Encouraging greater activity on private exchanges may help liven up Singapore's capital markets

LISTING activity in the Singapore markets has lagged regional peers in the first half of this year, and many new economy startups are choosing to look abroad when they want to go public.

But there appears to be interest in secondary shares in startups, as companies stay private for longer. Reports have suggested growing supply and investor demand for shares in privately held startups, particularly the popular names.

The market for secondary shares in private companies could be an interesting one for development in Singapore, and encouraging more of such private market activity may be one way to liven up the local capital markets.