Wealth Solutions & Wealth Planning

New Hawksford Report: Foreign direct investment surges in Singapore

A new report from Hawksford, a leading international provider of corporate, private client and fund services, has found that investors from around the world are looking favourably on Singapore.

The 'Singapore Business Outlook – Reinvention for future-readiness', is a new and expanded edition of the annual Singapore Business Report that Hawksford has produced since 2010. This latest edition provides an extensive overview of trends in Singapore’s business community, with a particular focus on the sharp rise in foreign direct investment (FDI).

Among the report's key findings; Singapore's position as Asia's premier regional hub has strengthened against its closest neighbours. Nearly half of the world’s multinational companies (MNCs) now have their regional headquarters in the country.

Singapore also continues to rise in global rankings, now fourth among the world's Global Financial Centres, as rated by financial data think-tank Z/Yen Partners. What's more, the diversity of international investment in Singapore is expanding, as China and emerging Asian markets are increasingly choosing the city-state to help propel their regional and global growth. For example, Chinese new company formation has grown from 5 percent of individual shareholding at the start of 2015, to 12 percent for the full year 2018.

Singapore's government has also played an active part in driving the surge in FDI. A long-term official effort has encouraged innovation and created a fertile environment for new companies, particularly technology firms, which have doubled as a percentage of new company formations in just three years.

 

“I’m very happy that we are bringing out this expanded report, especially at such an exciting time in Singapore’s history,” says Dario Acconci, Hawksford Managing Director for South East Asia. “As our report shows, much of the excitement surrounding opportunities for growth and expansion through Singapore are the result of a history of careful, adaptive development to create an environment ideally suited to trade in the Asian and global markets.”

“As the balance of political and economic power in the region continues to shift and evolve, alongside the emergence of new markets and an inexhaustible appetite for new technology, we are seeing an incredibly bright outlook for Singapore, today and into the future," Acconci added.

Hawksford has published the Singapore Business Report since 2010, providing up-to-date and informative insights for international business owners, stakeholders and industry shapers. The firm has one of the largest and best established presences in the APAC region, with 200 of its 450 staff located in China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Hawksford’s experienced, highly-qualified and multi-lingual team helps clients to make the most of their business decisions and their wealth, by taking on the burden of regulatory, financial and tax compliance, corporate governance and reporting obligations.