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Robust demand for gold in Asia has been fuelled by rising wealth in the region, says Jimmy Poh, OCBC’s managing director of asset allocation, risk strategy and XVA in global markets. “Asia is still seeing robust demand in gold in contrast to Western markets where demand has stabilised and even declined slightly,” he adds. “Retail investors and ultra-high-net-worth (individuals) are holding gold as part of their portfolio, and coupled with demand trends, it suggests that the region is getting richer with rising wealth inflows and new wealth creation.”

One of finance’s most stubborn problems comes down to access: who gets through the door in the first place, and why so little has changed.

Retail investors have long been shut out of some of the most reliable sources of returns in finance. Trade finance, private credit, and institutional fixed income move trillions of dollars annually but access has been restricted to banks and large institutions. Steven Hu, head of digital assets at OCBC Bank, thinks that is about to change and that the mechanism is already being tested.

Retail investors may soon find that some of the shares sitting untouched in their brokerage accounts are worth more to the market than they realised.

Securities lending is a long-standing part of institutional finance in which shares are temporarily loaned to banks, broker-dealers and other market participants for a fee. Pension funds, ETF managers and asset managers have used this approach for decades to earn extra income from portfolios that would otherwise sit idle.

Markets are volatile, with stormy rain alternating with sunny blue skies. Just four months ago, global markets started on a “very weak” note. The US shocked the entire Americas and beyond with the invasion of Venezuela, which was followed by the attacks on Iran. As a result, markets suffered a huge sell-off. 

On many pieces of clothing, and likely every bag you own, there is a zipper. 

Somewhere along the chain of suppliers that brought this unassuming but essential part to market, there is a good chance that it is from a factory in Jinjiang, Fujian.

Fuxing China Group has been making zippers since 1992 and has grown to become the world's fourth-largest zipper manufacturer by sales value, according to the 2023 edition of the Euromonitor Report.

The building I am thinking of is 38 years old. It is younger than most of the people planning to demolish it, younger than the architectural firm that designed it and considerably younger than the carbon clock that started when its foundations were poured.

The industry has a word for it — obsolete.

Multi-million-dollar executive condominium (EC) resale prices are no longer confined to rare penthouses. In March 2025, a five-bedroom unit at Hundred Palms Residences in District 19 became the third EC to cross the $3 million-mark, changing hands for $3.06 million. This followed two earlier deals above $3 million at Citylife @ Tampines — a penthouse resold for $3.28 million in October 2021 and a five-bedroom unit resold for $3.09 million in January 2025.

Serial Achieva, together with its subsidiaries, is a distributor of consumer and enterprise IT products and computer peripherals. The company serves a multitude of business partners with a portfolio of a broad range of IT products from top international brands such as AMD, Intel, ViewSonic and Gigabyte.

1. What are Serial Achieva’s core business segments today, and how has the business mix evolved in recent years?

V-ZUG is a benchmark for culinary safety and sophistication. This reflects a long-standing tradition of Swiss excellence rather than a recent pursuit. For years, the brand has shaped Singapore’s luxury landscape, setting a benchmark for safety and sophistication that remains unmatched. 

V-ZUG pioneered digitally monitored gas cooking in Singapore in 2016, nearly a decade before the wider market began exploring electronic safety integration in gas hobs. While others are only now introducing basic safety features, V-ZUG has long focused on seamless protection.

Strata industrial sales in 1Q2026 declined 17.5% q-o-q to 335 deals — the lowest level since 2020 — with pricing diverging sharply by tenure, and freehold assets outperforming as investors opt for “longer-term value preservation”, according to Savills Singapore. 

“The subdued turnover reflects continued buyer selectivity, with capital deployment largely concentrated in assets offering stronger fundamentals, longer-term value preservation or operational advantages,” says Savills’ industrial report on May 13.