Digital payments are booming in Singapore - the Monetary Authority of Singapore reports that e-payments more than doubled to S$1.25 trillion in 2023, with over 90% of adults now registered for PayNow. Yet for many SMEs in sectors like F&B, retail, and beauty, digital adoption remains patchy.

As Southeast Asia’s SMEs race to catch up, why is Singapore emerging as a hub for PayTech innovation? And how are partnerships and cross-border expansion reshaping the competitive landscape across the region?

On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo speaks to Christopher Yu, President & Chief Financial Officer, KPay to find out more.

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Artificial intelligence is moving beyond chatbots and algorithms - it is being embedded into the backbone of global markets. With $55.8 trillion in assets under custody, global financial giant BNY is at the centre of this shift. On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo sits down with Leigh-Ann Russell, CIO and Global Head of Engineering at BNY, to find out how the bank has scaled 80+ AI solutions, trained nearly its entire workforce in generative AI, and is balancing innovation with regulation while preparing Asia’s markets for an AI-enabled future.

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For someone living with visual impairment, even the simplest daily tasks like picking the right carton of milk at the supermarket, can be a challenge. Enter AiSee, an AI-powered wearable that is akin to a “visual companion”, created at the National University of Singapore to help people better connect with the world around them.

So how exactly is it reshaping accessibility? And how could it pave the way for more inclusive innovation in Singapore and beyond?

On Good Tech, Lynlee Foo speaks to Associate Professor Suranga Nanayakkara, Co-founder of AiSee, from the Department of Information Systems & Analytics, at NUS Computing to find out more.

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Data and AI giant Databricks has surpassed a US$100B valuation with over US$1B in AI revenue. On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo speaks with Adam Conway, SVP of Products at Databricks about what’s fueling this momentum, how Asia’s AI adoption differs from the US, and why agentic AI could be the region’s next big leap.

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Findings from a report by financial compliance software firm Fenergo show that regulators worldwide issued more than US$1.2 billion in fines against financial institutions in the first half of 2025 - a staggering year-on-year increase. While North America accounted for the largest penalties, Asia was not spared, with enforcement actions in China, Malaysia, Australia, and Singapore, where MAS issued multiple fines for AML breaches.

On Industry Insight, host Lynlee Foo speaks with Cengiz Kiamil, Managing Director at Fenergo, about what’s driving this surge in fines, why sanctions and digital assets are increasingly in the crosshairs, and how Asia’s financial institutions should respond.

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Anime has surged from subculture to a US$30B global industry, with streaming, merchandising, and fandom driving growth far beyond Japan. On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo speaks with Kendrick Wong, CEO of Singapore-based Kasagi Labo, a pioneering anime venture studio about why anime resonates with global audiences, the business model shifts powering its expansion, and how Singapore is emerging as a launchpad for this billion-fan future.

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Nearly a billion people around the world depend on remittances - and Asia Pacific is at the centre of this $905 billion market. But the way money moves is changing fast. Visa’s latest Money Travels 2025 report shows digital apps have overtaken traditional channels, with speed, security and convenience driving adoption.

So what does this mean for banks, money transfer operators, and fintechs as well as consumers across the region? On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo speaks to Debarun Roy Choudhury, Vice President, Head of Commercial & Money Movement Solutions (Regional SEA) at Visa to find out more.

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For Singapore’s deaf and hard-of-hearing community, something as simple as picking up the phone can feel impossible. With only seven full-time interpreters serving thousands, making a doctor’s appointment or calling a hotline often means relying on family, friends, or long waits.

Enter CallBridge — a homegrown innovation using real-time text-to-speech and speech-to-text to let users make calls independently, privately, and with dignity. On Good Tech, Lynlee Foo speaks with co-founders Yeo Shi Tan and Cody Tan De Xuan about building CallBridge during a hackathon, the impact of its pilot programme, and their vision to integrate it into essential services like emergency hotlines.

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ASEAN’s electricity demand is set to nearly triple by 2050, and renewables alone won’t be enough to keep the lights on. One option making a quiet comeback is nuclear power—this time in the form of small modular reactors (SMRs) that are safer, smaller, and more flexible than the plants of the past.

On Industry Insight, Trung Ghi, Partner and Head of Energy & Utilities Practice at Arthur D. Little, explains why SMRs are gaining traction across Southeast Asia, how new technologies like AI and 3D printing are reshaping nuclear’s future, and why Singapore can still play a leadership role in policy and safety without building a reactor.

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Once viewed primarily as crisis managers, interim executives are increasingly stepping into strategic roles across AI adoption, supply chain transformation, and post-merger integration. This model is growing globally with Singapore emerging as a hub.

So why are companies turning to contract leaders to drive strategy? And how will this reshape executive recruitment in Singapore?

On Industry Insight, Lynlee Foo speaks to Mike Magee, Managing Director for Southeast Asia at X-PM to find out more.

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