In brief On 25 September 2025, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) introduced initiatives aimed at promoting responsible advertising and sharing of financial content online. The MAS has issued the following guidance: By establishing expectations for both financial institutions (FIs) and online content creators to conduct digital advertising in a…
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower is seeking public feedback on the upcoming Workplace Fairness Bill, which will outline procedures for resolving workplace discrimination claims. Key topics include dispute resolution, tribunal jurisdiction, and union representation. Feedback is due by 19 September 2025.
On 15 August 2025, Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) issued an update listing overseas health products found to contain potent, prohibited ingredients. These may cause harmful side effects. The HSA advises consumers to avoid such products and buy only from trusted sources. Sellers in Singapore face severe penalties for supplying adulterated products. The HSA continues monitoring global enforcement to protect local consumers and urges suppliers to assess any overseas regulatory impacts.
On 11 August 2025, Singapore’s CCCS obtained court orders against immigration consultancy businesses for misleading trade practices. The businesses used deceptive tactics to pressure customers into applying for permanent residency, including false guarantees and scripted sales pitches. The mastermind behind these practices evaded detection by operating through new entities. The court ordered cessation of these practices, public disclosure of the orders, and ongoing reporting to CCCS. This signals CCCS’s strict enforcement stance.
Singapore is considering age assurance measures for social media platforms to protect younger users online. These may include age verification systems to ensure age-appropriate content. The Online Safety Bill will be tabled soon, and a new commission to support victims of online harm is planned for next year. This aligns with global efforts to enhance digital safety for children.
The Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2024 amended, from 16 June 2025, the Companies Act 1967 (CA) and the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005 along with related regulations, to address the risk of misuse of nominee arrangements — an area identified as vulnerable to abuse and potentially the cause of illicit activities.
These amendments enhance Singapore’s anti-money laundering regime to Enhance statutory register disclosures to meet FATF standards, prevent accidental omissions, and improve transparency and accuracy of nominee arrangements through timely and ongoing updates.
In response to heightened scrutiny over country of origin declarations amid ongoing global tariff tensions, Singapore Customs issued Circular No. 06/2025 on 9 June 2025 to provide important clarification on the applicable preferential and non-preferential rules of origin when declaring the “country of origin” for importation into, exportation out of, and transshipments through Singapore.
In a joint response to a public forum letter, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) announced that they are considering requiring vendors to obtain national cybersecurity certifications, namely the Cyber Essentials or Cyber Trust mark, before they can be licensed or bid for government contracts involving access to sensitive data or systems.
This move follows a recent data breach involving a third-party vendor and underscores the growing regulatory focus on third-party cybersecurity risks.
On 3 May 2025, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issued a consultation paper proposing to remove the current exclusions under the Financial Advisers Regulations and the Securities and Futures (Licensing and Conduct of Business) Regulations (SF(LCB)R) that exempt certain financial institutions from complying with advertising regulations.
This proposal is part of MAS’s broader initiative to enhance market conduct standards, following its 2023 Consultation Paper on Enhancing Safeguards for Proper Conduct of Digital Prospecting and Marketing Activities.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) is launching two initiatives, the generative AI (GenAI) Playbook and the GenAI Navigator, to make artificial intelligence (AI) more accessible to Singapore businesses and to increase its adoption locally.