04 May 3-on-3 with Wouter Van Wersch: Asean & the Belt and Road Initiative
Wouter Van Wersch is the President and Chief Executive Officer of GE ASEAN. On the sidelines of SIIA's 10th ASEAN & Asia Forum (AAF) in 2017, he provided insights about the benefits of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to ASEAN, and how ASEAN economies...
08 Mar Green bonds and other ideas for sustainability in the Budget
by Simon Tay and Lau Xin Yi Some credit the recent Singapore Budget as being responsible and responsive. Many ministries face spending cuts, while infrastructure spending will increase to position Singapore for "vibrant and innovative" economic growth. Other comments focus on the goods and services tax, which...
22 Feb Breakthroughs in Sustainable Investing and Finance
2018 will see a surge in sustainability reporting, as companies listed on the Singapore Exchange are now mandated to disclose their sustainability practices or explain why they have not done so. While such a move is positive, there are no set standards for how companies...
22 Feb SIIA Deputy Director Fawziah Selamat quoted in Lianhe Zaobao on fires in Indonesia
Ms. Fawziah Selamat, Deputy Director (Sustainability), Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) was quoted in a Lianhe Zaobao article on the current fires in Indonesia, and whether there is a chance that they might affect Singapore. Below is her original quote in English. "We are seeing...
06 Feb Breakthroughs in Sustainable Investing and Finance
Advancing sustainable development across emerging markets will require substantial capital. The UN estimates, for instance, that up to US$7 trillion in annual investment will be needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve funding at this scale will require significant flows of private capital...
01 Feb SIIA’s Year Opener: Asia’s Prospects and Challenges in 2018
Highlights from this event are now available on our website - click here for photos and a text summary. There has been some uncertainty about the future of Asia’s regional order. Observers have raised concerns about how US-China relations will fare under the Trump administration, especially with Beijing...
30 Jan Trump’s presidency and Asia’s climate battle
By Chen Chen Lee and Lau Xinyi The fight against climate change has notably taken a hit during US President Donald Trump's first year in office. Besides rolling back domestic policies and regulations from the era of his predecessor Barack Obama, Mr Trump also announced plans to withdraw...
14 Dec SIIA Chairman Simon Tay as Vice-chair of the Asia Pacific Water Forum
SIIA chairman Simon Tay was in Yangon on 10-12 December 2017 as Vice-chair of the Asia Pacific Water Forum. The Forum held its Summit, co-hosted by the Myanmar government, with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi as the opening speaker. Other Myanmar speakers include Vice-President...
05 Dec Seeing Green
by Simon Tay, Cheryl Tan and Lau Xinyi There is growing interest for the “red dot” to become a green finance superstar. What might speed this transition? Singapore is a leading financial hub, fast to adapt to new trends and regulations. Its financial sector has been progressive,...
01 Dec Media Coverage: Collaborative Initiative for Green Finance in Singapore
We launched our "Collaborative Initiative for Green Finance in Singapore: Singapore as a Green Finance Hub for ASEAN and East Asia" report on 15 Nov 2017, bringing together views from leading financial institutions and experts in Singapore, in collaboration with the UN Environment Inquiry and...