Daily Debrief: What Happened Today (Jan 20)

Stories you might have missed

ShopBack crosses S$1 billion in cashback to users, says experimentation is still key

[SINGAPORE] Loyalty platform ShopBack has crossed the S$1 billion in cashback to users since its inception 11 years ago, and is not looking to stop trying new things.

About half of Singapore fund managers expect STI to rise 5-10% in 2026: Imas survey

[SINGAPORE] Fund managers remain constructive on Singapore equities, with 52 per cent of respondents in an Imas survey expecting the Straits Times Index (STI) to strengthen by 5 to 10 per cent by the end of 2026.

Singapore SMEs stay expansionary in Q4 2025, though growth likely to ease in near term: OCBC

[SINGAPORE] The Republic’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remained in expansion territory in the fourth quarter of 2025, noted the latest OCBC SME Index released on Tuesday (Jan 20).

Private property fundraising up 29% yoy to US$222.2 billion in 2025 after three-year slump: report

[SINGAPORE] Private real estate fundraising turned a corner in 2025 with US$222.2 billion raised, up 29 per cent from the US$172.4 billion in 2024, a report from Private Equity Real Estate (PERE) showed. 

Trump’s AI chip tariffs have ‘minimal impact’ on Singapore: MTI

[SINGAPORE] The first phase of the US semiconductor tariffs will have “minimal impact” on Singapore, said the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on Tuesday (Jan 20).

Malaysia’s trade hits record RM3.1 trillion in 2025, with exports beating forecast

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia’s trade hit a record high at the end of 2025, as a surge in electronics exports pushed total commerce past RM3 trillion (S$949 billion) for the first time and capped a year of stronger-than-expected economic growth.