The Business Times
Paige Lim

Paige Lim

CORRESPONDENT

Paige Lim is a correspondent at The Business Times. She covers small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and macroeconomics, with a focus on F&B and retail. She also contributes to the monthly Barfly column, which profiles home-grown craft cocktail bars. 

emailpaigelim@sph.com.sg
email@PaigeLimBT
The central bank projects core inflation momentum “to come in at a pace that is slightly below trend” over 2026.

Economists expect MAS to tighten monetary policy in April or July, after keeping settings unchanged in January

Despite maintaining its policy stance on Thursday, the central bank raises full-year core and headline inflation forecasts to 1-2%

The latest move comes after the central bank similarly kept settings unchanged in October and July 2025.

Singapore leaves monetary policy settings unchanged in January but raises inflation forecasts

MAS ups full-year core and headline inflation forecasts to 1-2%, from 0.5-1.5%

Nanyang Optical's outlet in Clementi. The business last closed its Woodlands Causeway Point outlet in May 2025 after its three-year lease expired.

Nanyang Optical plans to enter into voluntary liquidation after 65 years; will close 4 of 6 stores

The eyecare chain’s remaining two stores, which are under franchise arrangements, will continue operating and are unaffected

EnterpriseSG chairman Lee Chuan Teck said the scale of transformative projects in 2025 shrunk, as smaller companies were careful about embarking on initiatives that require large investments and capital expenditures.

Singapore firms could grow revenue by S$12.3 billion with EnterpriseSG support in 2025, down from 2024

10,000 skilled jobs are also expected to be created through transformative projects undertaken by 2,400 companies last year

The official inflation forecast ranges for 2026 will be updated on Jan 29., when MAS delivers its monetary policy statement.

Economists expect no change to monetary policy in January, as December core inflation remains stable at 1.2%

Full-year core inflation for 2025 stands at 0.7%, down from 2.8% in 2024

When BT visited Taste Orchard on Thursday (Jan 22), the mall’s entrances were sealed off and marked with “no entry” signs.

High Court grants OG possession of Taste Orchard under consent order

Master tenant Hao Mart and its subtenants have already vacated the mall’s premises, BT understands

Pixgeneric / Generic photograph of dairy and milk products for sale at Giant Tampines Hypermarket on Aug 19, 2025. Can be used for stories on budget, inflation, food security, agriculture, farming, supermarket, local, demand and supply, food resilience, retail, Cold Storage Singapore, import, consumer, produce, product, price, business, and money.

Singapore’s 2025 core inflation averages 0.7%, down from 2.8% in 2024

December’s core and headline inflation stayed unchanged at 1.2%

A separate business outlook poll by OCBC revealed that nearly one in two business owners expect the outlook for the next six months to improve.

Singapore SMEs stay expansionary in Q4 2025, though growth likely to ease in near term: OCBC

Higher operating costs, stronger market competition in the region and ongoing economic uncertainty were cited as headwinds in 2026

L to R: Allan Choo, Head of Operations, Kwong Cheong Thye; Alvin Choo, Head of Business Development, Kwong Cheong Thye

New factory helps 133-year-old sauce maker Kwong Cheong Thye ramp up exports, sell more at home

The family-owned brand, now led by its fifth generation, is seeing rapidly growing overseas demand for its soya sauce

Apac is perceived as the next frontier for search fund growth, with observers citing its favourable demographics: baby-boomer business owners approaching retirement without successors.
BRUNCH

‘Search funds’ to buy SMEs spring up in the Asia-Pacific, but will they succeed?

Australia and Japan lead in successful acquisitions, while search funds are emerging elsewhere

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