The Knowledge to Decide

Spire was honored to participate in a webinar organized by the US Commerce Department as well as Muziyi Advisory, the organizers of the ELDEX event. Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting group, shared his insights on the growing “silver” market opportunities in Southeast Asia. Leon shared that the number of persons aged 65 and above is projected to double by 2035 across several ASEAN countries, with Indonesia expected to have the largest elderly population of around 30 million, double its current elderly population. The fastest ageing markets in the region are Singapore and Thailand followed by Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Philippines. The Asia-Pacific region is the world’s third largest region in terms of “silver” product and service revenue, but the fastest growing one. With an annual growth rate of 15 per cent, Asia is ranked among the top three nursing care markets in the world. Improving the social security system, enhancing th

On 17 July, Spire participated as a market advisor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Market Validation Program in Jakarta, Indonesia. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Spire Research and Consulting Group held sessions with Singaporean companies planning to expand their business into Indonesia. Jeffrey pointed out the utility of high-tech approaches for start-ups entering Indonesia, such as online advertising, usage of the Internet of things (IoT), data analytics and even Artificial Intelligence (AI). These approaches enable starts-ups to bypass mature importer-principal relationships that may be hard to overcome through conventional means. He also shared with individual companies his thoughts on developing customized strategies for Indonesian market entry. Get more information :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-shares-business-advice-to-start-ups-on-indonesian-market-entry/

On 30 June, 2019, the European Union signed its first free trade deal with a developing Asian country – Vietnam, one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) would reduce 99% of tariffs on goods and services traded between European and Vietnamese markets. WVietnam’s exports to the EU were valued at 50 billion euros in 2018. This figure is expected to increase by 40% by 2025 under EVFTA. Between the years 2024 – 2028, the agreement would boost Vietnam’s gross domestic product by 5 to 6% annually. Will the EVFTA herald a closer economic relationship between Vietnam and Europe? For more information :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/the-european-union-vietnam-free-trade-agreement-evfta-is-set-to-open-doors-for-vietnamese-exporters/

Spire was honored to participate in a seminar organized by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) on 15th July, in Singapore. Japnit Singh, Deputy CEO of Spire Group, shared his insights on strategic planning lessons from leading organizations in ASEAN. Japnit discussed five steps of strategic planning, strategic priorities and tools used by leading organizations in ASEAN. The strategic planning process can be seen as consisting of five steps, distributed amongst different departments in the organization. These steps are defining the vision, gathering and analyzing data, strategy creation, planning resources & outcomes and finally evaluation and monitoring. An organization should formulate an overall vision for the future, gather and analyze all the available data and also consider all the available critical items of information while monitoring and evaluating key performance indicators (KPI). For Singapore-based firms, ASEAN continues to be the most popular

How can brands build brand loyalty and retain customers in today’s ever changing marketplace? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in The Business Times – Singapore. Many brand owners use loyalty programmes as a method to retain their customers and keep them from switching to other brands. However, the huge range of loyalty programmes in today’s marketplace can confuse customers. Leon highlighted that developing compelling and non-substitutable new products, and then defending that space against “copycats” through vigilant monitoring of the competitive landscape, is the best key to customer loyalty. Brand owners could also make use of behavioural data from existing customers to optimise pricing and promotions. Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/the-key-to-brand-loyalty/

Spire was honored to participate in the 6th Southeast Asia Port Expansion Summit, Malaysia, 2019. The event was held on 10th – 11th July in Kuala Lumpur. Ashiva Humaira, Assistant Manager, Spire Research and Consulting, Indonesia and Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Spire Research and Consulting Group, shared insights on investment opportunities in private ports for non-containerized cargo in Indonesia. Bahar discussed that by 2024, non-containerized cargo volume is predicted to grow by 11 per cent, 80 per cent of which would be through privately owned ports. This growth will be supported by factors such as the positive economic environment, no restrictions on high volumes of export cargo and rising demand for coal and Crude Palm Oil (CPO), Indonesia’s main resources and the two leading trading commodities. Based on volume, 57 per cent of the non-containerized cargo is handled by state owned ports. Kaltim, Adaro and Marunda Center Terminal are the top th

What will be the impact of digital banks in Singapore? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Business Times – Singapore. More and more countries worldwide are issuing full bank licenses to digital-only banks. The competition from digital banks is being seen as a favorable development for the consumer. Digital banks with fewer physical branches and Automated Teller Machines to maintain could incur lower costs that could be passed onto the consumer. However, Perera highlighted that non-bank players entering the regulated banking space would need to learn a great deal in terms of maintaining cyber- security and managing financial risks. To overcome these challenges, regulators should work closely with licensed digital banks while also helping digital-only banks domiciled in Singapore to grow regionally. Get more information :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/digital-banking-in-singapore/

Spire Singapore hosted its second entertainment of the year. Clients, partners and business associates joined the Spire team for the dinner reception followed by the movie screening of “Spider-Man : Far From Home”- the much awaited movie following the events of Avengers : Endgame, from the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. The movie’s plot revolves Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man, living in a world after the war with Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever while he is still mourning the loss of his mentor, Tony Stark. The highly anticipated Marvel adventure, delicious food and even better company made for a delightful evening enjoyed by all. Get more information :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-client-entertainment-night-july-2019/