SMEs

Validus raises US$30 million Series D round led by Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund Khazanah

Startup matches SMEs’ supply-chain financing needs to its pool of institutional investors

SME suppliers do not need to submit bank statements or financial reports, as OCBC will assess their credit quality based on the transaction data from the invoices on Marriott’s procurement platform.

12,000 Marriott suppliers in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia to get same-day invoice financing by OCBC

The partnership gives the hospitality group’s SME suppliers quick and seamless access to capital, and enables them to be more sustainable

Guest of honour Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and Culture, Community and Youth Low Yen Ling (fourth from right) and CDL group chief executive Sherman Kwek (fifth from right) attending the graduation ceremony of the pioneer batch of 42 SMEs from CDL's SME Supplier Decarbonisation Queen Bee Programme.

For SMEs, tracking carbon emissions is not about theory but growing the business

Property player CDL works with its SME suppliers to develop a decarbonisation road map

From left: Ryan Huang, Money FM 89.3 presenter, who moderated the panel; Chen Ze Ling, DBS group head of corporate and SME banking; Kok Ping Soon, SBF CEO; Wendy Foo, Ryan's Grocery founder; and Ryan Chioh, Far East Flora deputy group managing director.

More companies intensifying overseas expansion efforts after ‘better-than-expected’ 2025: panel

Singapore SMEs should also look into making sustainability a core part of their strategy as it helps with saving costs

Cindy Karim charts a new path for the Karim family, building businesses that speak to her generation’s ambitions.
CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS

Cindy Karim: Redefining a billion-dollar Indonesian family empire

The Karim family’s eldest child is shaping its next chapter through culture and hospitality

The recommendations are derived from SCCCI’s Annual Business Survey 2025, which polled more than 700 senior representatives.

SCCCI proposes five Budget 2026 measures, including help for SMEs with costs and competitiveness

Rising expenses, manpower shortages and transformation needs top list of business challenges

Fong emphasises that she is not the boss – the company is still owned by her aunts – even if, as chief operating officer, she has spearheaded several initiatives to modernise the family business.

Appeal to the young, don’t intimidate the old: Tong Heng’s fourth-gen heir on reinventing a 90-year-old bakery

Famous for its diamond-shaped egg tarts, the family business is one of 42 newly recognised SG Heritage Businesses

Many professionals still perceive AI as a foggy frontier filled with uncertainty, despite hearing of inspiring examples.
THE BROAD VIEW

Overcoming AI scepticism: The case for a Darwinian strategy

To drive real business value, SMEs must learn fast, scale quickly and let the fittest ideas win

From left: Phua Yung Keat, SMRT's group chief financial officer; Ngien Hoon Ping, SMRT's group chief executive; Seah Moon Ming, SMRT chairman; Wee Ee Cheong, UOB CEO;  Frederick Chin, UOB's head of group wholesale banking and markets; Edmund Leong, UOB's head of group corporate banking and group investment banking
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SMRT-UOB partnership lets retail tenants convert rental deposits into bank guarantees

Stellar Lifestyle, SMRT’s business arm, manages about 800 retail spaces across the rail network

 This year’s Enterprise 50 winners illustrate that success requires strategic foresight and the willingness to take calculated risks.

Thinking big: E50 winners pursue growth amid economic storms

This year’s winners demonstrate how Singapore’s small to mid-sized companies are staying competitive by seeking new markets, customers and strategic capital to fuel expansion