Hon Mun Y.

🌏💡 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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At the Singapore Institute of Directors conference, Minister Hong Tat Chee encouraged board directors to be catalysts for value creation, transforming their companies and unlocking the shareholder value that lies within Singapore's corporate sector. He outlined three areas that can help companies unlock value: 1️⃣ Capabilities development - going beyond financial management, skills to include corporate strategy, capital optimisation, investor engagement, and media outreach 2️⃣ Communication - helping others to understand what we can deliver and what value will be created 3️⃣ Communities - having networks that help foster peer learning and knowledge exchange Grateful to Minister Chee for acknowledging that “𝗦𝗜𝗗 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀.” He not only leveraged the conference to share some exciting plans by SGX Group to support companies in communicating their value including the launch of a new index that tracks companies beyond the Straits Times Index (STI), as part of its efforts to showcase Singapore’s broader equity market as well as Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)’s plans to work closely with SID to support the development of essential skills. Minister also shared that SID will be launching a chairperson guild. Supported by MAS and SGX, this programme will bring together the board chairs of listed companies to build a micro community for learning and mutual support. Huge thanks to our colleagues at MAS for working behind the scenes with us to facilitate the messages and announcements. 👉 Read Minister’s speech here: https://lnkd.in/g_tSuUSk 📺 Thank you CNA for covering the conference and the opportunity for me to share how SID is supporting the national effort to strengthen our equities market. View the news clip here: https://lnkd.in/g2CnABN7

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📺 News flash: Just been informed by CNA that CuriousCore is going to be briefly mentioned at 10pm (SGT) tonight's news about the surging demand of #GenAI course participants. We've always believe that technology skills should be relevant, practical and accessible to all adult learners so we are very happy to have increasing interest on Gen AI (we are platform/tool agnostic). Some asked why we didn't hop on the coding or data analysis or cybersecurity bandwagon? One said, "You could have made a few extra million dollars if you rode that wave!" I'll admit I'm probably a better teacher than a businessman or capitalist. I saw there were several technical training providers which delivered exactly what technology teams require and I doubt we can beat the cost competitiveness of the Indians or the creativity of the Europeans or the recognised certifications of the Americans. However, few took time to understand the business dynamics and change management side of things especially for middle managers trying to sustain and grow their business units. I was once a middle manager in the system, I wasn't given a playbook only some pep talk and problem solving frameworks. I was asked to do change management and training + coaching of my juniors on top of my BAU responsibilities, which included P&L or innovation management. Earlier in my career, I had wished I didn't need to flip through 5 books and 3 courses to make sense of a topic. That's how I learnt A/B testing, performance management and financial analysis. I had mentors but not all are gifted to teach and impart skills without hubris. Hence, we designed our courses for time-sensitive professionals delivered with business and learning outcomes in mind. So yes, capability development is a strategic business growth lever and training doesn't have to be once and done. That's what we are: a learning partner to evolving companies.

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Another committee. Another report. Another timeline stretching into the future. Singapore has just launched a new Economic Strategy Review - 5 committees, 10 political officeholders, with a final report due in mid-2026. Let’s be candid: this isn’t the first time we’re on this path. * The Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) in 2016 * The Emerging Stronger Taskforce (EST) in 2020 * Now the Economic Strategy Review (ESR) in 2025 Each iteration brought big plans and ambitious words. But meaningful, system-wide change? That has been harder to find. This time, the stakes feel different. The recent 10% US tariff on Singapore isn’t a reflection of failure - it’s a reminder that even as a trusted partner, our small size leaves us vulnerable. The old belief that staying neutral, open, and reliable will always protect us - that assumption is being tested in new and difficult ways. At the same time: ~ AI is reshaping jobs faster than training providers can keep up ~ Startups still rely heavily on grants rather than solid market traction ~ Workers may be “reskilled”, yet many struggle to move forward or secure better pay So here’s quiet but firm message to the committees: > Don’t just engage the usual voices. > Seek out the perspectives of those who’ve witnessed the cracks firsthand: People who’ve worked with SkillsFuture, Workforce Singapore, employers, and mid-career workers. Those who understand what’s truly broken in the training ecosystem - and what it really takes to fix it. > People who’ve seen policies look good on paper but falter when put into practice. I’m not here to criticize from the sidelines. I’m here to help build solutions - with honesty, urgency, and courage. To those on these committees, or advising them: If you want insights grounded in real experience, loop me in. Listen beyond the familiar. It’s only by embracing diverse, grounded insights that Singapore’s economic strategy can be more than another report. Because what Singapore really needs isn’t another glossy document in 2026. It’s bold, decisive action - now - to create real opportunities for workers, entrepreneurs, employers, and the generations to come.

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