Singapore’s Financial Sector: How did we arrive, how do we thrive?
Singapore’s financial services have grown into a core pillar of the economy and a trusted global hub, underpinned by deliberate institution-building and long-term strategy. This lecture series traces Singapore’s evolution from the Asian Dollar Market and two-tier banking system to a diversified ecosystem spanning asset management, capital markets, commodities, wealth management, and insurance. It will also examine how digitalisation, new players, and technologies are reshaping Singapore’s financial system, as well as where and how money and financial assets moves, before looking ahead to the choices Singapore faces as it balances innovation with stability and trust. What lessons from the past remain salient? Where must we adapt to thrive in the next phase?
Balancing Stability, Trust and Innovation
This first lecture charts Singapore’s rise as a financial centre. Beginning with the establishment of the Asian Dollar Market in 1968 and the two-tier banking system that safeguarded monetary stability while attracting international activity, it traces the expansion of key sectors following the Asian Financial Crisis — from the “big-bang” push in asset management and the liberalisation and consolidation of banking, to the deepening of capital markets. It also highlights the development of commodities trading, wealth management and insurance, and explains how the regulator’s supervisory and developmental roles enabled growth while protecting retail investors. How did these policy choices compound into Singapore’s current strengths? What capabilities and lessons must be retained as the foundation for the next phase?
To find out more about Mr Piyush Gupta, the 17th S R Nathan Fellow, click here.
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