietnam, the event—titled “Vietnam 2.0 – Unlocking the Next Growth Phase”—will spotlight opportunities in infrastructure, energy, environment, tech

Hong Kong property valuations are under intensified scrutiny as the city’s deepest real estate downturn since the Asian financial crisis prompts the banking regulator to monitor risks more closely. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has increased its oversight of lenders’ refinancing decisions involving stressed developers such as Lai Sun Development, urging continued credit support while reviewing exposure to commercial property loans, which account for about 8% of HKD10tr (US

Blue Pool Capital private equity fund ambitions are expanding as the Hong Kong-based family office of Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai launches fundraising for its first private equity vehicle open to external investors, with a target of USD750m. The Riverside fund will pursue majority or minority stakes in mid-sized businesses valued at USD100m to USD1bn across high-end retail, fintech, digital banking, payments, and AI-enabled software. The move marks a strategic shift for Bl

Adams Street Partners Hong Kong office plans are advancing as the USD65bn private markets manager opens a new location to strengthen coverage of institutional, family office, and wealth clients across Asia-Pacific. The office, which will commence operations upon licensing, aims to enhance local deal sourcing and client engagement amid rising regional demand for diversified access to global private markets alongside domestic opportunities. The firm said the Adams Street Partne

UBS has partnered with Ant International to trial UBS tokenised deposits and real-time cross-border payments, marking one of Asia’s most prominent bank–fintech collaborations in digital finance. Under an MoU signed in Singapore, Ant will integrate UBS Digital Cash—first piloted in 2024—with its Whale blockchain treasury platform to test multi-currency tokenised deposits enabling instant transfers across Ant’s global entities. The initiative aims to enhance settlement speed, t