Singapore SMEs are outperforming larger companies in brand building and network growth. Still, they risk losing momentum if they fail to close widening gaps in AI adoption and literacy, according to LinkedIn’s latest Work Change Report.

Despite ongoing global economic uncertainty, entrepreneurship in Singapore remains resilient, with small and medium-sized businesses entering 2026 in growth mode. The report identifies three key engines powering this momentum: technology and AI that drive speed and scale, strong brand credibility that fosters trust, and networks that convert visibility into opportunities.

AI, in particular, is seen as a powerful equaliser. Tools that enable automation, data-driven decision-making and more innovative marketing are allowing smaller firms to “punch above their weight”, capabilities that were once largely the preserve of large enterprises. However, LinkedIn’s findings suggest adoption remains uneven.

Only 26 per cent of professionals currently use AI for advanced tasks such as strategy development or data analysis, while fewer than half apply AI to everyday work. Although AI literacy skills within companies employing 11 to 50 people grew 67 per cent year over year, this still trails the 99 per cent growth seen among companies with more than 1,000 employees. This gap highlights a critical challenge for Singapore SMEs as competition intensifies.

Encouragingly, nearly half of SMB employees report learning AI skills with the support of their employers. Yet 50 per cent remain uncertain about which skills to prioritise next.

Also Read: 3,000 Singapore MSMEs to receive free hands-on AI training under regional ASEAN initiative

What they want is clear: hands-on, practical learning. Real-life projects and assignments, as well as opportunities to apply AI in daily work, virtual training, and tutorials, are their preferred learning methods. For business leaders, this signals an opportunity to invest in training that delivers immediate, practical value.

Beyond technology, brand building has become a top priority for Singapore SMEs. As AI-generated content floods digital channels, authenticity is increasingly seen as a key differentiator. While 80 per cent of SMB marketers say AI helps them produce content faster, 73 per cent believe human voices matter more than ever.

Small businesses are leaning heavily into community-driven content, drawing on creators, experts and employee voices to build credibility and trust. This emphasis on authenticity is stronger among small businesses than large firms, reinforcing how Singapore SMEs are using human connection as a competitive edge.

Networks are also proving critical to growth. Strong professional relationships help generate leads, guide hiring decisions and provide trusted advice during uncertain times. Professionals in companies with 50 employees or fewer grew their networks by 11 per cent year over year, outpacing the 9 per cent growth seen at large enterprises.

“Small businesses in Singapore are in growth mode, and AI can be their ultimate force multiplier in 2026,” said Elsie Ng, director of LinkedIn Talent Solutions for Singapore and Malaysia. “Authenticity and trust matter more than ever, and networks are the new currency for growth.”

Also Read: From job-hopping to growth-hacking: What SMEs can learn from Gen Z’s approach to work

To support this momentum, LinkedIn offers tools ranging from Company Pages and content amplification to LinkedIn Events, alongside free learning courses focused on AI, branding and more intelligent networking. The Work Change Report underscores a clear message: for Singapore SMEs, sustained success will depend on pairing strong human relationships and authentic brands with the skills needed to turn AI into a real advantage.

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6 March 2025 will forever be etched in people’s minds as the day Trump took Africa off of aid.

Africa is no longer a passive recipient of development aid—it is stepping forward as an assertive actor demanding agency over its growth trajectory. With a population of over 1.4 billion people, Africa is home to the world’s youngest population, with a median age of just 19 years.

More than 60 per cent of the continent’s population is under the age of 25, representing not only a massive labour force but also a dynamic base of consumers. By 2030, Africa is projected to have a combined consumer and business spending of over US$6.7 trillion, and by 2050, one in four people on the planet will be African.

Across the continent, youth-led movements are rejecting the legacy of colonialism and challenging foreign political, economic, and cultural dominance—from anti-French protests in Mali and Burkina Faso to digital campaigns calling out exploitative trade and development practices.

Simultaneously, the European Union’s waning strategic interest in the African Union—evident in reduced engagement levels, shifting diplomatic priorities, and diluted financial commitments—has created a vacuum that new players such as China, the UAE, and Turkey are beginning to fill.

With the world racing to decarbonise, Africa is no longer on the sidelines. Its vast deposits of critical minerals—such as cobalt, lithium, and rare earths—have drawn the attention of states eager to secure supply chains for their energy transitions.

The United States, for example, has entered into talks with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to access strategic mineral rights, including proposals linking military assistance to extraction privileges. China has taken an even more assertive role, with Chinese companies now dominating cobalt and lithium extraction in the DRC and other mineral-rich African states—representing nearly a quarter of all Chinese FDI in Africa by 2022.

Meanwhile, the European Union has launched its Global Gateway Investment Package, aiming to secure access to key raw materials such as manganese, tantalum, and bauxite while promoting its climate and industrial goals. These moves by global powers have sparked criticism of a new form of resource exploitation, where value is exported and local communities are left with environmental and social costs.

It is clear, that demographics, resources, and geopolitics are converging to make the continent central to global economic and climate strategy. The question is no longer whether Africa will shape the green transition—but how, and on whose terms.

Africa’s climate ambitions and the green promise

Africa holds immense promise in the transition to a net-zero world. Home to 30 per cent of the world’s mineral reserves essential for clean technologies, vast tracts of arable land, and one of the largest solar irradiation zones on Earth, the continent is poised to become a powerhouse of green growth. Countries like Kenya, Morocco, and South Africa are pioneering clean energy solutions, while others like Nigeria and Egypt are exploring green hydrogen and electric vehicle manufacturing.

Beyond energy, Africa’s green growth potential lies in net-zero manufacturing. According to a recent report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Africa has the opportunity to decarbonise its industrial base and become a global hub for low-carbon manufacturing. If supported by the right financing and policy architecture, Africa could reduce manufacturing emissions by up to 90 per cent while creating 3.8 million new green jobs and generating over US$2 billion in annual green revenues by 2030.

Also Read: Climate tech startups can play a role in helping SMEs bridge sustainability, digital transformation: Paessler

Sectors such as green steel, sustainable cement, bio-based packaging, and solar panel assembly could anchor a pan-African net-zero industrial ecosystem. Such developments would not only enhance local value creation and export potential but also build resilience against global supply shocks.

With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) opening pathways for intra-continental green value chains, and a youthful population hungry for climate-compatible employment, Africa has the assets to shape a new industrial era. But ambition needs capital. And that’s where the dilemma begins.

The financial trap: Debt-for-nature swaps and ESG capital

Aside from developmental aid, debt-for-nature swaps (DFNS) are gaining traction as a solution to Africa’s rising debt and climate finance gap. These financial arrangements allow portions of external debt to be forgiven or restructured in exchange for conservation commitments. Gabon made headlines with a US$500 million marine DFNS in 2023, Seychelles earlier protected 30 per cent of its waters through a similar mechanism, and a coalition of Indian Ocean states is now considering a US$2 billion joint proposal.

On the surface, DFNS seem like a win-win: nations reduce debt burdens and fund environmental protection. But many of these deals come with strict conditions—funds are often ring-fenced for conservation, leaving little room to finance green industrial infrastructure such as clean energy manufacturing, regenerative agriculture, or low-carbon transport systems.

Africa risks becoming a “carbon sink” or biodiversity custodian for the Global North—rewarded for what it protects, not what it builds.

The fork in the road: Two futures

Africa stands at a critical juncture, with two divergent paths ahead:

• The dystopian green enclosure: Natural capital becomes collateral. External actors define conservation metrics, audit compliance, and enforce penalties. Environmental policy becomes beholden to ESG bond covenants, biodiversity offset schemes, and investor expectations. Sovereignty is slowly eroded, as African nations trade access to land, forests, and water in exchange for financial relief.
• A regenerative green sovereignty: Africa asserts control over climate finance architecture. DFNS and ESG capital are redirected toward building industrial green zones, powered by solar, producing sustainable goods for global markets. Regional carbon markets and African-developed disclosure frameworks anchor investment. Sovereignty is maintained, development is endogenous, and climate outcomes are just.

TCFD and the disclosure dilemma

The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) is a global framework helping firms report climate-related financial risks. Egypt, Tunisia, and Kenya are among the few African countries piloting TCFD-aligned programs. By aligning with TCFD, African firms can attract climate capital and demonstrate resilience to global investors.

But there’s a catch: the TCFD’s structure and methodology are rooted in Western risk assumptions. If adopted uncritically, Africa could once again become a follower of externally defined ESG norms, rather than shaping standards that reflect its realities and strengths.

The new geopolitics of climate finance

Climate finance is fast becoming a new instrument of geopolitical influence. China is investing in Africa’s renewable grids. The UAE is backing clean tech parks. The EU and US push biodiversity-linked bonds and climate reporting standards. Financial giants like Goldman Sachs and BlackRock are issuing nature-based financial products.

Foreign investments in Africa increasingly focus on conservation and carbon offset initiatives that benefit both host countries and investors. China, through its Belt and Road Initiative, has developed models of reforestation for carbon credit generation that could be replicated in African landscapes.

The UAE, via companies like Blue Carbon, has secured rights over millions of hectares of African forests for carbon credit projects, using the credits to offset domestic emissions and trade globally. European investors are engaging in biodiversity credits, such as through African Parks’ Verifiable Nature Units, to meet their ESG targets while funding ecological protection.

While these projects offer crucial capital and visibility for Africa’s conservation agenda, they raise critical concerns:

• Sovereignty and land use: Large-scale land agreements may marginalise local communities, especially if traditional rights are ignored or overridden. In Tanzania, the eviction of Maasai herders from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to make way for carbon offset and tourism investments has sparked international outrage. These evictions, influenced by foreign conservation and finance interests, raise questions about whose interests are being prioritised in the green transition.
• Environmental integrity: The quality and credibility of carbon credits depend on rigorous standards, transparency, and independent verification. Without proper oversight, such projects risk undermining real climate action.
• Financial risk and ownership loss: When climate infrastructure projects go awry, the burden often falls on African governments and citizens. In Kenya’s Lake Turkana Wind Power Project, delays in grid connection forced the government to pay US$52.5 million in penalties to foreign developers—costs ultimately passed on to the public. Such contracts reflect the imbalance of power and the risk of legal or financial transfer of assets in the event of defaults.
• Equitable benefit sharing: African nations must negotiate agreements that ensure a fair share of revenue, support local job creation, and reinvest in communities and ecosystems.

Africa is both the stage and the prize in this contest. If fragmented, it risks being out-negotiated. If unified, it could command better terms.

Also Read: Transition climate risk: Navigating the future of sustainable real estate

Strategic pathways and business opportunities for Africa

To navigate this moment, Africa must adopt strategic measures that both protect sovereignty and catalyse green growth. Learning from successful models in other regions can provide a roadmap for Africa’s climate transition:

• Embed sovereignty protections in all climate finance deals. African governments must include clauses that prevent loss of ownership or operational control in the event of financial distress, ensuring that local communities and national authorities retain decision-making power.
• Develop regional standards for ESG frameworks, carbon and biodiversity accounting. Drawing inspiration from Singapore’s Centre for Climate Research and its investments in foundational climate science, Africa can establish regional research institutions and universities to lead in regional climate modelling and carbon measurement. With a strong scientific base, it empowers Africa to set its own benchmarks for ESG performance, emissions reduction, biodiversity valuation, and climate resilience. ensuring they reflect the continent’s unique ecological, economic, and social realities.
• Harmonise climate finance taxonomies with global standards. Singapore has demonstrated regional leadership by aligning its green finance taxonomy with those of the EU and China to ensure interoperability for cross-border financing. Similarly, Africa can develop a harmonised climate taxonomy that is compatible with major international systems, thereby enhancing its ability to attract sustainable finance while ensuring projects align with local needs.
• Leverage AfCFTA to scale green policies, and setting regional benchmarks for investing of DFNS proceeds. Funds from debt-for-nature swaps should support sectors like renewable energy, green hydrogen, sustainable agriculture, and electric mobility—areas with strong job creation and export potential, not just conservation. Fostering intra-African trade in climate goods and services would promote self-sustaining green value chains and reduce dependency on imported technologies.
• Capitalise on emerging business opportunities in green and digital infrastructure. These include investments in low-carbon “dark factories” using automation and renewable energy, climate-resilient data centres powered by solar or geothermal, and localised processing of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and graphite. These sectors can transform Africa into a competitive hub for climate-era industries while creating durable economic value.

Conclusion: Owning the transition

Africa has a choice. It can remain a passive supplier of offsets and green goodwill. Or it can build the factories, systems, and institutions of the net-zero age. The tools are emerging. The capital is circling. The question is whether the continent will shape its green destiny—or lease it out to the highest bidder.

The stakes are high, but so is Africa’s leverage. If the continent acts collectively and on its own terms, the green future will not only be sustainable. It will be sovereign.

You can also find me on my podcast and newsletter, where I share regular insights on geopolitics and leadership.

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While global public markets are showing tentative signs of recovery, Southeast Asia’s ability to deliver clear, dependable exit pathways remains a defining test for the region’s digital economy. Capital may be returning, but confidence hinges less on sentiment and more on proof — specifically, whether investors can realistically see how and when liquidity will materialise.

The e-Conomy SEA 2025 report is unambiguous on this point. Exit viability now sits alongside profitability as a primary filter for capital allocation. This reflects a broader shift from growth narratives to outcome certainty. Investors are no longer asking who can scale fastest, but who can exit credibly.

Globally, IPO activity is beginning to thaw, particularly across the US, Europe and parts of North Asia. Southeast Asia, however, continues to lag. A 21 per cent decline in IPO activity across the SEA-6 in the first half of 2025 underscores the gap between global recovery and regional readiness.

Yet the picture is not uniformly bleak. Indonesia and Malaysia have emerged as the region’s most reliable public exit engines, accounting for roughly 70 per cent of IPO volume over the past year. Singapore’s pipeline, while slower to convert, suggests preparation rather than retreat.

For venture capital, exits are not a luxury; they are the system’s oxygen. The cautious re-emergence of late-stage funding reflects expectations that IPO and M&A routes will reopen meaningfully. As profitability improves and listing pipelines solidify, Southeast Asia’s next test is execution. Confidence will follow results, not projections.

REGIONAL

Trade finance platform Olea bets on AI and Web3 as it closes US$30M Series A: Investors include BBVA, XDC Network, and theDOCK. With fresh capital, Olea scales technology-driven trade finance to support inclusive global commerce and resilient supply chains.

Singapore’s deeptech startup Galatek nets US$30M Series A: The firm focuses on automation and AI solutions for life sciences and semiconductor manufacturing. The funding will help expand its product development, strengthen its supply chain, and grow teams in Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia.

AnyMind Group enters offline retail with acquisition of Japan’s Sun Smile: By integrating Sun Smile, AnyMind Group will extend its BPaaS offering beyond digital channels to include offline retail distribution. This enables brands to manage social-driven demand, e-commerce operations and in-store sales as part of one data-linked ecosystem.

Pyxis bags US$10M to scale electric vessels across SEA: Investors include Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, SEEDS, and Shift4Good. Pyxis will advance its Electra smart ecosystem with deeper IoT integration, predictive maintenance tools and vehicle-to-grid capabilities and develop ultra-fast marine charging infrastructure.

GoTo appoints Hans Patuwo as CEO, replacing Patrick Walujo: Patuwo previously served as COO and led the company’s financial services and cloud migration projects. Before joining GoTo, he worked at multinational companies in the US, China, and Singapore, including McKinsey.

Antler invests US$5.6M across 14 AI startups with early commercial traction: The investments target applied AI businesses operating across industrial, enterprise and infrastructure-focused sectors, with several of the startups reporting active customers in multiple international markets.

Grab, China’s Momenta team up on autonomous driving in SEA: As part of the deal, Grab will make a strategic investment in Momenta. The companies plan to integrate Momenta’s autonomous driving systems into vehicles for deployment on Grab’s platform, focusing on Southeast Asian urban mobility.

Vietnam boosts cross-border e-commerce to become export hub: The country introduced a national e-commerce development master plan for 2026-30 and enacted a new law on December 10. Vietnam’s total cross-border online import-export turnover was US$4.1B in 2024, with online exports estimated to rise 18% to US$2B in 2025.

REPORTS, LISTICLES, AND FEATURES

Recovery without returns: Why SEA’s tech exit problem persists: As the region moves into its next digital decade, the convergence of increasing profitability and more apparent IPO activity in key markets is essential for restoring complete, long-term investor confidence and driving continued capital deployment across the technology ecosystem.

Who made it through: SEA’s startup winners, survivors, and failures: The region’s startup reckoning split winners, survivors and casualties, rewarding fintech infrastructure, profitability and regulatory alignment, while ending growth-at-all-costs narratives and forcing painful reinvention across the ecosystem.

15 SEA startups using tech to fix what systems can’t: From mental health and healthcare access to sustainable food systems, farmer livelihoods, and workplace equity, these companies sit at the intersection of innovation and impact.

Why fintechs should learn about customer retention from e-commerce firms: Fintech firms typically have inventories that are limited to the same types of products and services. As most financial products are intangible, communicating the real value of products to customers before they buy and finding ways to purchase more can be a challenge.

After the Gold Rush: What comes next for Southeast Asia’s digital economy: After a decade of breakneck growth, the region’s digital economy faces slower expansion, tougher regulation, and higher execution demands.

INTERNATIONAL

North Korean hackers steal crypto worth US$2B in 2025: This marks a record haul and a more than 50% rise from 2024. A major portion of this total came from a US$1.5B theft at Bybit in February. The country was responsible for most of the US$3.4B stolen from the global cryptocurrency industry between Jan and early Dec 2025.

TikTok signs deal to divest US assets to American-led venture: The transaction is expected to close on January 22, with Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX together holding a 45% stake in the new entity, to be named TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.

Coinbase sues three US states over prediction market rules: The lawsuit challenges Michigan, Illinois, and Connecticut’s authority to regulate prediction markets. Coinbase seeks court orders confirming that only the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has jurisdiction over these markets.

One-third in UK use AI for emotional, social support: According to a new report from the government’s AI Security Institute, general-purpose assistants like ChatGPT were most commonly used for these purposes, followed by voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa.

Flipkart acquires majority stake in India-based Minivet AI: The acquisition is intended to enhance Flipkart’s generative AI capabilities for its ecommerce platform, especially in areas like visual, conversational, and AI-led shopping experiences.

IBM to train 5M Indian youths in AI, tech by 2030: The tech giant will deliver the training through its SkillsBuild platform, which offers courses in various digital skills. It will work with Indian educational institutions to expand access to hands-on learning, curriculum integration, and faculty development.

SEMICONDUCTOR

South Korea to deploy 10,000 Nvidia GPUs to startups, AI projects: The government recently spent US$947.2M to purchase these GPUs. The GPUs will be used in a large-scale cluster to support high-speed computing for AI model training and inference in industry, academia, and state projects.

Chinese scientists develop optical AI chip 100x faster than Nvidia: The optical computing chip, LightGen, uses photonic neurons—over 2M integrated onto a single chip—to process and generate high-resolution images and videos using the speed of light rather than electrons.

Nvidia to build new AI campus in Israel: The US chipmaker plans to buy the land from the state for about US$28M, marking the first time an international tech firm in Israel will own its campus property. The site will cover 90 dunams and span about 160,000 square meters.

AI

Why legal’s biggest AI problem isn’t technology: The prosperous future of the legal industry depends on the seamless integration of people, technology, and process. This fosters a community of practice that promotes responsible, inclusive, and commercially effective legal innovation.

Asia’s legal AI challenge isn’t tech; it’s talent and mindset: AI adoption in Asia’s legal sector hinges on people, not platforms — bridging generational divides, reskilling talent, and reshaping mindsets for sustainable change.

How AI is rewriting the rules of cyber defence: The fast growth of AI has created an imbalance between attackers and defenders. Security experts are now playing catch-up against threats that are faster and larger than ever before.

Indonesia finishes initial phase of AI talent factory programme: The initiative, run in partnership with Universitas Brawijaya, aims to increase the number of skilled professionals in AI. It focuses on three areas: providing updated education, connecting graduates to industry needs, and encouraging the development of AI-based solutions.

Agentic AI could transform travel planning: McKinsey: Unlike current chatbots or recommendation engines, agentic AI is designed to handle end-to-end travel logistics, from creating itineraries to booking and adjusting plans if disruptions occur.

AI augmented writing: Augmentation in practice: Merriam-Webster’s 2025 Word of the Year, “slop”, highlights how AI automation degrades trust, while human-led AI augmentation delivers authenticity, performance and meaningful content.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Tech earnings fail AI test and crypto pays the price: Asian markets fell as tech stocks slid on AI valuation worries, dragging crypto lower as Nasdaq-linked sentiment tightened, with investors demanding earnings proof amid rising global risk aversion and volatility.

The art and science of feedback: A guide for first time founders and new managers: Effective feedback isn’t vibes or bureaucracy. It requires structure, self-awareness and trust — combining human judgment with disciplined systems, and eventually AI, to turn fear into growth.

Human connection will define SEA’s innovation story in 2026: Trust, care, belonging, and emotional intelligence are becoming the new KPIs. In a world where AI can automate almost everything, what can’t be automated becomes even more valuable: Empathy, creativity, local culture, memory-making moments, and real presence.

The future of retail is autonomous: Securing agentic AI for smarter, safer growth: Agentic AI is emerging as a critical enabler in retail. It does not just follow instructions. It reasons through tasks, makes informed decisions, and takes action, enabling a connected frontline to work smarter and respond to customer needs in real time.

Fintech companies targeting the next billion users are living a pipe dream. Here’s why: Using history and fintech, the piece argues top-down tech strategies fail in emerging markets; success with next billion users demands ground-level, merchant-first solutions over one-size-fits-all platforms.

Digital banking in Indonesia: Growing importance and future trends: Digital banking is helping Indonesians to solve problems that a few years ago were hard to imagine solving. It gives access to finances to rural citizens, therefore expanding the abilities for economic rise and development.

How retailers could prepare for the next consumer recession, if it were to come: Reward programmes are a way to retain customers but to make it work, retailers have to track and record the results, including new membership sign-ups, immediate sales growth, and long-term measurable profit increment.

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Antler has unveiled a new batch of AI startups emerging from its Singapore-based Disrupt programme, allocating US$5.6 million in initial capital to 14 companies that have already begun generating commercial demand.

The investments target applied AI businesses operating across industrial, enterprise and infrastructure-focused sectors, with several of the startups reporting active customers in multiple international markets.

Antler said its latest Disrupt portfolio reflects a deliberate focus on companies solving concrete operational problems rather than pursuing experimental use cases.

The startups were formed through Antler’s Disrupt 1 and Disrupt 2 cohorts, launched in Singapore in May and October. The founders bring prior operating experience and are building applied AI products designed for enterprise and industrial environments.

According to Antler, several of the companies are already reporting six-figure revenues or multi-million-dollar sales pipelines.

“The most important signal today is not model size or fundraising volume. It is repeated usage,” said Winnie Khoo, partner at Antler.

She added that founders in the Disrupt programme are securing customer trust by embedding their products directly into production and business systems. “They move fast, they listen to customers, and they ship.”

Also Read: Why legal’s biggest AI problem isn’t technology

Each startup received US$400,000 in initial funding following a four-week Disrupt sprint, marking their first institutional capital. Beyond the initial investment, the companies will continue as Antler portfolio startups, gaining access to operational support, investor introductions and follow-on funding opportunities through Series C.

Antler said this extended partnership model is designed to help founders scale from early validation to long-term growth.

Jussi Salovaara, co-founder and managing partner at Antler Asia, said the 2025 funding environment has pushed both founders and investors to be more selective. “We’re backing fewer companies, but with more conviction,” he said. “The Disrupt batch reflects founders with proven execution, clear market opportunities and the ambition to build globally relevant companies.”

As the AI sector approaches 2026, Antler noted a shift among investors towards startups demonstrating early adoption, defined use cases and products embedded within critical systems. The Disrupt AI portfolio reflects this trend, with solutions designed to enhance efficiency, reliability, and decision-making in real-world settings.

The 2025 Antler Disrupt portfolio includes IndustrialMind, which applies AI to manufacturing process design and monitoring, and Nugen, which develops domain-aligned AI for regulated industries such as legal, financial and healthcare services.

Other startups include Anamaya, an AI-powered corporate travel platform, and Enerzyz, an energy asset orchestration operating system designed to improve efficiency and prevent outages.

Also Read: I didn’t build an AI product. I built a brand and the product built itself

Additional companies focus on areas such as application security automation, robotic development, emergency response documentation and enterprise system modernisation. Collectively, the portfolio underscores Antler’s strategy of backing applied AI companies with early revenue signals and the potential to scale globally.

Antler said it expects this approach to position its portfolio companies to meet the growing demand of enterprises for reliable and commercially viable AI solutions in the years ahead.

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Image Credit: Antler

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In early 2024, we introduced an AI-powered copy assistant to improve campaign ideation and reduce creative bottlenecks. As a boutique digital agency that frequently partners with fast-moving startups, speed and originality are non-negotiable.

But the decision sparked friction. Some creatives feared AI would dilute the craft or replace junior talent. Others questioned whether we were sacrificing nuance for speed.

Addressing the resistance

We skipped the top-down approach and ran opt-in workshops using actual client briefs from startups instead. Writers compared traditional and AI-assisted outputs side by side. The sessions sparked productive debates rather than pushback.

Data helped shift perspectives: A/B tests showed AI-supported drafts were completed 12% faster with no drop in client satisfaction. Startups noticed the faster turnarounds, and our team began to see AI as leverage, not a shortcut.

Keeping the core intact

Efficiency gains were great, but they couldn’t come at the cost of culture, tone, or trust.

We created tone-of-voice guidelines and reusable prompt templates that mirrored our clients’ brand language, especially important in sectors like B2C eCommerce and B2B SaaS, where messaging precision is critical. Every AI draft went through human QA before client delivery.

Core rituals stayed intact. Daily creative standups, async reviews, and retrospectives remained human-led. Wins still felt personal. AI simply took care of the grunt work, freeing up our creatives to focus on strategic storytelling.

Lessons from the frontlines

What worked: Starting small. Letting the team test and evaluate. Clear frameworks to ensure brand consistency across early-stage client portfolios.

Also Read: Future-proofing businesses and talent through technology

What we’d change: Include AI literacy in the onboarding process. Some team members felt caught off guard. A short introduction to data privacy, prompt engineering, and ethical use would have provided better clarity.

What we’re still testing: Should every role be AI-capable, or should we build out a dedicated AI strategy unit within the agency? The answer may depend on scale and client mix.

Culture as infrastructure

Tech startups pivot fast. Agencies supporting them must move just as quickly. But tools alone don’t create adaptability—culture does.

We’ve found that the real advantage lies in building a team comfortable with experimentation. Not every AI output hits the mark. But when failure is safe, iteration thrives.

Adopting AI in a Southeast Asia-Based Agency

In Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem, speed and performance matter—but so does clarity. Our team responded best when we framed AI adoption around real metrics: faster turnaround, fewer revisions, and more bandwidth for strategy.

To build buy-in, we led with transparency. We clarified how the tool worked, where human input remained essential, and how we protected client data. Structured experimentation—not hype—won the team over.

Southeast Asia’s tech talent is already comfortable with automation. The challenge wasn’t capability; it was aligning new tools with our agency’s values and standards. We made space for open discussion, and adoption followed naturally.

Final thoughts

AI isn’t a threat—it’s a tool. For boutique agencies working with high-growth startups, it’s about deploying tech without losing the human edge. Done right, it builds creative resilience, not just efficiency.

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Singapore’s digital marketing scene is evolving faster than ever. While many local agencies still proudly list “SEO” as their flagship service, a quiet revolution called AISEO (AI-powered Search Engine Optimization) is already redefining what it means to be visible online. The winners won’t be the ones who rank #1 on Google tomorrow — they’ll be the ones who dominate the AI answers that consumers trust today.

The ChatGPT trap most marketers are still stuck in

When Singaporean marketers talk about “AI in SEO,” the conversation usually stops at two things: using ChatGPT (or Claude, or Gemini) to churn out blog posts faster, and generating short videos with tools like Gemini, Runway, or even the viral “Banana” clip maker.

These are flashy, fun, and undeniably productive. Agencies love showing clients a 10× increase in content output and a 70% drop in copywriting costs. Yet this is still AI-assisted content creation, not true AISEO.

Breakthroughs are coming — but they won’t save yesterday’s strategy

Yes, the next 12–24 months will bring jaw-dropping leaps: near-perfect long-form video generation, hyper-realistic voice cloning, and agents that can write 100 blog variations in minutes. These tools will get cheaper and faster.

But here’s the hard truth: when everyone can produce unlimited high-quality content at near-zero marginal cost, content volume becomes table stakes — not a moat.

Singapore’s digital space is already drowning in AI-generated articles, carousel posts, and TikTok-style videos. Flooding the internet harder won’t create a blue ocean; it will just turn the ocean brown.

Consumer behaviour has already shifted, and legacy SEO missed the memo

For years, the holy grail was “rank #1 when someone types the keyword into Google”.

That world is ending.

Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, Gemini Live, and Grok are rapidly becoming the new front page. In 2025, an increasing number of Singaporean consumers — especially Gen Z and high-income millennials — never visit Google.com at all. They ask AI directly:

• “Best hawker stalls for chilli crab under $30”
• “Most reliable condo plumber in District 15”
• “Compare Airalo vs SimCorner eSIM for Japan trip 2025”

The answer they trust isn’t the top Google result anymore. It’s the AI’s synthesised reply — and the sources it chooses to cite (or ignore).

Traditional SEO agencies that measure success only in Google Search Console impressions are optimising for a battlefield that fewer customers are fighting on.

Also read: Why Singapore manufacturers must embrace MES for the future

Why Singapore’s legacy SEO giants are strangely quiet about AISEO

 

The silence is deafening because transformation is painful — and many are hoping the AI wave will slow down. It won’t.

How AISEO pioneers in Singapore are pulling ahead

The new leaders aren’t waiting. They are building what we call the AI Visibility Flywheel:

1. Entity-first content ecosystems
   Instead of keyword-stuffed articles, they create structured, interlinked content clusters that LLMs love to cite as authoritative sources.
2. Zero-click optimisation
   They optimise for featured answers in Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok and Gemini by controlling entity signals, earning citations, and influencing knowledge graphs.
3. Multi-platform source authority
   They seed high-trust signals across Reddit, LinkedIn, industry forums, YouTube community posts, and even GitHub, places AI models scrape heavily for ground truth.
4. Real-time conversational monitoring
   Proprietary dashboards track exactly how often, and how favourably, their brand or client is mentioned inside AI responses in Singapore-specific queries.
5. Closed-loop content engines
   When an AI answer surfaces a knowledge gap, automated systems generate and publish the missing content within hours, capturing authority before competitors wake up.

The result? Their clients don’t just rank on Google — they become the answer when a consumer in Orchard Road asks Gemini “Where should I service my Tesla in Singapore?” or when someone in Jurong asks Grok “Best fixed deposit rates November 2025”.

Also read: How the top 10 best HR systems in Singapore reveal the new standards for HR technology

The bottom line for Singapore brands in 2025–2026

If your agency still sends monthly reports celebrating “+127 ranked keywords” and “+42% organic traffic from Google”, you are paying premium retainers for a vanishing asset.

The new competitive advantage isn’t being on page one.
It’s being the source that AI decides is most trustworthy when your customer asks a question out loud.

The blue ocean isn’t more content.
It’s controlling the narrative inside the black box of large language models.

Singapore has always punched above its weight in adopting technology early. The agencies and brands that embrace AISEO now won’t just survive the next wave — they’ll define it.

The ones who wait for Google to “figure it out” will join the long list of companies that once dominated search… and then quietly faded away.

Why We Write This Article

PRbyAI aims to share updated market news using our team’s tech knowledge, helping B2B customers make informed decisions.

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PRbyAI is a tech-driven Martech startup leveraging cutting-edge AISEO to help customers generate leads and tap into new markets. 

The post Why traditional SEO is dying in Singapore — and how AISEO pioneers are winning the next Blue Ocean appeared first on e27.

At 58, I made my first MTV. Not in a studio, not with a band, and not with a single music lesson in my life. I made it with AI.

For many of us who grew up before the internet, technology can feel like a stranger who arrived too late to the party. We did not grow up coding or editing videos. We built families, careers and routines. Then suddenly AI appeared, fast, loud and full of possibilities we were not trained to use.

But what if this is not the end of our story? What if it is the start of our second act

A new stage for creativity

When I first explored tools such as Suno for music, Artflow for avatars and CapCut for video creation, I felt both lost and alive.
AI gave me something I did not expect: a way to play again.

I started experimenting, combining lyrics, visuals and storytelling. Soon I found myself creating songs that reflected moments of joy, gratitude and rediscovery. They were not perfect, but they were real.

That first AI-created music video was not just about technology. It was about identity. After years of teaching, managing and caregiving, I finally had space to make something that was mine.

This is what many midlifers are quietly discovering. AI is not only for startups or students. It is becoming a bridge back to creativity that welcomes curiosity at any age.

From keeping up to catching up with our dreams

The biggest surprise about AI is not what it can do but what it reminds us we can still become. Many people in their fifties and sixties think AI is too complex, too young or too fast. But every time they try a tool such as ChatGPT, something shifts.

They see their words come alive. They hear their voices in digital form. They realise they can still create, share and be part of the future.

Also Read: From idea to impact: How midlifers can use AI to turn inspiration into marketing content

For me, using AI was not about keeping up with technology. It was about catching up with my dreams, the ones once put aside for family, work or practicality.

When I built Speakers Society, a community that helps midlifers rediscover their voice, I saw the same pattern.

People were not afraid of AI itself. They were afraid of feeling irrelevant. Once they understood that AI could amplify, not erase, their humanity, something changed. They began to create content, podcasts and even digital art, things they never imagined doing before.

AI as a mirror, not a machine

What makes AI powerful is not its intelligence but its ability to reflect ours. When used thoughtfully, it becomes a mirror that shows us who we are becoming.

Some of the best conversations I have had this year were not with humans but with chatbots. They helped me think, write and reflect. But the true transformation came when I shared those stories with others, real people with real emotions.

That is where technology finds its purpose, not in automation but in amplification. AI is not replacing our creativity. It is reigniting it.

Learning through play and curiosity

Midlife learners have one superpower that technology cannot copy: life experience. We know how to connect dots that younger generations have not yet seen. We bring empathy, humour and context to every new tool we try.

When we approach AI with curiosity instead of comparison, learning becomes easier. We do not need to master every feature. We need to experiment, laugh and learn one small thing at a time.

It is the same joy children feel when they first pick up crayons. Except now our crayons are digital and our stories are global.

Also Read: Never fear, AI is here: Helping midlife artists build their social media voice

The age of co-creation

The most exciting thing about this moment is not AI itself but what humans will do with it.

We are entering the age of co-creation, where imagination meets intelligence. You bring your story, your experience, your voice. AI brings speed, structure and possibility. Together, you create something that neither could do alone.

For midlifers, this collaboration opens doors that were once closed. Want to record a song, design a logo or start a podcast? You no longer need a big team or expensive equipment. You just need the courage to start.

A gentle reminder for the second act

Reinvention is not about changing who you are. It is about remembering what still lights you up. AI is simply the new brush in our hands.

For me, it has turned curiosity into creation and creation into connection. It helped me rediscover what I always knew deep down.
We do not retire from dreams. We just rewrite them with better tools.

So if you are in your fifties or sixties and wondering if it is too late, it is not. It is your second act, and the stage is wide open.

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The post The second act: How midlifers are reinventing themselves with AI appeared first on e27.

The recent interplay between macroeconomic signals, regulatory shifts, and technical dynamics has placed the crypto market in a precarious but intriguing position. While traditional financial markets grapple with mixed labour data and shifting rate expectations, digital assets have staged a modest recovery, buoyed not by exuberance but by relief, tactical positioning, and emerging institutional frameworks. The 0.84 per cent rise in the crypto market over the past 24 hours appears deceptively simple, yet it encapsulates a much broader narrative about resilience amid structural uncertainty.

This rebound lies a classic technical phenomenon: the oversold bounce. The market’s RSI14 dipped to 31, flirting with the lower boundary of neutral territory and signalling that selling pressure had reached a temporary extreme. This condition attracted opportunistic traders, evidenced by a sharp 23 per cent surge in derivatives volume as participants sought to capitalise on discounted entry points. However, this surge came with a caveat. Open interest in perpetual and futures markets declined by 6.7 per cent, suggesting that while short-term speculators entered the fray, longer-term holders and leveraged participants remained cautious.

The MACD histogram, registering at a negative US$389 million, further underscored the absence of strong momentum behind the move up. Meanwhile, Bitcoin dominance held steady at 58.8 per cent, indicating that capital remained concentrated in the perceived safety of the flagship asset rather than rotating into riskier altcoins. This defensive posture reflects a market that is not yet convinced the worst is over, merely that it may have priced in the near-term pessimism.

Crucially, this technical bounce coincided with a notable policy development that may carry longer-term implications. Canada’s announcement of a forthcoming stablecoin regulatory framework for 2026 represents a rare moment of constructive clarity in an otherwise turbulent regulatory landscape.

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem emphasised that only stablecoins pegged one-to-one to central bank currencies and backed by high-quality liquid assets like Treasury bills would qualify as “good money.” This stance, while stringent, provides a clear benchmark for issuers and reassures institutions that Canada seeks to integrate stablecoins into its financial infrastructure rather than shun them outright.

Also Read: Crypto faces triple threat: Senate stall, macro jitters, and technical breakdown

In a global context where regulatory ambiguity has often stifled innovation, Canada’s approach, complemented by its Real-Time Rail payments system and open banking initiatives, positions the country as an emerging hub for compliant digital finance. This contrasts sharply with the United States, where legislative delays continue to weigh on sentiment.

While the US remains the largest market for crypto ETFs, its policy inertia creates a vacuum that other jurisdictions are beginning to fill. Canada’s proactive stance, though modest in immediate market impact, offers a glimpse of a more stable institutional pathway forward, particularly for payment-oriented stablecoins that could bridge traditional finance and Web3 ecosystems.

Optimism remains tempered by the realities of institutional flows and on-chain behaviour. Grayscale’s bullish outlook for Bitcoin in 2026, predicting new all-time highs, provides a compelling long-term thesis rooted in macro cycles and halving dynamics. This vision clashes with the short-term data emerging from ETF markets, which recorded US$1.11 billion in weekly outflows.

These outflows reflect investor caution in the face of rising macro uncertainty, including the mixed US jobs report that showed only 64,000 jobs added in November, barely above expectations, but a concerning rise in unemployment to 4.6 per cent, a four-year high. Such data complicates the Federal Reserve’s decision-making, diminishing hopes for aggressive rate cuts in early 2025 and indirectly pressuring risk assets.

In this environment, even bullish institutional narratives struggle to overcome near-term liquidity concerns. The pressure extended beyond Bitcoin, with Ethereum experiencing sharp derivatives liquidations after a single whale incurred a US$54 million unrealised loss on leveraged long positions. This episode highlights the fragility of leveraged exposure in times of volatility and the cascading effects that can ripple through the market when large positions unwind unexpectedly.

The broader macro backdrop further contextualises crypto’s cautious rebound. Asian equities declined broadly, with MSCI’s Asia-Pacific ex-Japan index falling 1.3 per cent to a three-week low. Japan’s Nikkei dropped 1.6 per cent ahead of a widely anticipated rate hike by the Bank of Japan, signalling a shift away from decades of ultra-loose monetary policy. Simultaneously, oil prices slumped below US$60 per barrel, their weakest level since May, driven by oversupply fears and speculation about potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

The US dollar weakened across major currencies following the ambiguous jobs data, suggesting markets are recalibrating expectations for global monetary policy divergence. In such a landscape, crypto’s modest gain appears not as a flight to risk but as a relative stabilisation after excessive pessimism.

Also Read: From quantitative tightening to quantitative crypto: How policy shifts are rewriting market rules

Looking ahead, the sustainability of this rebound hinges on several converging factors. Technically, a decisive move above the 7-day simple moving average at US$3.03 trillion in total market capitalisation would signal growing confidence. More critically, Bitcoin must reclaim the US$87,000 level, a psychological and liquidity-rich threshold tied to US$20.6 million in potential long liquidations.

A break above this mark could trigger a wave of short-covering and renewed institutional interest, especially if macro conditions begin to favour risk assets once more. The Fear and Greed Index remains at 25, deep in “fear” territory, suggesting that sentiment has not yet turned, but also that there is room for improvement should catalysts materialise.

Ultimately, the current rally is not a declaration of a new bull market but a measured recalibration. It emerges from a confluence of short-term technical exhaustion, selective regulatory progress in jurisdictions like Canada, and persistent institutional conviction in crypto’s long-term narrative. However, it operates within a fragile ecosystem marked by declining year-over-year trading volume, down 11.7 per cent, defensive capital rotation, and ongoing macro headwinds.

The market’s next move will depend less on isolated data points and more on whether these disparate forces can align, whether policy clarity can offset ETF outflows, whether macro easing can return, and whether on-chain leverage can stabilise. Until then, traders and investors alike remain in a holding pattern, watching closely for the first signs of durable conviction.

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Singapore-based trade finance platform Olea Global has raised US$30 million in a Series A funding round, as it looks to scale its technology-driven approach to simplifying global trade for businesses, particularly in emerging markets across Asia.

The round was led by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), with participation from XDC Network, theDOCK, and other strategic investors. Existing shareholder SC Ventures, the venture-building arm of Standard Chartered Bank, also joined the round.

Also Read: Why blockchain is instrumental for the future of trade finance

The fresh capital will be deployed towards accelerating product innovation, including AI-driven analytics, Web3 readiness, and the development of higher-growth solutions such as embedded finance, aligned with evolving client needs. Olea also plans to expand origination across high-growth trade corridors by leveraging its global partnership ecosystem.

The equity raise follows a funding facility arranged in November 2024 by HSBC and Manulife | CQS Investment Management, strengthening Olea’s balance sheet as it scales its operations.

Backed by banks, built for modern trade

With BBVA coming in as lead investor, Olea is set to expand into new trade corridors across Europe, the US, Latin America, and Asia. Both companies plan to collaborate on digital supply chain solutions and advanced risk analytics, combining banking expertise with Olea’s technology-first platform.

SC Ventures, which incubated Olea, explore further collaboration with Olea in digital assets and artificial intelligence.

Meanwhile, XDC Network, a layer-1 blockchain platform focused on enterprise and trade finance, will support Olea’s ambition to enable tokenised and stablecoin-based trade flows, while theDOCK, a venture capital firm specialising in maritime logistics, is expected to open up new commercial pathways and ecosystem partnerships.

Addressing the global trade finance gap

Founded in 2022, Olea has built an institutional-grade digital trade finance platform, underpinned by “robust” risk management and a Capital Market Services (CMS) licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

To date, the company has established origination capabilities across more than 70 trade corridors, partnered with over 30 institutional funders, and facilitated more than US$3 billion in financing for global suppliers and buyers.

Olea is headquartered in Singapore and was originally founded with investment from SC Ventures and Linklogis.

At a time when global trade continues to grow modestly — with services trade leading expansion in the first half of 2025 — the trade finance gap remains at an estimated US$1.7 trillion, disproportionately impacting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets. Olea’s platform aims to address this gap by digitising document verification, automating risk assessment through AI, and improving transparency using blockchain technology.

In simple terms, Olea acts as a bridge between global capital providers — such as banks and institutional investors — and businesses involved in cross-border trade, enabling faster, more secure access to financing for suppliers and more efficient payment flows for buyers.

Looking ahead

As AI and blockchain technologies continue to reshape global trade — from risk management and logistics optimisation to real-time settlement and traceability — Olea is positioning itself at the intersection of technology, finance, and cross-border commerce, with Asia firmly at the centre of its growth strategy.

Also Read: XDC Ventures acquires Contour to bridge TradFi and Web3 in global trade

With fresh capital and heavyweight institutional backing, the company is now poised for its next phase of expansion, working to accelerate global trade, make it faster, more transparent, and more accessible for businesses worldwide.

The post Trade finance platform Olea bets on AI and Web3 as it closes US$30M Series A appeared first on e27.