Singapore Business Review

Higher-value deals lifted transaction values in the second quarter. Singapore investors are driving demand for commercial shophouses as buyers seek stable rental income and tax-efficient assets, whilst overseas interest is beginning to recover, property analysts said. “Even in the recent war, there are more buyers in the marketplace,” Maureen Li, founder and CEO at ABIEL Property Investment Fund Pte.

Consultancy and advertising remained in a downturn at 49.9 and 49.2, respectively. Activity amongst small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in business services and education contracted in the second quarter (Q2) despite strong manufacturing activity, the OCBC SME Index showed. The index, though still signalling expansion, eased to 51.3 from 51.6 in Q1.

Resale deals offset a sharp slowdown in new luxury home transactions during Q2. The value of Singapore's luxury home transactions slipped in the second quarter (Q2) as new home sales slowed, whilst resale activity continued to grow, according to Realion (OrangeTee & ETC) Research. The consultancy's Q2 2026 Luxury Market report showed total luxury home transaction value, including bulk deals, fell 3.6% quarter on quarter (QoQ) to $1.67b from $1.73b in Q1.

Proposed guidance would require AI-specific notices whilst keeping brands accountable for customer data handled by vendors. Singapore’s proposed generative artificial intelligence guidelines could raise the compliance burden on marketers by tightening expectations around consent, customer notices and accountability for third-party vendors.

SBF sees $1.05b in new spending by Singaporeans in Johor Bahru. Local consumers could spend about $290m more in Johor Bahru than the Malaysian city’s visitors spend in Singapore each year after the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link opens, according to a report. A Singapore Business Federation-led study projects that the rail link will generate $1.05b in additional annual spending by Singapore consumers in Johor Bahru, compared with $756m from visitors travelling in the opposite direction.

Every quarter, SBR lands on the desks of the founders, CFOs, and directors running Asia's most consequential companies. Every day, they open our newsletter and read our website. It's a room that took twenty years to build — and it's the one most of our partners are trying to get into. The good news is that the door is open.

The offer is 5.8% above the next-highest submission. A consortium comprising Frasers Property, Frasers Centrepoint Trust (FCT), Sunway MCL, Sekisui House, and Lum Chang Building Contractors has submitted the top bid of $2.1b for the Bayshore Drive government land sale site. The offer translates to $1,323 per square foot per plot ratio, 5.8% above the second-highest bid, according to the consortium.

Shopping and gaming gains outweighed softer hotel and dining spending. China remained Singapore's biggest tourism receipts market in the first quarter, helping lift visitor spending even as accommodation and dining receipts softened. Singapore generated $8.55b in tourism receipts from January to March 2026, up 5.78% from a year earlier, according to data from the Singapore Tourism Analytics Network (STAN).

Every quarter, SBR lands on the desks of the founders, CFOs, and directors running Asia's most consequential companies. Every day, they open our newsletter and read our website. It's a room that took twenty years to build — and it's the one most of our partners are trying to get into. The good news is that the door is open.

All three bids clustered around $2b, indicating market consensus on the site's value. Analysts said developers' $2.128b bet on Bayshore's transformation reflects confidence in the long-term prospects of the new Bayshore precinct despite the scale and complexity of the project. "The Bayshore Drive GLS site, connected to Bedok South MRT station on the TEL, is the only integrated transport hub in the upcoming Bayshore precinct," said Mark Yip, CEO of Huttons Asia.