Let's Talk, Singapore

Catherine Yeung, Investment Director, Fidelity International discusses if it's too late to jump on the tech bandwagon, and whether investors need to be alarmed about warnings of asset bubbles building in China.

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OCBC recently rolled out facial recognition technology on eight ATMs in Singapore making them the first bank in South-east Asia to take a step closer to eliminating a physical ATM card. This service will be first available to use to check account balances, and will progressively extend to other ATM transactions including cash deposits, funds transfer to other banks, cashcard top-ups, and credit card bill payments from next year. Kanv Pandit, Group Managing Director, Banking Solutions in Asia Pacific, FIS shares why banks are implementing these verification methods and what safeguards can banks put in place to address the risks that come along with it.

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With private debt increasing significantly in economies across Asia in recent years, this would have major implications for regional financial stability and has also created challenges for banks when it comes to debt recovery. Gustav Eriksson, Group CEO, Collectius shares how digitalization can help banks face the challenges that they face with debt recovery and the outlook for debt and loan repayment in Singapore. 

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Tan Dawn Wei, China Bureau Chief, The Straits Times gives an analysis of China's plan to ramp up its vaccination efforts, China's expansion of its economic ties to fuel the rise of the petroyuan, and a new partnership between China and Russia. 

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Get the confetti ready, because we’re celebrating the first birthday of NAV, the first-ever radio host that lives in an app!

In this special birthday episode, we’ll talk about NAV’s milestones, as well as awesome features that can help you find financial freedom faster.

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Vishnu Varathan, Head of Economics & Strategy, Mizuho Bank gives his outlook for the Singapore economy as WFH restrictions get lifted, as well as the potential risk of asset bubbles building up in China.

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Straits Times US Bureau Chief, Nirmal Ghosh breaks down the latest on the US hiring surge in March as the economic recovery accelerated, E-commerce giant Amazon issue of apology to a US lawmaker, the controversy surrounding Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, who is under federal investigation for sexual misconduct, and more. 

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According to the latest Edelman Trust Barometer report, trust in Singapore's key institutions of Government, business, media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) rose across the board amid a pandemic and economic recession. John Kerr, CEO, Edelman Singapore shares more about the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer – Edelman’s 21st annual trust and credibility research, and discusses its findings with us. 

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Singapore announced that it will be opening up land, giving out grants, and increasing educational opportunities for those who want to join the agricultural business or sector. And farmers here will not be the workers of old toiling under the sun, but highly trained individuals who use technology to do the work and to maximize harvests in a limited space. Alexander Berkovskiy, Regional Director, APAC, Syngenta shares how digital innovation is transforming agriculture in urban cities and rural farming communities, and more about their partnership with a leader in AI and machine learning. 

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Synopsis: The Invisible Asia Podcast is a special edition series in which The Straits Times casts the spotlight on people and communities living in the shadows of their societies where they exist largely unseen and unheard of. Do follow all nine episodes of Invisible Asia over the next two months on The Straits Times podcast channel on Apple podcasts, Spotify or Google podcasts.

The Straits Times' India correspondent Rohini Mohan shines the spotlight on India's sewer cleaners. As many as a million Dalits - the lowest of the low in India's caste-ridden society - still ply the dangerous trade despite it having been outlawed for years. And they are powerless to escape it.

In a country plagued with millions of choked toilets and drains, these indispensable workers go about their jobs daily without professional equipment, risking death from toxic fumes or drowning in liquid human waste, all to eke a living. Our series' narrator is Tan Jia Ning: 

1. Pedanna speaks of clearing out human waste in the streets, homes and offices, and of the abuse he faces daily for being a sewer cleaner (0:55)
2. The Indian government’s efforts to outlaw the dehumanising practice of manual scavenging has served only to force these workers underground (3:24)
3. Few police complaints are ever filed when a sewer cleaner dies at work, and the workers are often powerless to fight for compensation (5:54)
4. Senior sewer cleaner Munisamy shares how he copes with the daily disgust and humiliation he faces on the job (9:03)
5. Munisamy's 17-year-old granddaughter Chandana is among a new generation of Dalits who refuse to be silenced (9:50)

Read the full story by Rohini Mohan: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/whats-worse-than-the-job-is-the-humiliation-we-face

Produced by: Magdalene Fung, Tan Jia Ning, Sazali Abdul Aziz, Rohit Brijnath, Penelope Lee, Ernest Luis & Adam Azlee

Edited by: Adam Azlee

Discover ST's Invisible Asia podcast series:

Channel: https://str.sg/wuZn

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wu3s

Spotify: https://str.sg/wuJH

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected]

Invisible Asia Videos: https://str.sg/wuTU

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Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

ST Podcasts website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

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