It’s 2026, and Singapore continues to hold the top spot on the Passport Index. This ranking is a stark reminder that the circumstances of your birth can shape how easily doors open later in life.

For most of modern business history, competition has been the dominant story. Companies protected their market share, outmanoeuvred rivals, and measured success by how effectively they outperformed their competitors.

Global trade has always demanded nerve. You identify an opportunity, build a relationship, and move goods across borders in the hope that everything arrives intact, both commercially and legally. But over the last few years, the calculus has shifted.

Let’s not pretend the past few weeks have been business as usual. They haven’t, not for the region, not for global markets, and not for the businesses and individuals who have built their lives and livelihoods here.