Since the birth of the first digital currency, Bitcoin, in 2008, blockchain technology has developed significantly in various fields. As one of the financial hubs of Asia, Singapore has also attracted a wide range of software professionals and investors in the financial services industry involving blockchain technologies and nonfungible tokens (NFT). NFT marketplaces can be either gaming platforms for earning digital assets like Axie Infinity, collectibles trading platforms like NBA TopShot or metaverse platforms like Decentraland and Earth 2 where virtual properties can be bought and sold.
MAS amends Sections 13O & 13U Application Guidelines for Family Offices in Singapore
MAS Amends Sections 13O and 13U Application Guidelines for Family Offices in Singapore
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has amended its requirements for family offices[1] applying for tax incentive schemes pursuant to Sections 13O and 13U of the Income Tax Act 1947 (the Act). The following amended policies apply to all first preliminary submissions received by MAS on or after 18 April 2022 for these schemes, and MAS may require applications that have received no communication from MAS for a span of at least six months to be resubmitted under the amended guidelines. The following applications are not subject to the amended policies:
SPAC Listings
Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs, or “blank check” companies), which are shell companies set up with the sole purpose of raising funds through an initial public offering (IPO) to acquire an existing target company, have seen a dramatic rise in the past year. High levels of liquidity and persistently low interest rates, coupled with a growing appetite among investors for higher-yielding investment opportunities, have fuelled the rising interest in SPACs. According to resource website SpacInsider, which tracks these investment vehicles, 248 SPAC IPOs were completed in the last year alone, raising US$83 billion, compared with 216 from 2009 to 2019. This article discusses the features of SPACs, its benefits and risks, trends in Asia as well as the future for SPACs in Singapore.
Effective Estate Planning
The thought of estate planning often brings to mind your will and your legacy. As you have spent your entire life on the acquisition, management and preservation of your wealth of assets for the benefit of your loved ones you leave behind, shouldn’t you pay as much attention to the prudent distribution of your assets upon your demise to ensure that your wishes are effective in bringing about the desired result and minimize the burden on your loved ones who inherit your assets? Of particular concern here is the legacy involving real estate property and joint bank accounts. The key to effective estate planning is knowing how the manner of holding such assets in the first place affects the right to transfer them upon death.