Business costs

Singapore businesses prefer government aid to offset Iran war costs: SCCCI poll

About 61% also want better access to low-interest working-capital loans

As a highly open and trade-dependent economy, Singapore feels energy shocks quickly through higher logistics costs, price volatility and supply chain disruptions.

Iran war: Singapore likely to roll out targeted support in Parliament as energy costs rise

Parliament will discuss the committee’s efforts in more detail when it sits April 7

The Singapore Contractors Association Limited notes that prices of construction materials have risen by 5% to 15% or more.

Fuel cost spike, choked supply squeeze Singapore’s booming construction sector

Worsening Middle East conflict and recurrent labour shortages are driving up materials, fuel and crane operator costs

Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow, in the ministry’s Committee of Supply debate on Feb 26, said the move will bring about 90,000 more businesses onto the InvoiceNow network.
SINGAPORE BUDGET 2026

Budget 2026: GST-registered businesses must submit digital invoices via InvoiceNow by April 2031

The onboarding will be carried out progressively, prioritising smaller businesses

AI functions contributed 10.5 billion yen (S$86.2 million) to Rakuten's operating income in 2024, and the company aims to double that figure this year.

Rakuten AI boss diverges from big tech in prioritising low cost

RAKUTEN Group is expanding its AI team under the stewardship of a Google veteran and building models with a focus on cost efficiency.

The employment rights bill will no longer award so-called day one protections against unfair dismissal, the government said in a statement on Thursday.

UK waters down workers’ rights bill to ease business concerns

THE UK government dropped a key measure from its flagship workers’ rights package in a bid to quell concerns of businesses who had warned the legislation would damage growth and employment.

Despite this wariness, three-quarters of firms still expect profits this year, though more than half of these anticipate lower earnings compared with last year.

Singapore firms split on revenue outlook amid cautious sentiment: SCCCI survey

While more businesses expect revenue growth this year compared with last year, those expecting declines also rose

After announcing its exit from Cineleisure, The Projector has resumed screenings at its original location in Golden Mile Tower.

As Singapore’s cinemas fade to black, is this the end of the road?

Innovation, having a niche, and even looking overseas for inspiration, could be ways to survive

One simple explanation for the explosion in home-based pet boarding services is the growth in pet ownership.
BRUNCH

Home-based pet boarding in Singapore grows on low cost, high demand

Unlicensed but in demand, informal pet sitters are reshaping the scene. But with regulatory hurdles, does this micro-industry have a future?

Well-managed data can unlock business value – from strengthening security to uncovering new opportunities for innovation.
BRANDED CONTENT

Missed insights, security gaps, rising costs: The heavy toll of poor data management and how to fix it

Only when the underlying data is of high quality and accessible can companies scale up innovation and AI automation, says Splunk’s Craig Bates