Reimagine Singapore as a trading hub

SINGAPORE has long functioned as a trading hub for multinational corporations (MNCs). However, the fiscal certainties that have underpinned this model are under stress.

Unpredictable tariffs, increased pressures on supply chain resilience, and the introduction of a global minimum tax combine to exert significant challenges to established ways of doing business. For Singapore-based MNCs and policymakers alike, the questions are mounting.

Firstly, we are in an era of geopolitical trade wars, with punitive tariffs and restrictions on exports and imports emerging as key policy tools. What is most disruptive about these measures is their unpredictability, as they are frequently enacted to address geopolitical objectives, which may have little to do with trade considerations.