SG Morning Highlights | Seatrium Secures Major Contracts Worth $350 Million

Advancers / Decliners is 39 to 90, with 76.96 million securities worth S$99.67 million changing hands.

As the Bitcoin halving event approaches this month, a report by Independent Reserve has found that nearly half or 48% of crypto investors in Singapore plan to double down on Bitcoin in the next year. Those holding more than 50% of their portfolio in crypto are the most likely to increase their Bitcoin holdings, with 68% planning to do so. Singaporeans have shown a growing interest in crypto following recent policy developments in the sector, including the US SEC's approval of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The survey showed 39% now view Bitcoin favorably and 33% are open to investing overseas as product offerings are not available in the city-state. The halving event occurs approximately every four years, with Bitcoin miner rewards halved, potentially seeing a 10-fold increase in value.

According to data from Yahoo, Singaporeans now prefer using contactless credit, debit, or prepaid cards (34%) and mobile e-wallets or digital payment services (31%) over cash for their purchases. While cash is still the least preferred payment option for 54% of Singaporeans, it is still used more (18%) than physical credit, debit, or prepaid cards. The shift towards contactless and mobile payments is in line with global trends towards greater digitalization and the growing popularity of e-commerce.