Singapore launches professional services centre as part of network for businesses’ Asia expansion

[SINGAPORE] A new professional services centre launched in Singapore on Tuesday (Jul 21) will provide access to local knowledge, professional expertise and business connections to help businesses expand across Asia.

It brings together professionals from across disciplines to provide businesses with coordinated support under one roof.

The Professional Services (PS) Centre Singapore is the latest addition to a growing regional network of such centres that connect businesses with trusted professional expertise across Asia, said the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (Isca).

Located at Level 2 of Isca House, it will serve as the anchor hub of the regional network, linking businesses to PS Centres in Shanghai, Nanjing and Ho Chi Minh City.

Jakarta is expected to join the network later this year, with future centres also planned in Bangkok, Johor Bahru and Shenzhen. Further expansion will also include the Middle East.

“Although the network is still in its early stages, businesses are already seeing results,” Isca said. “Trusted local networks can shorten the time needed for businesses to enter new markets while reducing uncertainty,” it added.

The Shanghai PS Centre opened in June 2025, the one in Ho Chi Minh City launched in September the same year, and the Nanjing node began operations in March 2026.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, who is also second minister for finance and second minister for national development, gave a keynote address at the centre’s launch.

Within six months of launch, the centres collectively served more than 700 visitors, attracted over 100 corporate members, and facilitated over 65 connections between Singaporean and international businesses, she said.

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The initiative is led by the PS Centre Alliance, comprising the Association of Small & Medium Enterprises, Institute of Valuers and Appraisers Singapore, Singapore Business Federation, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Singapore Manufacturing Federation, Tax Academy of Singapore, The Law Society of Singapore and Isca.

Isca president Lee Boon Teck said: “Business is becoming increasingly regional, but professional services are still largely organised country by country. Companies expanding overseas often spend months trying to identify trusted advisers and build local networks. The PS Centre network changes that.”

He added: “Wherever a business chooses to grow in Asia, there should be a Professional Services Centre ready to support that journey.”

Modern problems, coordinated solutions

Isca flagged that beyond setting up offices and understanding local regulations, businesses must now respond to geopolitical shifts, changing trade policies, supply chain realignment, artificial intelligence disruption, cyber risks and growing sustainability expectations.

At the same time, they need to build trusted relationships in unfamiliar markets.

“No single profession can solve these challenges alone,” it said.

Indranee highlighted three areas that will be important for the professional services sector to thrive in today’s fast-changing landscape: anchoring Singapore as a trusted hub for helping businesses grow; bringing professional services together in an integrated way; and equipping professionals for an AI-enabled future.

On supporting growth, she noted that the PS Centre is an important addition to Singapore’s ecosystem. The PS Centre network has helped the city-state’s businesses grow overseas, and the new Singapore centre will likewise pave the way for overseas firms looking to enter the Republic, she said.

Isca said that as more centres are established, businesses will be able to tap a connected network, rather than starting from scratch in each market.

Meanwhile, Singapore professional services firms will get opportunities to support clients expanding overseas and to build partnerships with firms across the region.

Indranee also said PS Centres can foster an integrated approach to professional services. Isca noted that companies can get professional advice at these centres in disciplines including legal, accounting, tax, corporate secretarial, human resources, valuation, sustainability and business consulting.

Through the network, they will also be able to tap local business associations, government agencies, chambers of commerce and ecosystem partners.

Isca added that the Singapore PS Centre will also introduce the Business Growth Clinic, where business owners can bring real business challenges – such as restructuring or succession planning – to a multidisciplinary panel of professionals, which will give practical guidance and connect them with the right professionals to move their plans forward.

Finally, on preparing for AI, Indranee acknowledged that professionals will have more time to focus on higher-value work – tasks that require applying judgment, advising clients, managing complexity and structuring cross-border solutions – as high-volume tasks become increasingly automated.

The government will support workers through this transformation, but it is ultimately the professional services sectors themselves “who hold the key to whether and how well their sectors ride the AI revolution”, she said.