MAS Tells Banks to Review Haze-Linked Clients as SGX Presses Seven Listed Planters
The central bank, the exchange regulator and three ministers moved on the same day, ahead of haze law amendments due in Parliament from Nov. 3.
Singapore
Haze Probe
- Singapore Economy
Singapore Adds 27,700 Jobs in Third Quarter as Retrenchments Climb to 4,800
Employment growth more than doubled from the second quarter, but resident unemployment ticked up to 3.0% and more firms said they expect to cut staff.
- Singapore Companies
Keppel Core Profit Rises Over 20% in Nine Months as Asset Sales Beat Target
Singapore's Keppel beat its 2026 target for selling non-core assets, but writedowns on legacy holdings cut overall nine-month profit by 40%.
- Singapore
Singapore Lifts COE Quota 1% to 19,298 as Category A Premium Sits Near S$133,009 Record
Small-car supply stays flat for November to January, while LTA's consultation on merging Categories A and B closes as bidding resumes.
- Singapore Economy
Singapore Factory Output Growth Slows to 3.4% in September as Pharmaceuticals Drop 65.9%
Precision engineering jumped 31% on chip-equipment demand, but biomedical output fell by a third and the headline figure missed economists' forecasts.
- Singapore Companies
Great Eastern Third-Quarter Profit Falls 72% on Market Losses, Indonesia Unit Sale
OCBC's insurance arm still grew the value of new business 14% in the quarter, and OCBC shares led a slide in Singapore bank stocks on Monday morning.
- Singapore Banks
UOB Quarterly Profit Nearly Triples to S$1.25 Billion but Misses Forecasts, Shares Fall 5%
Record fee income could not offset a thinner lending margin and weaker trading gains at Singapore's third-largest bank, which reported a day before DBS and two days before OCBC.
- Singapore Tourism
Marina Bay Sands Third-Quarter EBITDA Falls 20.6% to $590 Million on Lower Win Rate
Las Vegas Sands' Singapore resort played more mass-market chips than a year earlier but kept far fewer of them, while its hotel charged more than $1,000 a night at 95.8% occupancy.
- Singapore
Singapore's Mercosur Pact in Force as Argentina Joins, Phasing Out Tariffs on 96% of Goods
Argentina became the last of the four founding members to apply the deal on Nov. 1, giving Singapore exporters one rulebook for the South American bloc.
- Singapore Economy
Singapore PMI Eases to 51.4 in October as Electronics Export Orders Hit 2018 High
Factories grew for a 15th straight month, and a separate EDB survey showed manufacturers' outlook doubling to a net 24% on AI-related demand.
- Singapore Companies
CapitaLand Investment Fee Revenue Rises 15% to S$1.04 Billion as Total Revenue Dips 3%
The Singapore real asset manager earned more from running funds and less from owning property, and pushed back the listing of its second China REIT to year-end.
- Singapore Companies
Sea Third-Quarter Profit Rises 34% to $502.5 Million, Adds $1 Billion to Buyback
The Singapore-based owner of Shopee grew revenue 43.4% to $8.6 billion, but credit-loss provisions at its Monee lending arm rose 82.3% and marketing costs climbed 64%.
- Singapore Companies
Singapore Airlines Half-Year Profit Falls 44% to S$134 Million as Jet Fuel Bill Nearly Doubles
Record revenue of S$11.3 billion and a sharp second-quarter recovery could not offset a 90% jump in fuel costs, but the carrier kept its 7-cent payout.
- Singapore EconomyAnalysis
Singapore Real Wage Growth Slowed to 1.3% a Year Since 2019 as GDP Grew 3.6%, Data Show
Government figures given to Parliament show faster economic and job growth after the pandemic, but inflation ate most of the pay gains, and factories grew output while shedding resident workers.
- Singapore Banks
OCBC Third-Quarter Profit Rises 3% to S$2.04 Billion, Beats Estimates as Bank Lifts 2026 Outlook
Singapore's second-largest bank raised its loan growth forecast and cut its credit cost guidance, even as market losses at insurer Great Eastern dragged on trading and wealth income.
- Singapore Companies
Golden Agri-Resources Third-Quarter Profit Rises 32% From Second Quarter to US$162 Million
The Singapore-listed palm oil group said quarterly profit rose 32% from the second quarter as plantation output rebounded, nine-month net profit rose 16% on higher crude palm oil prices, and warned that El Nino will weigh on 2027 yields.
- Singapore Casinos
Genting Singapore Third-Quarter Profit Falls 42% to S$54.7 Million as VIP Gaming Weakens
The Resorts World Sentosa operator blamed softer premium play and a poor rolling win rate in September, and Maybank cut its earnings forecasts the next day.
- Singapore Economy
Singapore Launches SPIRE Asia With US$500 Million Fund for Farm Climate Adaptation
MAS will oversee the blended finance fund, the third pillar of a COP31 program aimed at a region that gets a fraction of the adaptation money it needs.
- Singapore
Changi Air Cargo Jumps 9.7% in September as Singapore Sea Cargo Falls 2.4%
AI chip shipments are pushing record tonnages through Singapore's airport while bulk cargo at the port shrinks and ship fuel sales end a four-month run of gains.
- Singapore
Singapore Airlines to Spend Over S$2 Billion on New Cabins for 72 Long-Haul Jets
The carrier's biggest cabin overhaul covers retrofitted Airbus A350s and Boeing 777-9s that are still awaiting certification, with first installations planned for late 2027.
- Singapore PolicyAnalysis
MAS Offers S$30 Million Grant, Lower Capital Charges to Push Insurers Into Infrastructure
Singapore's central bank wants insurers' long-dated money in infrastructure and securitised debt. Insurers have until Dec. 18 to comment on the capital rules that would make that cheaper.
- Singapore Energy
Singapore Clears Sembcorp's 1.3 GW Power Import Plan, Adds Five Gas Plants by 2031
The Energy Market Authority expects peak demand to reach as much as 13 GW by 2031, driven by chipmakers, data centers and electric transport.
- Singapore
Malaysia, Thailand Join MAS's BLOOM Digital Money Network as Visa, Ripple Sign On
Singapore's settlement initiative for tokenized deposits and regulated stablecoins gains two regional regulators and nine firms, as MAS weighs feedback on its draft stablecoin law.
- Singapore
MAS Proposes 2030 and 2034 Quantum-Safe Deadlines for Singapore Banks and Insurers
Singapore's central bank wants critical financial systems moved to quantum-resistant encryption by the end of 2030, with the biggest banks and NETS filing plans by mid-2027.
- Singapore Property
Link REIT Buys 50.1% of Singapore's Eastpoint Mall From Income Insurance for S$239.5 Million
One of Asia's largest REITs is adding a suburban Singapore mall even as it sells offices in Hong Kong and Sydney, and Income Insurance keeps 49.9%.
- Singapore
Singapore 5-Year Bond Auction Clears at 2.09%, Up From 1.75% in June, as Demand Thins
The last government bond sale of 2026 drew S$6.8 billion of bids for S$3.2 billion of paper, a softer cover than in June, as local yields sit near their highs for the year.
- Singapore REITs
CapitaLand Ascendas REIT Rent Reversion Nearly Doubles to 9.9% as Leverage Hits 41.8%
The Singapore industrial REIT is selling older buildings at a premium to pay down debt it took on for S$1.8 billion of purchases this year.
- Singapore
Thomson Reserve Sells 90% of 1,268 Units at Launch, Singapore's Biggest Weekend of 2026
The UOL and CapitaLand Development condo sold 1,143 homes over its first weekend, beating Tengah Garden Residences' 853 and reviving launch take-up after a weak September.
- Singapore
Singapore Retail Sales Rise 1.7% in September on Phones and Fuel, Then Slip 1% on the Month
Phone retailers posted 16.5% growth and online sales took a bigger share, but shop takings fell from August as haze kept shoppers indoors.
- Policy
MAS Opens 500-Tonne Gold Vault to Foreign Central Banks, Plans GST Waiver for Bullion Trade
Singapore's central bank also said a GST break for wholesale gold services should start in April 2027, as SGX readies a gold clearing system for live trading early next year.
- Singapore
Singapore's November BTO Draws 35,603 Applicants for 7,964 Flats, Highest Rate Since 2022
The first public housing launch under higher income ceilings drew about 46% more applicants than June's round, led by Toa Payoh Hillside and two Bayshore projects.
- Singapore
Hongkong Land Renames S$1.1 Billion Wheelock Place as Landmark Orchard in Singapore Push
The first use of the Landmark brand outside Hong Kong comes as the developer's S$8.2 billion Singapore fund chases a S$15 billion target, and smaller CBD assets test buyer appetite.
