Singapore's malls are one click away from irrelevance, though the investment trusts that own them are carrying on as if nothing has changed.The first hint of trouble showed up in January when department store John Little shut down after a 174-year run.

The startup sector has exploded globally with investors on the lookout for the next "Facebook". This has inspired technology entrepreneurs to create their own companies and sell their ideas to the world in hopes of being the next Mark Zuckerberg.

Singapore banks have closed accounts of several companies which specialise in providing cryptocurrency and payments services, according to two local bodies which represent financial-technology firms.Noting that cryptocurrency firms have had similar problems with their banks in other countries, the head of Singapore’s Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Industry Association, or Access, asked the government to step in.“From our analysis, it appears to be common among leading FinTech hubs,” Access Cha

Earlier this week, the world was bombarded with unfavourable news about bitcoin. Chinese media outlet, Caixin, posted an article that said China is planning to shut local bitcoin exchanges. If the report is true, this would be the PBoC's (People’s Bank of China) second move against cryptocurrency in less than a week. The bank declared ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) illegal on September 4, 2017, which caused bitcoin prices to fall seven percent on September 8, 2017.

As the world grows smaller and connected, many organisations and individuals become highly depended on technology-based interfaces for various financial services including banking, payments, money transfers, fund-raising and asset management. The impact of technology on finance is changing the world as we speak and FinTech (financial technology) is at the forefront of the next global revolution - leading to greater overall efficiency and productivity.