1 week ago Hong Kong’s Central prime office rents are up for the first time in over 3 years

Prime office rents in Hong Kong’s Central business district rose modestly in November – the first time in three and a half years – on the back of an overall improvement in vacancy rates, which helped buttress the negotiating stance of landlords, according to property consultancy JLL. Rents in Central inched up 0.1 per cent to HK$72.90 (US$9.36) per square foot from October, as the number of empty offices decreased slightly to 13.1 per cent from 13.4 per cent, JLL said. The last time that rents...

Politics

1 week ago Overheated power bank catches fire on Scoot flight from Hong Kong to Singapore

A small fire triggered by an overheated power bank broke out on a Singapore-bound Scoot flight from Hong Kong over the weekend, but was quickly extinguished by the cabin crew, with no injuries reported. Singapore Airlines’ budget arm Scoot on Sunday confirmed the incident took place on flight TR939, which departed from Hong Kong International Airport for the city state at 5.49pm the day before. A spokesman said that an overheated power bank had caused a small flame in the cabin, which was...

Events

1 week ago Hong Kong and Singapore prime office rents set to equalise by 2027: CBRE

Prime office rents in Hong Kong and Singapore are expected to reach parity within two years, driven by diverging dynamics in demand and supply for office properties in the rival business hubs, according to CBRE. By the fourth quarter of 2027, tenants in premium office spaces in Hong Kong were set to pay just over US$122 per square foot per year, while those in Singapore would face slightly higher costs at about US$123 per square foot annually, said Ada Choi, head of research for Asia-Pacific at...

Politics

2 w. ago Singapore minister apologises for derogatory remarks on Hong Kong football team

Singapore’s acting sports minister has apologised for calling Hong Kong football fans and players “idiots” in a locker room pep talk to his side, following the city state’s historic win on Tuesday night in Hong Kong. Singapore came back from a goal down to beat Hong Kong 2-1 in the Asian Cup qualifiers in front of a record 47,762-strong crowd in Kai Tak Stadium, sealing their qualification for a major football tournament on merit for the first time. The country participated in the Asian Cup...

Politics

2 w. ago Singapore minister sorry for derogatory remarks on Hong Kong football team

Singapore’s acting sports minister has conceded he “should have been more respectful” after calling Hong Kong football fans and players “idiots” in a locker room pep talk to his side, following the city state’s historic win on Tuesday night in Hong Kong. Singapore came back from a goal down to beat Hong Kong 2-1 in the Asian Cup qualifier match in front of a record 47,762-strong crowd in Kai Tak Stadium, sealing their qualification for a major football tournament on merit for the first time. The...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai: the rise of the ‘family office triangle’

Family offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai are redrawing the global map of private capital. Each hub combines favourable tax and regulatory regimes with strong local networks of banks, advisers and deal makers. Together, they now rival Western centres in deploying private equity across the Global South. Drawing inspiration from family offices in the United States – where private equity has represented a major share of assets – these Asian hubs are scaling rapidly, positioning themselves as...

Society

2 w. ago Roar trip: Singapore football fans land in Hong Kong for historic Asian Cup tie

Hundreds of Singaporean football fans have flown into Hong Kong for what some call the city state’s biggest football match when the Lions take on the hosts on Tuesday for a place at the 2027 Asian Cup. “Singapore has not qualified for the Asian Cup since 1984, when we hosted the games,” said Chue Guo-xian, who works in the sports industry. “So this is probably the biggest match in our national team’s history.” Chue, who is in his late thirties, said he would be gearing up for Tuesday’s...

Sport

3 w. ago Hong Kong trails Dubai, Singapore in list of destinations for the rich

Hong Kong ranks fourth globally as a destination for high net worth individuals (HNWIs) thanks to its robust business and economic fundamentals as well as its educational credentials, but trails perennial rival Singapore, according to a Savills study. Dubai took the top spot, followed by New York and then Singapore, with Abu Dhabi in fifth, the consultancy said in its inaugural HNWI Hotspot Index, released on Tuesday. The report analysed nearly 100 destinations on five metrics: business...

Politics

4 w. ago Hong Kong roars ahead as top wealth hub, overtaking Singapore

Hong Kong has seen a sharp increase in wealthy clients opening accounts to manage their assets this year, surpassing other centres like Singapore as the most favourable destination for asset management, according to a report released on Thursday by the Private Wealth Management Association (PWMA) and KPMG China. Some 44 per cent of PWMA members, including top global private banks like UBS, BNP Paribas, HSBC, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan, said their clients preferred Hong Kong over other cities –...

Politics