It’s all about insurance coverage today as we speak to a company that provides coverage for Singaporeans including the nation’s protectors – the MINDEF. 

Formed by the merger of Aviva Singapore and Singlife in a deal valued at S$3.2 billion in 2020, the current Singlife is one of the largest homegrown financial services companies in the lion city. 

The company offers a variety of insurance products ranging from life insurance, medical insurance, car insurance, travel insurance, home insurance, to investment linked-plans.

It is also seeing a number of key developments of late. For one thing, the company has become a fully owned subsidiary of Japan’s Sumitomo Life in a transaction valuing Singlife at S$4.6 billion. 

The insurer said the ownership change will not affect its day-to-day operations, but will enable Singlife to pursue its long-term growth ambitions, with the capital to drive regional expansion and to grow as an integrated financial services company.

But what can we expect when it comes to Singlife’s strategic direction for the future? 

Speaking of strategic direction, Singlife had in May this year launched what it calls the Singlife Dementia Cover. Touted as the market’s first insurance plan offering yearly payouts for persons with dementia, the policy also covers other mental health conditions such as bipolar and schizophrenia disorder. 

But what were the complexities in valuing the insurance premiums and payouts for conditions relating to dementia, versus other health conditions such as cancer? And how does such a product pipeline position Singlife as a first mover in the silver economy? 

On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Pearlyn Phau, Group CEO, Singlife.

It’s all about insurance coverage today as we speak to a company that provides coverage for Singaporeans including the nation’s protectors – the MINDEF. 
Formed by the merger of Aviva Singapore and Singlife in a deal valued at S$3.2 billion in 2020, the current Singlife is one of the largest homegrown financial services companies in the lion city. 
The company offers a variety of insurance products ranging from life insurance, medical insurance, car insurance, travel insurance, home insurance, to investment linked-plans.
It is also seeing a number of key developments of late. For one thing, the company has become a fully owned subsidiary of Japan’s Sumitomo Life in a transaction valuing Singlife at S$4.6 billion. 
The insurer said the ownership change will not affect its day-to-day operations, but will enable Singlife to pursue its long-term growth ambitions, with the capital to drive regional expansion and to grow as an integrated financial services company.
But what can we expect when it comes to Singlife’s strategic direction for the future? 
Speaking of strategic direction, Singlife had in May this year launched what it calls the Singlife Dementia Cover. Touted as the market’s first insurance plan offering yearly payouts for persons with dementia, the policy also covers other mental health conditions such as bipolar and schizophrenia disorder. 
But what were the complexities in valuing the insurance premiums and payouts for conditions relating to dementia, versus other health conditions such as cancer? And how does such a product pipeline position Singlife as a first mover in the silver economy? 
On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Pearlyn Phau, Group CEO, Singlife.

We speak with businesses, industry leaders, venture capitalists and startups on their assessment of the business environment they're in, and what the future holds for them.

We speak with businesses, industry leaders, venture capitalists and startups on their assessment of the business environment they're in, and what the future holds for them.

Under The Radar

From politics to pop culture, we've got it all. Get ready to immerse yourself in the world of business, lifestyle, culture, travel, and sports.

From politics to pop culture, we've got it all. Get ready to immerse yourself in the world of business, lifestyle, culture, travel, and sports.

The Evening Runway with Hongbin Jeong, Roshan Gidwani and Chua Tian Tian

Under the Radar: Singlife’s Group CEO on the firm’s move to provide comprehensive insurance for dementia, preventative care amid ageing population

Retailing is the action of selling goods and services to consumers piecemeal rather than to businesses in bulk. 

When we think of retailers, we often think of the likes of clothing retailers and electronic retailers. But instead of selling consumer goods, our guest for today sells the electricity we use to power our homes and electronics. 

Established back in 2001 under its former name Seraya Energy, our guest for today is Geneco, a subsidiary of YTL PowerSeraya, one of Singapore’s first and largest electricity generators, with a licensed generating capacity of 3,100MW. 

The firm used to serve just commercial and industrial customers back in the days until further liberalisation of the Singapore electricity market kicked in in 2018. 

It was then that the company re-established itself as Geneco and expanded its scope to also cater to households and small and medium sized enterprises. Since then, the firm’s retail business grew further over the years, powering over 165,000 households in the lion city as of 2024. 

But why are we talking to Geneco you might ask? Well, the Singapore electricity retail market is an interesting one to look at. It used to be rather vibrant back in 2018, with customers able to choose their electricity provider from a list of over 20 retailers. 

Just a number of years later, a number of players including Singapore’s largest independent electricity retailer iSwitch left the industry due to cut throat competition, volatility in wholesale electricity prices, not to mention the energy crisis fuelled by the Russia-Ukraine war. 

So what was the secret sauce that allowed Geneco to continue growing, on top of remaining in business? 

Speaking of energy crisis, Geneco had said in April 2023 that electricity bill that year could be cheaper as global energy prices stabilise, but how far has that played out, and what is the situation like right now with demand for electricity expected to grow as the economy revs back to life from the pandemic? And what will that mean for Geneco ultimately when it filters through to its top and bottom lines? 

On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Lim Han Kwang, CEO, Geneco, Group Head (Retail, Regulation and Renewables) YTL PowerSeraya Ltd.

Retailing is the action of selling goods and services to consumers piecemeal rather than to businesses in bulk. 
When we think of retailers, we often think of the likes of clothing retailers and electronic retailers. But instead of selling consumer goods, our guest for today sells the electricity we use to power our homes and electronics. 
Established back in 2001 under its former name Seraya Energy, our guest for today is Geneco, a subsidiary of YTL PowerSeraya, one of Singapore’s first and largest electricity generators, with a licensed generating capacity of 3,100MW. 
The firm used to serve just commercial and industrial customers back in the days until further liberalisation of the Singapore electricity market kicked in in 2018. 
It was then that the company re-established itself as Geneco and expanded its scope to also cater to households and small and medium sized enterprises. Since then, the firm’s retail business grew further over the years, powering over 165,000 households in the lion city as of 2024. 
But why are we talking to Geneco you might ask? Well, the Singapore electricity retail market is an interesting one to look at. It used to be rather vibrant back in 2018, with customers able to choose their electricity provider from a list of over 20 retailers. 
Just a number of years later, a number of players including Singapore’s largest independent electricity retailer iSwitch left the industry due to cut throat competition, volatility in wholesale electricity prices, not to mention the energy crisis fuelled by the Russia-Ukraine war. 
So what was the secret sauce that allowed Geneco to continue growing, on top of remaining in business? 
Speaking of energy crisis, Geneco had said in April 2023 that electricity bill that year could be cheaper as global energy prices stabilise, but how far has that played out, and what is the situation like right now with demand for electricity expected to grow as the economy revs back to life from the pandemic? And what will that mean for Geneco ultimately when it filters through to its top and bottom lines? 
On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Lim Han Kwang, CEO, Geneco, Group Head (Retail, Regulation and Renewables) YTL PowerSeraya Ltd.

Under the Radar: Geneco spills the beans on the secret recipe to remain competitive in Singapore’s Open Electricity Market, whether wholesale prices are stabilising, and what the green wave means for energy retailers

The securities market is in focus today as we speak to one of the founding clearing members of the Singapore Exchange Derivatives Trading or (SGX-DT). 

Inaugurated some 40 years ago in 1983 as Phillip Futures, our guest for today is multi-asset broker Phillip Nova. 

As a member of the PhillipCapital Group, the company has grown over the years and now prides itself as one of the region’s top brokers for the trading of CFD, Forex, Futures and Stocks. 

It also taps PhillipCapital Group’s network companies to access exchanges around the world, including the Singapore Exchange, the Hong Kong Exchange, the Japanese Exchange Group, the New York Mercantile Exchange, the COMEX and more. 

The company was rebranded in Phillip Nova in 2022 after the firm received its own securities brokerage licence to broaden its service offerings. 

Its CEO had said then that the rebranding initiative was meant to reflect the brokerage’s expanded suite of offerings ranging across five asset classes namely: stocks, futures, forex, commodities and CFDs. 

But Phillip Nova is an interesting company to talk about not just because of the rebranding initiative, but also because of the markets it is eyeing on in a bid to drive growth. 

For one thing, the firm had in March this year offered the trading of Istanbul-quoted futures. 

Representatives of its parent company, PhillipCapital had also met up with the senior management team of the regulator of financial services in the Republic of Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of the Kazakhstan-Singapore Business Forum that took place in May last year. 

But what are the opportunities in these markets, and how will Phillip Nova partner up with industry players to deepen its stock trading links in order to penetrate into these relatively untapped markets?

On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Teyu Che Chern, CEO, Phillip Nova.

The securities market is in focus today as we speak to one of the founding clearing members of the Singapore Exchange Derivatives Trading or (SGX-DT). 
Inaugurated some 40 years ago in 1983 as Phillip Futures, our guest for today is multi-asset broker Phillip Nova. 
As a member of the PhillipCapital Group, the company has grown over the years and now prides itself as one of the region’s top brokers for the trading of CFD, Forex, Futures and Stocks. 
It also taps PhillipCapital Group’s network companies to access exchanges around the world, including the Singapore Exchange, the Hong Kong Exchange, the Japanese Exchange Group, the New York Mercantile Exchange, the COMEX and more. 
The company was rebranded in Phillip Nova in 2022 after the firm received its own securities brokerage licence to broaden its service offerings. 
Its CEO had said then that the rebranding initiative was meant to reflect the brokerage’s expanded suite of offerings ranging across five asset classes namely: stocks, futures, forex, commodities and CFDs. 
But Phillip Nova is an interesting company to talk about not just because of the rebranding initiative, but also because of the markets it is eyeing on in a bid to drive growth. 
For one thing, the firm had in March this year offered the trading of Istanbul-quoted futures. 
Representatives of its parent company, PhillipCapital had also met up with the senior management team of the regulator of financial services in the Republic of Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of the Kazakhstan-Singapore Business Forum that took place in May last year. 
But what are the opportunities in these markets, and how will Phillip Nova partner up with industry players to deepen its stock trading links in order to penetrate into these relatively untapped markets?
On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Teyu Che Chern, CEO, Phillip Nova.

Under the Radar: Why are Turkey, Kazakhstan bright spots for brokerage firm Phillip Nova? Its CEO tells it all.

It’s all about S-Reits today as we continue our conversation with a company that is also the first ever guest we had on board on Under the Radar back in February last year.

Make a guess! The company is behind some of the most prominent skyscrapers we see at the Central Business District, and is said to be one of the largest diversified S-Reits with total assets under management of S$6.3 billion as at the end of 2023.

Well, listed on the mainboard of the Singapore Exchange back in January 2014, OUE REIT is a wholly owned subsidiary of OUE Limited, a leading real estate and healthcare group that looks to tap growth trends across Asia. 

On its own, OUE REIT owns two hotels, namely Hilton Singapore and Crowne Plaza Changi Airport. It also counts the Mandarin Gallery, as well as commercial properties OUE Bayfront, One Raffles Place and OUE Downtown Office as its assets. Out of Singapore, the Reit also owns a Grade A commercial asset called Lippo Plaza in Shanghai’s business district of Puxi. 

But why are we talking to OUE REIT you might ask? Well, OUE REIT was recently rebranded from OUE Commercial REIT in January 2024 to reflect its focus on growth opportunities in the hospitality, office and retail sectors, but what can we look forward to on this front? 

Meanwhile, OUE REIT had also in April reported higher revenue and net property income in the first quarter of 2024, where net property income rose 6.9 per cent on the year to S$60.5 million. But how far is this driven by commercial properties and increased tourist spending at its hotels and how far can this continue? 

On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Han Khim Siew, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of OUE REIT.

It’s all about S-Reits today as we continue our conversation with a company that is also the first ever guest we had on board on Under the Radar back in February last year.
Make a guess! The company is behind some of the most prominent skyscrapers we see at the Central Business District, and is said to be one of the largest diversified S-Reits with total assets under management of S$6.3 billion as at the end of 2023.
Well, listed on the mainboard of the Singapore Exchange back in January 2014, OUE REIT is a wholly owned subsidiary of OUE Limited, a leading real estate and healthcare group that looks to tap growth trends across Asia. 
On its own, OUE REIT owns two hotels, namely Hilton Singapore and Crowne Plaza Changi Airport. It also counts the Mandarin Gallery, as well as commercial properties OUE Bayfront, One Raffles Place and OUE Downtown Office as its assets. Out of Singapore, the Reit also owns a Grade A commercial asset called Lippo Plaza in Shanghai’s business district of Puxi. 
But why are we talking to OUE REIT you might ask? Well, OUE REIT was recently rebranded from OUE Commercial REIT in January 2024 to reflect its focus on growth opportunities in the hospitality, office and retail sectors, but what can we look forward to on this front? 
Meanwhile, OUE REIT had also in April reported higher revenue and net property income in the first quarter of 2024, where net property income rose 6.9 per cent on the year to S$60.5 million. But how far is this driven by commercial properties and increased tourist spending at its hotels and how far can this continue? 
On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Han Khim Siew, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of OUE REIT.

Under the Radar: Why did OUE REIT rebrand itself from OUE Commercial REIT and how far will growth be driven by its hospitality and retail properties looking forward?

Under the Radar: Singlife’s Group CEO on the firm’s move to provide comprehensive insurance for dementia, preventative care amid ageing population

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