Singapore Financial News

Ola Electric expects revenue to quadruple to $1.5 billion this financial year and then double that again in two years, according to a document containing corporate projections and people briefed on the matter. The figures, however, pre-date surprise cuts by the federal government to e-scooter incentives in May. According to the document, which was prepared ahead of investor meetings for Ola's planned IPO worth up to $700 million and was reviewed by Reuters, the company is also targeting $220 million in operating profit for the year to end-March.

OpenAI and its ChatGPT has pushed the tech giant's stock to new highs. The move also nudged his total windfall from Microsoft past a threshold of $1 billion, according to Bloomberg News.  In an email, Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw said that Satya Nadella does not have a net worth of a billion dollars or more. His AI-driven move catapulted Microsoft ahead of competitors like Alphabet Inc.

Nearly $250 billion worth of transactions have taken place using China’s digital yuan in the one-and-a-half years since the start of its pilot, the country’s central bank governor has claimed.

Goel Ganga Developments has ventured into the rental segment to offer last-mile support to people looking out for a place to rent in Pune. The new venture called Goel Ganga Rent Easy is a full-stack platform, which also has separate verticals for buying and selling properties. The rental market is considered as growing segment in Indian real estate as in most of the major cities in India, close to 35% of the inhabitants prefer to rent out a space.

Private equity firm Pacific Equity Partners is in late-stage talks to buy lifestyle communities business Serenitas, put up for sale by investment bank Goldman Sachs.

Warner Brothers' DC Superhero film, 'The Flash,' is now available as an NFT (Non-Fungible Token). With immersive web3 experiences, the Flash NFTs will offer fans the opportunity to watch the movie in 4k Ultra HD and access exclusive content, artwork, and augmented reality experiences.

Funding of Web3 firms from venture capitalists has dropped 76% in the second quarter this year as compared to the same quarter in 2022, Crunchbase data revealed. 

Chinese livestreamers have set their sights on selling to TikTok shoppers in the U.S. and Europe

San Francisco-based blockchain startup, Ripple, is optimistic that U.S. banks and financial institutions will adopt its XRP cryptocurrency for cross-border payments. This follows a significant ruling that the token is not necessarily a security.

Meerut has been arrested for fabricating his 22-year-old brother's documents in order to obtain a false passport and a study visa for Singapore. The arrest was made after the younger sibling submitted a complaint. Sachin Rana, the accused and resident of Mirzapur village under Badgaon police station, was determined to pursue overseas studies, but his academic gap years (having completed class 12 in 2013) made it challenging for him to obtain a visa legitimately.

Skift, that the country's static state of affairs is likely to remain due to “the lack of a demand from inside the U.S. for a change in policy, the extreme political risk for any group or politician who unwittingly facilitates travel by a terrorist, and the fact that tourism has surged post-pandemic anyway, even with a restrictive visa waiver program." “Unfortunately, that status quo, over time, may well contribute to a decline in US soft power if businesses struggle to invite partners to trade shows and meetings, tourists encounter needless application delays and look elsewhere, and open xenophobia erodes the public reputation of the US as a world leader," said Pforzheimer.

Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promised to progressively back the United States dollar with Bitcoin (BTC) if he is elected president. 

ANI, Ritesh Shukla said that India and France have just signed the agreement and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced it during his visit to France. He said that they are working on creating readiness on both sides with banks in India and merchants in France. Speaking about the commencement of UPI operations in France, Shukla said, "We are working on creating readiness on both sides with banks in India and with merchants in France and I think it will take about three to four months for us to go live, so we are working towards making that happen." Indian tourists visiting France will now have the convenience of paying for Eiffel Tower tickets and other attractions in rupees, following an agreement between both countries to utilize the Indian government's Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

A post shared by Sidecar (@sidecarindia) Hong Kong's Coa has bagged the top spot for a third consecutive year. Whereas Jigger & Pony in Singapore ranked second on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list. It’s the first time since 2019 that the ceremony has been held with all borders in the region re-opened after the Covid-19 pandemic.

India has significantly improved its passport ranking by rising 5 spots from last years and is now ranked 80th in the latest Henley Passport Index. Owning to this, Indians can travel to 57 destinations completely visa free or visas on arrival arrangements.  However, it is to be noted here that India has scored poorly in mobility.

Investing.com-- Most Asian stocks rose on Wednesday after data released overnight spurred increased bets that the Federal Reserve was close to ending its current rate hike cycle, while Chinese markets continued to lag on a worsening economic outlook.

Woodside Energy posted a 29 per cent dive in quarterly sales after a drop in oil and LNG prices and a dip in production in its weakest quarter since merging with BHP Petroleum in June last year.

The updated 2023 Henley Passport Index Tuesday placed Singapore as the world's most powerful passport with visa-free access to 192 travel destinations out of 227 around the world.  Three European countries Germany, Italy, and Spain move up one slot with 190 visa-free destinations and shared the second place. Japan has been knocked off the top spot for the first time in five years and slipped to third place as the number of destinations its passport can access without a visa fell to 189.

Woodside Energy has left investors scratching their heads after advising of a cost blowout of up to $890 million and a six-month delay at its large Sangomar oil project off Senegal. It comes only two months since analysts were assured on a site visit that construction was on track.

The Chinese city of Shenzhen says its residents have opened almost 36 million digital yuan wallets, as the nation’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot breaks new ground.

Tata family seeks to strengthen its aviation empire and compete with market leader IndiGo. Vinod Kannan, the CEO of Vistara, confirmed on July 17 that the staff integration process had already begun.