Today – Saturday 9 August 2025 – Singapore celebrates 60 years of independence.
If you live in Singapore, you’ll no doubt have seen and enjoyed some of the many events that have been held to mark the occasion.
These include ‘Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art’ at the National Gallery to a multimedia journey exploring what’s defined Singapore’s place in the world over the past 700 years at the National Museum, all culminating in a National Day Parade in the Marina Bay area.
Singapore is “entering a new era of wealth creation”
60 years after gaining independence, Singapore is recognised as a major global hub for data, energy, finance, and transportation.
And now, according to research from Morgan Stanley, the country is “entering a new era of wealth creation”. Following 60 transformative years, this safe harbour for global capital is on the brink of becoming a “strategic engine of innovation and influence”.
Indeed, by 2030, the research suggests that Singapore’s household net assets could almost double from $2.3 trillion to $4 trillion. And the MSCI stock index could also double in value.
On a per-person basis, Singapore is the world’s 4th richest country
Roughly the same size as New York City, Singapore has a population of around 6 million people.
On a per-person basis, it’s the world’s fourth richest country. Continued growth over the coming years could place it among the world’s top three.
Positive productivity gains, thanks to both positive effects of ongoing equity market reform and companies’ efforts to increase shareholder returns through dividend payouts and share buybacks, could raise returns on Singapore companies return on equity (RoE) by another 2% – taking it from today’s 12% to 14% by 2030.
With such positive expectation, now could be an ideal time to both live and invest in Singapore.
5 key expectations for Singapore by 2030
- Annual GDP of 3% – the highest among the world’s developed economies.
- Net household assets to increase by $1.7 trillion to $4 trillion.
- MSCI Singapore Index to gain 10% a year.
- Average household net worth to rise from $1.6 million to $2.5 million.
- Assets under management to rise from $3 trillion to $7 trillion.
3 pillars supporting Singapore’s new phase of economic development
1. Leveraging its status as a global hub
Both public and private sectors in Singapore are introducing and continuously working towards positive initiatives to attract talent and business.
Progress is helped and enabled thanks to well-publicised public safety numbers – in 2025, World Population Review rated Singapore one of the five safest countries in the world.
This together with the region’s educated workforce, high standard of living, robust infrastructure and great network of free trade agreements puts Singapore in a strong position for growth.
As the Morgan Stanley research says: “As a financial hub, Singapore is already globally relevant in currency, regional insurance, financing and asset-gathering.”
Areas for potential growth include:
- Commodities – The local market already accounts for 20% of the world’s energy and metals trade, and there’s potential to develop into a leading hub for liquid natural gas and carbon trading.
- Transportation and tourism – Continuous improvements in air transportation options and infrastructure mean the region is also accustomed to hosting global events and creating well-designed attractions. Tourism accounts for approximately 4% of Singapore’s GDP.
- Technology – Singapore has the necessary infrastructure to become a significant data and AI hub. In fact, according to the research, this decade Singapore could share the majority of the tech sector’s $100 billion investment, alongside Malaysia and Japan.
2. Reinvigorating the equity market
Sadly, despite its vibrant economy, many investors disregard Singapore, thinking that there are few opportunities.
Now, that’s set to change.
This year, the government introduced new policies to reinvigorate the local stock market and attract new listings.
Existing measures are already in place, including tax incentives and policy changes. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has also provided a $4 billion capital injection to improve liquidity.
Regulators are considering introducing a program to encourage listed companies to do more to encourage shareholders to actively engage with business plans and value propositions.
This joined-up commitment to support Singapore as a growing financial centre should help to support the local stock market and increase interest and confidence in Singapore.
If successful, it could boost valuations, not only in the next five years, but for many years to come.
In fact, Morgan Stanley expects that the “equity market reform could lead to an increase in the local price-to-book value rate from 1.7 to 2.3 by 2030, raising Singapore to the level of higher-rated markets like Taiwan and Australia”.
3. Gaining from adopting technology early
Home to more than 80 AI research facilities, 150 AI R&D and product teams and over 1,000 AI startups, Singapore is already among the world’s top 10 AI markets.
As well as AI, autonomous vehicles and humanoids should be on your watchlist.
Singapore is one of the regions leaders when it comes to autonomous vehicles. Since releasing a provisional national standard in 2019, Singapore has authorised 13 autonomous vehicles for public road trials.
Established as a main bet to increase future productivity, humanoids are already operating at Changi Airport, and carrying out tasks including cleaning, transport, and security. The government has also invested around $400 million into the National Robotics Programme (NRP).
There’s much to celebrate, and more to come
The images in this Daily Mail article tell a visual story of just some of the changes made over the past 60 years; including the six-lane Bukit Timah Expressway in 1965, and the same road today, with the fantastic Eco-Link bridge, allowing safe crossing for animals in the two nature reserves. And the incredible transformation of Sentosa Island.
If you’re keen to discuss Singapore’s potential growth or simply find out more about how we can support your own financial journey, we’d be delighted to hear from you.
