November 2024: Singapore's tech news headlines

Indo-Pacific Studies Centre: Emerging Leaders Forum 2025

Singapore: An overview of the recently-launched SGQR+ payment scheme, potentially a game-changer for digital banks, e-wallets, and financial institutions / full item
…Nets is rolling out the commercialisation of SGQR+ in Singapore, while Singapore-HQ’d fintech Liquid Group looks to take SGQR+ global with the launch of roamQR… / full item
2025 AWE Asia Start-up Pitch applications are now open, seeking XR and metaverse startups for August 2025 event in Singapore / full item
Singapore’s Portcast has raised $6.5M Series A with data-driven transportation and logistics management, with plans to integrate GenAI for real-time analytics and prediction / full item
And don’t forget that GITEX Asia technology conference is set for April 23-25, 2025, in Singapore – a new and unique event in Asia’s technology scene. Get details here: GITEX Asia 2025

Indo-Pacific Insight: Critical tech, space, risk, geopolitics, supply chains…

Millennium Hotels & Resorts boosts Aiello partnership for in-room, AI-powered voice assistant tech across six MHR properties in Singapore and Thailand / full item
Visa and China’s Tencent partner to trial pay-by-palm tech in Singapore, with Visa cardholders from banks including DBS, OCBC, and UOB eligible for the pilot programme / full item
Southeast Asia’s data center growth: “The headline story will be the increasing importance of the SJB [Singapore-Johor-Batam] corridor…” / full item
Singapore’s Nium payments platform and JP Morgan’s Kinexys boost collaboration on data supply to validate bank accounts in int’l payments to Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong / full item
Singapore: An interview intro to Transcelestial, delivering laser-based wireless connectivity / full item

Building the Australia-Asia Tech Corridor

Report: ‘Post-Quantum Cryptography – Securing digital communications between Banque de France and the Monetary Authority of Singapore’ / full item
Singapore: UOB FinLab, Bank’s innovation accelerator, awarded over $100,000 to GreenTech Accelerator 2024 firms for 15 sustainability solution pilots across ASEAN / full item
Mark your calendar: The inaugural GITEX Asia technology conference, Asia’s all-new powerhouse tech and startups event, is set for Singapore in April of 2025 / full item
Download: ‘Singapore Venture Funding Landscape 2024’ from Enterprise Singapore and PitchBook / full item
Singapore’s OCBC bank implements blockchain tech for intraday institutional lending, making use of JP Morgan Onyx Digital Assets platform / full item
Singapore: National Graduate Research Innovation Programme preps for January 2025 launch, a Sg$50M, 5-year initiative to add to support for founders and researchers / full item
Singapore: Gemini cryptocurrency exchange gains in-principle approval from Monetary Authority for digital payment token services, and cross-border money transfers / full item

Multilateralism Index 2024

AI Safety Institutes, or AISIs, are one of the most important new structures to emerge in international AI policy… / full item
Singapore-HQ’d Wavemaker Partners VC raised $30M in first close of new Wavemaker Growth Opportunities Fund, targeting SEA enterprise, deep tech and sustainability investments / full item
HK-Singapore biotech firm, Avant, launches skincare range based on lab-grown marine peptides, addressing climate, animal welfare and traceability challenges / full item
Over the last decade Singapore has received the most investment from Australia overall, representing 52% of Australia’s outgoing tech investment. / full item
Download: ‘FinTech in ASEAN 2024, A Decade of Innovation’ – UOB, PwC, SFA “Singapore and Thailand accounted for 3/4 of total FinTech funding in the region for 9M 2024.” / full item
5 Project Nexus central banks to establish Nexus Scheme Org’n managing entity for live implementations of the BIS cross-border initiative to interlink realtime payment rails / full item

Gartner: 2025 Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends

China’s CAS Space, a commercial spinoff from Chinese Academy of Sciences, looks to deliver launch services to global clients in light of fierce domestic competition…
India is now planning to build a moon-orbiting space station by 2040 as part of roadmap to establish a long-term Indian presence beyond Earth orbit…
European and Japanese space agencies issue joint statement on boosting cooperation on areas including planetary defense, moon exploration, Mars missions and more…

November 2024: Singapore