To 2021 and beyond - a regulator's perspective

I ATTENDED and spoke at several conferences and panel discussions in November. While these were different events put together by organisations including Global Compact Network Singapore, the Financial Times, Association of Corporate Treasurers, Singapore Institute of Directors, and Reit Association of Singapore, they all had a similar link - Covid-19. The pandemic has swept across the globe, broken up supply chains, shuttered businesses and rendered many jobless. It has become a common thread for discussion and introspection across typically unconnected events.

The first of the slew of events I mentioned was the Global Compact Network Singapore CEO roundtable on Sustainable Finance. What struck me was Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean's excellent speech. In particular, he described how, because of Covid-19, we are moving from (a) just in time to just in case, (b) short-term transactions to long-term relationships, and (c) high-frequency indicators to long-term sustainable value.

Different roles