Tee Seng Chan

🌏💡 We’re building a trusted, high-impact single family office (SFO) ecosystem and channeling more of that capital to philanthropy. 🇸🇬 We now have > 2,000 SFOs — a 10x jump in five years. And we’re seeing it translate into real giving. Total giving hit S$431m in 2023, almost 2X the year before. This didn’t happen by chance. We made deliberate moves in this space, thanks to our many partners who have given me and my colleagues valuable feedback over the years. At MAS, we’ve strengthened our SFO framework and introduced tools like the Philanthropy Tax Incentive Scheme (PTIS) and the Overseas Humanitarian Assistance Tax Deduction Scheme (OHATDS). Together, these allow family offices and donors to channel support locally, and to humanitarian and charitable causes overseas — through qualified intermediaries — with meaningful tax benefits. We’ve also partnered the Community Foundation of Singapore and AVPN so SFOs and families can give with confidence — via donor-advised funds, outcomes-based approaches and vetted opportunities. Platforms like ImpactSG - Gateway to Giving and AVPN’s ImpactCollab (supported by MAS) also help match funders to credible causes, speeding up due diligence and amplifying impact. We will continue to work hard to keep make Singapore Asia’s philanthropy hub. Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) 📸: The Straits Times

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Last week, I was honoured to speak at the Sustainability Impact Dialogue, hosted by The Business Times and UOB, alongside Melissa Moi and Nat Bullard. Our conversation centred on Southeast Asia’s unique role in the energy transition. The challenges here are real: our economic growth is still closely tied to energy use, and demand from sectors like data centres and transport is rising fast. Yet, I see this as a moment of possibility. My key takeaway was simple: energy efficiency must be the first step. It is the fastest, most cost-effective way to decarbonise, with clear returns for business and society alike. From there, innovation in cooling, electrification, and smarter systems can help us build resilience while creating new opportunities for growth. What encouraged me was the common ground across the panel. Whether from finance, strategy, or technology, we all agreed that policy clarity, collaboration, and long-term vision are critical if we are to achieve real impact. Thank you to the organisers for bringing these important voices together, and to my fellow panellists for a rich exchange. I look forward to continuing the dialogue and working alongside partners across the region to accelerate this transition. You can read more highlights from the session here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gUJnRtjz 👉 https://lnkd.in/gAcxG_ZB

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AVPN is advancing Asian leadership for an inclusive world. On our panel, “How Funders Can Unlock Asia’s Capital for Inclusive Growth,” I made the case for a Wholistic Wellbeing lens built on eight pillars that work together: physical health, emotional balance, spiritual connection, financial intelligence, professional purpose, social interconnectedness, community service, and planetary care.   Why this lens matters: single-issue fixes stall; integrated efforts compound. A school initiative, for example, moves faster when nutrition and mental health are addressed alongside teacher development, family support, and green campuses. A livelihoods program is stronger when capital is paired with financial literacy, peer networks, and climate resilience.   The ask to funders and operators: align capital and programs to these pillars upfront, measure across them, and collaborate rather than duplicate. If you’re committed to inclusive growth in Asia, let’s compare notes and build pillar-aligned coalitions that deliver durable results.

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