Market structure reforms also continued to advance. MAS proposed raising the share financing thresholds for IPOs, rights issues, and employee share schemes, a move designed to broaden investor participation and improve access to capital for listed companies.
Singapore’s equity market entered February with robust momentum. On Budget day, the Straits Times Index crossed the 5,000 mark for the first time in its history, reflecting strong bank earnings, policy support, and renewed capital inflows.
At the same time, policymakers reinforced the market’s structural direction. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) expanded the Equity Market Development Programme (EQDP) to $6.5 billion, and the government committed an additional $1.5 billion through the Financial Sector Development Fund to deepen liquidity and institutional participation in local equities.
