Show highlights:

This is Asia Matters, a weekly round table show where I talk to leading opinion formers, thought leaders, and authors in Asia, about Asia, and why Asia matters right now. Tonight, I’m joined by William Gilchrist, Konsyg, Amit Gupta of Ecosystm. We’re going to talk about what’s going on in Asia right here and now, what’s crossing your news feeds, what’s important. We’re going to talk about Grab and Uber, Singapore as an innovation hub, is it or isn’t it. We’re going to look at that in comparison to China and also, how Asia compares to Silicon Valley when it comes to innovation and why and how the gravitational pull of Silicon Valley may be weakening in favor of Asia. We’re going to look at why American brands still have the edge when it comes to sales and storytelling. Of course, we’re all familiar with Jack Ma, but who are the other Jack Ma’s out there? Silicon Valley has Steve Jobs, how do they compare? We’re going to look at emerging innovation in Asia, the inherent challenges of forecasting emergent innovation and technology and the importance of Asia’s booming middle class. It’s all coming up in the next hour.

Graham D Brown

S$13m fines for Grab, Uber, and a market share debate

THE Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) on Monday slapped fines of S$13 million on Grab and Uber for their merger, and immediately sparked a debate on whether it set a fair condition for lifting all curbs on Grab. The competition panel said it will suspend all restrictions on Grab if a new player can capture at least 30 per cent of the Singapore ride-hailing market.

William Gilchrist

Bay Area VCs agree that Silicon Valley may be losing its gravitational pull after all

On the last front, and a little to our surprise, the VCs seemed to agree that a shift is afoot, if we aren’t already past a tipping point.

Amit Gupta

Singapore: A Global Hub For Innovation

At the enterprise level, companies across the region continue to face the challenge of new disruptive technologies. Start-ups armed with powerful digital tools are challenging incumbents across a wide swathe of industries, from healthcare to financial services.

Forecasts Gone Wrong: Let’s Get Real!

Investments are driven by the market, so base your business plans on what the customers are saying – and most importantly this needs to be reviewed literally on an on-going basis with real-time data. The market shifts that quickly!