Singapore’s potential as a regional hub for impact investing

AS A multicultural, multilingual country with a deep and international financial market, Singapore serves as a bridge between developed and developing countries, and between East and West, in many areas. Impact financing can be one such area, with the Republic providing leadership and cultivating a deep pool of investors for opportunities in the wider region.

Apart from businesses which set up regional headquarters here to expand in South-east Asia, Singapore has attracted many family offices from around the world due to its low taxes, political stability, excellent legal regime, security and financial prowess. There are currently more than 700 family offices in Singapore, including Dalio Family Office, Vulcan Capital, and those linked to James Dyson, hotpot chain Haidilao, Li Ka-shing and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani.

Many of these family offices show support for impact and philanthropic investing, which has helped to build up an ecosystem here. According to the Global Impact Investing Network, many regional enterprises that have received impact investment are headquartered in Singapore, as are many private impact investors that operate across the region.