Industry News

Captivea Singapore, a subsidiary of Captivea Group, has announced the entry of Isatis Capital as a significant minority shareholder. This strategic move aims to enhance Captivea’s sales capabilities and service quality in Singapore, supporting local companies in their digital transformation efforts. The partnership aligns with Captivea’s commitment to human ambition and shared values.

Isatis Capital, a French asset management firm with over 23 years of private equity experience, manages €480m in assets and has supported more than 125 French SMEs. The firm is known for its human-centric approach, actively engaging with business leaders to foster growth. Sébastien Riss, founder and president of Captivea Group, selected Isatis Capital for its entrepreneurial spirit and alignment with Captivea’s values.

The transaction, involving both cash-in and cash-out elements, will enable Captivea to pursue an ambitious acquisition plan, with five targets already under review. This initiative aims to accelerate Captivea’s international growth and establish it as a global leader in digital transformation. Key Captivea managers are also becoming shareholders, demonstrating a collective commitment to the company’s vision.

Sébastien Riss expressed confidence in the partnership, stating, “By welcoming Isatis Capital to our shareholder base, we are giving ourselves the means to accelerate our growth, both organically and through acquisitions.” Nicolas Bugy, Investment Director at Isatis Capital, added, “We are delighted to support Sébastien in this ambitious new phase of development.”

Captivea Group, founded in 2007, is a leader in Odoo ERP integration and operates in seven countries with over 200 employees. The company generated approximately €10m in revenue in 2025.

NOVI Health has announced a strategic partnership with Novo Nordisk to improve access to structured weight care support in Singapore. This initiative will offer physician-led programmes that integrate personalised health coaching, addressing the complex factors influencing weight management. The collaboration seeks to provide GLP1-based therapies combined with lifestyle, nutrition, and behavioural support, recognising that sustainable weight loss requires a multifaceted approach.

Adj Associate Professor Dr Sue-Anne Toh, CEO of NOVI Health, emphasised the importance of accessible and responsibly delivered medical weight care. “This partnership allows us to expand access whilst ensuring patients receive care within a structured, physician-led programme,” she stated. The initiative aims to provide holistic support beyond initial treatment, catering to the needs of individuals struggling with weight issues.

Vincent Siow, General Manager of Novo Nordisk Singapore, highlighted the significance of addressing obesity as a chronic condition with long-term health impacts. “Through our partnership with NOVI Health, we are working to expand access to personalised, evidence-based support that improves health outcomes for Singaporeans,” he said.

This partnership is part of NOVI Health’s broader efforts to strengthen its integrated care ecosystem, making structured programmes more accessible to those seeking medical weight care. Launched in 2019, NOVI Health has served thousands of patients, offering integrated programmes across weight care, metabolic health, and longevity.

The University of Manchester is addressing the increasing demand for educator leadership in Singapore through its Master of Arts in Educational Leadership in Practice (ELiP). This part-time, blended-learning programme is designed for teachers, trainers, school leaders, and academic staff who are taking on responsibilities beyond traditional teaching roles.

As Singapore emphasises lifelong learning and educator development, professionals are expected to engage in curriculum planning, institutional change, and policy implementation. The ELiP programme, delivered by the Manchester Institute of Education, supports educators in navigating these expanded roles. Dr Paul Armstrong, Programme Director, highlighted that the course helps educators contribute beyond immediate teaching duties, including leading teams and responding to policy changes.

The programme combines online study with short residential conferences in Singapore and Hong Kong, allowing participants to continue full-time work whilst learning alongside peers from diverse educational systems. Graduates like Jon Pavey, Deputy Head of Pastoral at Tanglin Trust School, have found the programme invaluable for reflecting on leadership within educational settings. Stephanie Chai, Cluster Head of a major pre-school group, noted the benefit of learning from professionals across the sector, particularly in understanding how policy and inclusion influence school leadership.

As Singapore’s educational landscape evolves, the ELiP programme aims to prepare educators for roles that require leadership, change management, and policy translation within their institutions. More information on the programme is available on the University of Manchester’s website.

DBS has launched a pioneering ‘tap-to-phone’ feature, allowing businesses to accept card payments directly through Android smartphones. This innovation, announced on 2 June 2026, positions DBS as the first Singapore bank to offer such a service, enabling merchants to transform their phones into payment terminals without additional hardware.

The feature is integrated into the DBS MAX app, which provides a comprehensive suite of digital payment solutions, including contactless cards and QR code payments via DBS PayLah! and PayNow. This development caters to the increasing demand for cashless transactions in Singapore, a trend highlighted by a PwC report projecting the digital payments market to grow at an 18.3% compound annual growth rate to US$480.6b by 2030.

Merchants can now easily set up the ‘tap-to-phone’ service, streamlining their payment processes and expanding their customer base. This is particularly beneficial for pop-up stalls and businesses targeting tourists, as Singapore’s tourism receipts reached S$23.9b in the first nine months of 2025.

Tesy Mathew, Group Head of Cash Product Management at DBS, emphasised the importance of this feature in enhancing business resilience. “Convenient, secure and reliable payments and collections form the bedrock of any merchants’ operations,” she stated. The new feature allows businesses to transact more efficiently and scale confidently.

DBS MAX, introduced in 2018, continues to evolve as a one-stop cashless collections solution, integrating funds collections and automated book-keeping into a single mobile app. This latest addition further solidifies DBS’s commitment to leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking.

Singapore’s full-time workers are taking more paid time off (PTO) than their counterparts across the Asia-Pacific region, according to new data from Deel. In 2025, Singaporean employees took a median of 19 vacation days, surpassing Hong Kong’s 16.5 days and Australia’s 16 days. This trend highlights a shift in attitudes towards leave in the region.

The analysis, which reviewed data from over 4,500 full-time workers in APAC, revealed that 57% of Singaporeans used all their entitled vacation leave, with 77% using at least 80%. These figures were the highest among the markets studied, indicating a strong inclination towards maximising leave entitlements.

Interestingly, Singaporeans often exceeded their median vacation entitlement of 18 days by utilising rollover days from previous years. This practice underscores a cultural shift towards prioritising longer, uninterrupted breaks, which research suggests can reduce burnout and enhance mental wellbeing.

Lauren Thomas, an economist at Deel, noted, “In Singapore, we see that when people have both access and permission, they actually use their leave—and they use it in ways that help them properly switch off.”

The findings suggest that flexible vacation policies encourage more time off, with Singaporean workers on such policies taking a median of 20.75 days off compared to 19 days for those on fixed entitlements. This pattern was consistent across several countries, except Indonesia, where fixed leave policies resulted in more vacation days.

As businesses strive to build resilient teams, understanding leave patterns becomes crucial. Employers are encouraged to integrate PTO into work design and capacity planning to maintain healthy, productive workforces.

A recent report by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) reveals a paradox within Singapore’s finance sector: whilst 80% of finance professionals are confident in their ability to learn and apply artificial intelligence (AI) skills, nearly half fear that AI could threaten their jobs. The Global Talent Trends 2026 report, which surveyed over 11,000 finance professionals worldwide, including 140 from Singapore, highlights the tension between technological advancement and job security.

The report underscores several key concerns among Singapore’s finance workforce. Trust in AI for recruitment is notably low, with only 41% of respondents believing AI algorithms can make fair and unbiased hiring decisions. This scepticism comes at a time when automation in recruitment is on the rise.

Additionally, the report highlights the importance of organisational values, with 70% of finance professionals considering a company’s stance on social and human rights issues as crucial in their employment decisions. Environmental roles are also attractive, drawing 63% of respondents, a figure higher than in many developed markets.

The generational diversity in the workplace is another challenge, as Singapore’s workforce now spans five generations. Over half of the respondents (53%) report that their organisations struggle to manage this diversity, exceeding the global average of 42%.

Despite a relatively high satisfaction with compensation, with 46% content with their pay, 52% plan to request a pay rise within the next year. Mental health remains a significant issue, with 52% of finance professionals reporting work-related mental health challenges.

The report also notes that 65% of respondents support mandatory office attendance for a set number of days each week, and 59% believe that being present in the office enhances promotion prospects. These findings suggest that whilst AI skills are being embraced, concerns about job security and workplace dynamics persist.

AnyMind Group, a Singapore-founded and Tokyo-headquartered company, has announced the establishment of AnyAI Lab, a research and development hub in Hangzhou, China, set to open in June 2026. This new facility will focus on developing autonomous AI agents, enhancing the company’s AnyAI suite, and improving overall operations through AI integration.

The decision to locate the hub in Hangzhou is strategic, given the city’s reputation as a centre for AI talent and innovation. Hangzhou is recognised as one of China’s National New Generation Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Development Pilot Zones, making it an ideal environment for rapid AI technology deployment. The city is home to numerous digital and AI-related companies, fostering a robust ecosystem for cutting-edge research and application.

AnyAI Lab will spearhead initiatives such as the applied development of AI agents, which will automate workflows and enhance AI capabilities like memory and reasoning. The lab will also integrate its findings into AnyMind’s existing AnyAI solutions, leveraging data from 15 markets across Asia to align AI features with real-world needs.

Kosuke Sogo, CEO of AnyMind Group, highlighted the importance of AI in transforming business operations, stating, “We see it as a foundation for transforming the business itself, and we are advancing our AI-native transformation across the company.”

The establishment of AnyAI Lab will also bolster AnyMind’s global recruitment efforts, seeking AI engineers and product development talent to work on the forefront of AI innovation. This move is expected to strengthen the company’s competitiveness by integrating advanced AI capabilities into its products and operations.

The Straits Times Index (STI) recorded a 3.3% total return in May, bringing its five-month total return to 10.8%, supported by Singapore’s robust economic backdrop. The country’s GDP growth, stable industrial output, and sustained non-oil domestic exports (NODX) momentum, partly driven by AI-related demand, underpinned this performance.

SATS led the STI constituents with a 16.7% price gain in May, reporting record FY26 revenue of S$6.35b, a 9% increase from FY25. The company highlighted its ability to capture cargo rerouting amid global trade disruptions due to tariff escalations and the Middle East conflict. “Cargo volumes increased 7.0% YoY to 9.65 million tonnes,” SATS noted, outperforming global benchmarks.

Venture Corporation followed with an 11.1% price gain, supported by a return to year-on-year revenue growth and a shift towards higher value-add segments. The company reported a 1.9% YoY revenue increase to S$628.5m, driven by demand in Test & Measurement Instrumentation and Semiconductor-related equipment. Venture’s margins remained resilient at around 9%, with a focus on high value-add solutions.

The STI’s performance was part of a broader trend in global equities, with mixed results across Asia. Singapore equities traded within a range, with gains in large caps offset by mixed performances in industrials and smaller capitalisation segments. The STI ETFs by State Street and Amova recorded S$129 million of net inflows in May, marking the 15th consecutive month of inflows.

Looking ahead, Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry maintains its GDP growth forecast at 2.0% to 4.0%, despite global challenges such as the US-Israel-Iran conflict affecting energy supply and financial conditions. AI-related demand continues to support key sectors, although risks from energy disruptions and tariff escalations remain.

UOB and FPT Corporation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore strategic collaborations in artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, and financial services innovation. The agreement, signed on 29 May at the Vietnam-Singapore Tech Connect Forum, aims to modernise banking services across UOB’s key markets by leveraging AI, data analytics, and cloud technologies.

The collaboration will focus on several strategic areas, including digital banking transformation, fintech innovation, and ecosystem development. By integrating AI and digital solutions, the partnership seeks to enhance how banking services are designed, delivered, and scaled. This initiative will also support cross-border financial services and enterprise expansion, particularly in Vietnam and other regional markets.

Lawrence Goh, Head of Group Technology and Operations at UOB, stated, “This MoU reflects UOB’s strategic intent to build a future-ready bank through strong technology foundations, responsible AI, and purposeful partnerships.” David Nguyen, CEO of FPT Asia Pacific, added, “Together with UOB, we aim to build more scalable AI-first models whilst opening stronger pathways for innovation and enterprise growth.”

FPT, a leading global technology company headquartered in Vietnam, brings expertise in AI, cloud, and automation, complementing UOB’s regional banking network. The detailed plan of the MoU, including pilot initiatives and governance models, will be finalised within the next 90 days.

This collaboration underscores UOB’s commitment to advancing digital banking and supporting economic growth across ASEAN, whilst FPT continues to elevate Vietnam’s position on the global tech map.

Maybank has announced a net profit of RM2.48b for the first quarter ending 31 March 2026, a 4.2% decline from RM2.59b in the same period last year. The bank’s performance was bolstered by improved net interest margins, disciplined cost management, and higher core fees from wealth and investment banking activities, despite a challenging market environment.

The bank’s net fund-based income grew by 3.2% year-on-year to RM5.11b, driven by an improved net interest margin of 2.14%, up from 2.04% a year earlier. However, non-interest income fell to RM1.99b due to weaker trading and market-related income. Maybank’s operating income decreased by 7.9% to RM7.10b.

In Singapore, Maybank reported an 8.4% year-on-year increase in profit before tax to S$194.39m, supported by a 27.5% rise in net fund-based income to S$246.17m. This growth was attributed to lower re-priced funding costs, which offset softer earning-asset income.

Maybank’s President and Group CEO, Dato’ Sri Khairussaleh Ramli, highlighted the group’s steady earnings and strong balance sheet fundamentals, stating, “Maybank continued to deliver steady earnings supported by stronger net interest margin, prudent cost management and broadly stable asset quality during the quarter.”

The bank’s liquidity and capital positions remain robust, with a Group Liquidity Coverage Ratio of 133.3% and a Common Equity Tier 1 ratio of 14.96%. As Maybank progresses with its ROAR30 strategy, it aims to deepen regional connectivity across ASEAN and advance sustainable growth amidst ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties.