BT's Top Stories from Last Week

Wealthy Chinese setting up family offices in Singapore see it as springboard to Asean

"Raising the bar makes having a family office in Singapore even more coveted among the (newly) rich... Having a family office in Singapore means your net worth must at least be S$50 million, since the minimum requirement is now S$20 million."

Singapore to release S$1.5b support package as energy prices stay high

With energy prices possibly elevated into the second half of the year, certain small businesses will now get government funding of up to 70 per cent for energy-efficient equipment.

Sembmarine doubles down on merger narrative after minority shareholder revolt

Without the merger, Sembmarine said it will, as a standalone entity, have to navigate an "even more competitive landscape" - where it noted offshore players have sought consolidation or were otherwise "challenged by the radically-changed fundamentals" of the business and needs of customers.

MAS issues 3 crypto licence in-principle approvals, including to Crypto.com

The applicants were not named by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), though prominent crypto exchange Crypto.com later said in a statement that it was one of the awardees. Trading platforms Genesis and Sparrow Exchange (through its entity Sparrowtech) were also granted the in-principle approval, The Business Times understands.

Agencies strive to boost headcount - but up to half of 30,000 agents may be dormant

Agencies may feel compelled to keep inactive or "sleeping" agents to lift their numbers, even though these agents drain their resources in terms of spending on incentives, professional indemnity, events and training, without contributing to the industry.