Every brief here answers one question: what changed, and what it costs. No scene-setting, no thousand-word detour — and every figure links back to the filing, statement or exchange data it came from, so you can check us in one click.
Singapore Q2 Layoffs Hit Five-Year High at 4,500 Amid Restructuring
The argument
Singaporean companies cut 4,500 jobs in the second quarter, a five-year high, driven by restructuring in outward-oriented sectors, according to preliminary Ministry of Manpower data.

From the editors
Elitecon International's shares rallied 10% for two days after key board appointments and the resumption of banking operations, signalling a strategic revival for the Mumbai-listed small-cap company.
Today in five minutes
15 stories · 31 min if you read them all
Economies
Growth, inflation and economic policy across Asia, reported country by country and connected region-wide.

China, Chile, Belgium Compete for High Seas Treaty Secretariat Host
China, Chile, and Belgium are vying to host the High Seas Treaty secretariat. This administrative body will shape global marine resource rules, impacting industries from fisheries to seabed mining. The decision, expected in January, could shift centres of international governance.

ASEAN, China Drive ACFTA 3.0 for Late 2026 Enactment
ASEAN and China are advancing negotiations to upgrade their Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), targeting enactment by late 2026. The new ACFTA 3.0 focuses on digital and green trade, alongside supply chain connectivity.

GovTech Singapore Cuts 93 Roles, Keeps Vendor Ties Amid Internal Shift
Singapore's GovTech retrenched 93 employees in July, shifting towards in-house product development. Senior Minister of State Jasmin Lau confirms continued vendor partnerships. (Source: The Business Times Singapore)
Markets
The Asian trading day as it happens — currencies, stocks, bonds and deals, with the context to read them.
Banking & Fintech
The money industry across Asia — bank results, digital lenders, payments and the technology moving between them.
Industries
Asia’s real economy, sector by sector — where the goods are made, powered, sold and housed.
Wealth
Personal finance for professionals in Asia — investing, saving, property and pay — reported with the same standards as our news.
Where we got to today
Every section we filed on today, and the ones we did not. We would rather you knew.
- Stocks & Bonds4
- Consumer & Retail3
- Southeast Asia3
- Central Banks & Currencies2
- Energy & Commodities2
- Payments & Lending2
- Asia World1
- Banks1
- Investing1
Not covered today
- China
- Japan & Korea
- India & South Asia
- Asia & the World
- Markets Today
- IPO & Deals
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