The Singapore model: how can regulators balance investor protection and support for innovation?

Singapore’s standing as a global financial hub got a boost over the last year as more foreign capital flowed into the country, even as the pandemic and political turmoil diminished investors’ confidence in other regional economies. While investors have come to trust the Singapore model for the robustness of its legal frameworks, recent news that homegrown unicorn Grab is planning a $40bn IPO on Nasdaq via a SPAC has raised questions about the regime’s flexibility to accommodate alternative business capital raising needs. How will these and other events shape the future of the Singapore model?

In-conversation with Tan Boon Gin, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Exchange Regulation; and Andrew Yeo, Acting Head of Global Counsel Singapore.

They discussed:

• What is unique about Singapore’s regulatory regime, and how does the country’s public market regulator sit vis-à-vis other market stakeholders?
• How is Singapore positioning its regulatory frameworks to capture a larger slice of global capital markets, and how does the regulator strike a balance between investor protection and support for innovation?
• As sustainability reporting grows in importance, how can regulators act as a force for good in the absence of common standards?