Looking Ahead to 2018: E-payments, property market set to take off

As we enter the new year, TODAY’s Looking Ahead to 2018 series — which was first published over the final week of December — examines key issues on the local and foreign front in the next 12 months. On the business front in Singapore, we look at what lies ahead in electronic payment and the property market.

1. A year of reckoning for S’pore’s cashless ambitions

After several stop-start attempts, 2018 looks set to be the year when Singapore takes a giant stride towards becoming a cashless society, with major nationwide initiatives to be rolled out in the coming months.

Taken together, these measures could be game changers, with consumers and businesses expected to reap the benefits, experts say. However, several obstacles could arise including the growing concerns over the security of QR (quick response) codes. http://tdy.sg/2pql09f

2. Property market poised to roar back to life

After several years in the doldrums, the recovery of the Singapore property market will be in full swing in 2018, experts say.

The jury is still out on whether concerns over a potential supply glut are warranted, but experts point out that how the market shapes up in the coming year will depend very much on demand from buyers. This, in turn, hinges on the one major lever which the Government could yet call upon: The cooling measures, several of which — including the Total Debt Servicing Ratio — have remained in place since 2013. http://tdy.sg/2DDeezf