The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) encourages economic growth and creates employment so that Singaporeans can lead better lives. Its strategies are based on a free-market system and outward-oriented economic policies.

The China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA) marks Singapore as the first Asian country to have a comprehensive bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China. This is a major milestone in Singapore’s relationship with China since diplomatic ties were officially ...

The Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) was formed on 1 April 1964 to take over the functions, assets and liabilities of the Singapore Harbour Board. It was operating five maritime gateways by 1990, including Keppel Wharves, Jurong Port, Sembawang Wharves, Tanjong ...

Southeast Asia’s trade with China had taken place long before the Portuguese captured Melaka in 1511, paving the way for Western imperialism in the Malay archipelago. Trade with China was known as “Nanhai trade”, with nanhai referring to “southern seas”, an area ...

Founded in 1837, the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) was originally established to defend the interests of Singapore businesses against an unsupportive East India Company administration. Today, the SICC has evolved into a multinational organisation, ...

The opening of Singapore as a British free port in 1819 attracted trade from the Bugis, a group of seafarers from the southern Celebes (today’s Indonesian island of Sulawesi). Travelling on their distinctive boats known as prahus, they brought with them specialised ...

The Ministry of Education (MOE) was established in 1955 by the then newly elected Labour Front government headed by David Marshall. Chew Swee Kee was appointed the first minister for education. Since then, MOE has been actively implementing and formulating education ...

Opium (Papaver somniferum) contributed significantly to the general trade in Singapore’s pioneering years. Encouraged by the British colonial government, it reaped great profit from opium licenses. However, many Chinese coolies succumbed to this vice as an escape ...

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) was established on 6 September 1961, with Mahmud Awang as the pro-tem chairman and C. V. Devan Nair its first secretary-general. The labour movement initially represented only a minority of unionised workers. Its membership, ...

Founded in 1762, Barings was the oldest merchant bank in Britain before its collapse in 1995. The 233-year-old bank was brought down single-handedly by its employee, Nicholas William Leeson, better known as Nick Leeson, a derivatives trader. After landing the bank ...

The Growth Triangle is a concept of mutual cooperation in economic development among three ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries – Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore – focusing on Singapore, the Riau province in Indonesia and southern Johor in ...

Robinsons Department Store was founded in 1858 in Singapore by Philip Robinson and James Gaborian Spicer. Regarded as the grande dame of Singapore’s department stores, Robinsons was a shopping destination much loved by Singaporeans. However, following several years ...

Lim Nee Soon (b. 12 November 1879, Singapore–d. 20 March 1936, Shanghai, China) was a planter and general merchant. Upon the completion of his studies in Singapore, Lim worked for various firms until 1911 when he founded his own company, Lim Nee Soon & Co. A rubber ...

The Development Bank of Singapore Ltd (DBS) was established on 16 July 1968 as a public limited company to take over the industrial financing responsibilities of the Economic Development Board (EDB) and began operations on 1 September 1968. Its main function upon ...

Ridzwan bin Haji Dzafir (b. 27 March 1927, Singapore–d. 28 September 2011, Singapore), commonly referred to as Ridzwan Dzafir, was a civil servant best known for his extensive experience in trade promotion and negotiations. As director-general of the Trade Development ...

National Iron and Steel Mills (NISM) was set up in 1961 as part of Singapore’s development plans. It was the first factory to be built in Jurong Industrial Estate in the 1960s and started by supplying steel to Singapore’s construction industry. It began exporting ...

The Popular Group comprises companies with core businesses in book publishing, distribution and retail, and electronic learning. It is best known for its chain of Popular retail bookstores. The group has subsidiaries and companies across the world, and has also ...

Paterson, Simons & Co. was an early trading company in Singapore whose origin can be traced back to 1821. Although no longer based in Singapore, it played an important part in the early commercial development of the colonial state.

The Singapore Conference Hall is located at 7 Shenton Way. Besides serving as the headquarters of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) from 1965 to 2000, it also witnessed many significant events in Singapore’s history. After extensive renovation works, it ...

With the port being the cornerstone of Singapore’s economy, the Singapore Harbour Board Staff Association (SHBSA) – which on 18 October 1946 became the first union to be officially registered under the 1940 Trade Unions Ordinance – has played a pivotal role in ...