Economics and Financial Markets

Finance plays a critical role in supporting nature and biodiversity. In fact, according to a news report by the World Economic Forum back in 2020, around US$44 trillion (about SG$58.6) of economic value generation – more than half of the world’s total GDP – was found to be moderately or highly dependent on nature. It therefore makes sense that governments, organisations, and financial institutions are increasingly recognising the need to account for nature in their strategies and capital allocation decisions.

Financial services are a key sector of Singapore’s economy, contributing around 14 per cent of our GDP and employing nearly 190,000 workers. It is also a highly competitive and fluid sector – financial crises add to its volatility, while geopolitical risks and technology can create massive challenges. At the same time, every challenge can also present an opportunity – but it is critical to have good leadership for the financial sector.

“Elites” is often a term imbued with negative connotations.

Every day, people interact with insurance products and services. Whether it is car insurance, health insurance, or life insurance, most people have some type of policy to protect their valuable tangible or intangible assets. Behind the scenes, there is a team of professionals who work diligently to ensure that the products offered are affordable and meet the customer's needs.

Sustainable, responsible, and impact (SRI) investing is on the rise. But with SRI investing called out as “marketing hype” by sceptics like Mr Tariq Fancy, the former chief investment officer for sustainable investing at BlackRock Inc, the importance of measuring and assessing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impact on investment is more pertinent now than ever before. 

Investing in real estate has long been viewed as a safe bet, particularly in the growth regions of Asia. However, the disruptions caused by Covid-19 have seriously scuffed the property sector’s once-bulletproof sheen. The decline of brick-and-mortar retail space seems to have accelerated, as stores struggle to stay afloat during global lockdowns. Many offices remain under-utilised as work-from-home protocols persist. All over the world, uncertainty prevails over the prospects for commercial real estate.

With dine-in capacities slashed due to social distancing measures and national borders worldwide closed to control the spread of Covid-19, there is no doubt that the food & beverage and tourism sectors are two of the industries hardest hit by the pandemic.

The growth of the gig economy is one of the many changes that have arisen due to the pervasive reach of new technologies over the past decade. Jobs such as the Grab driver and Foodpanda delivery person arose due to the launch of new digital platforms.

  Ideas from a new book co-authored by Prof Arnoud De Meyer

At the inaugural SMU City Dialogues Series, nearly 60 key industry professionals from around the world shared ideas and debated strategies for battling climate change.