Singapore-based boutique digital marketing agency On Target Media has set foot in the Middle East. The company will provide its range of digital marketing services including search engine and social media marketing to a fast-growing corporate events & training company.

On Target Media will help the training company strengthen its online visibility and drive business growth in both the United Arab Emirates- especially Dubai- and Saudi Arabia, with particular focus in the Riyadh market.

“It is exciting for us to be servicing a client from a completely new geographic market. While we have delivered SEO, SEM and content marketing services to clients across North America (US and Canada), Europe (UK, Spain and Italy), Australia and India, this is the first time we are working with a company in the Middle East. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of many more such marketing engagements,” said Manoj Aravindakshan, Director of On Target Media and a highly-experienced content marketing consultant from Singapore. “Having worked with companies in the corporate training and employee engagement space providing similar services, I believe we can use our experience help our UAE & Saudi client achieve their marketing goals.”

On Target Media has been providing digital marketing services for almost 20 years, specialising in search engine marketing, content marketing and digital PR services. Predominantly working with small-to-medium sized businesses in the B2B sector, the agency has also worked with several big consumer-centric brands.

Metropolis Security Systems, reputed to be one of Singapore’s leading providers of integrated security services, has won four awards at the Singapore Security Industry Awards (SSIA) 2025. The annual awards ceremony, held on 14 November 2025, recognises outstanding performance, innovation, and service excellence within the private security sector.

Metropolis Security was honoured in the following categories:

1. Best Security Agencies (Residential): (Tier 1 – Outstanding)

2. Best Private Security Training Organisations (Tier 1 – Outstanding) — Awarded to Metropolis Training Academy

3. Best Security Agencies (Commercial) (Tier 2 – Highly Recommended)

4. Best Systems Integrator Firms (Tier 2 – Highly Recommended)

These awards reflect Metropolis Security’s sustained commitment to delivering high-quality manpower services, robust training standards, and advanced technology-driven solutions to better safeguard clients across Singapore.

“We are deeply honoured to be recognised across four diverse categories, and these awards are a testament to the dedication of our officers, trainers, operations teams, and technology partners. At Metropolis, we believe in constantly raising the bar — through service excellence, workforce training, and innovative systems integration. We strive to elevate not just our service delivery but also the employee experience—because a strong, empowered workforce is the foundation of exceptional security outcomes. These accolades reaffirm the trust our clients place in us and strengthen our resolve to keep pushing the industry forward,” said Randy Ang, General Manager of Metropolis Security.

Metropolis Security was also honoured with the Tripartite Alliance Award (TAA) 2025 for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices recently at a separate event. The TAA—conferred by the tripartite partners, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF)—celebrates organisations that excel in building fair, inclusive, and progressive workplaces. The award acknowledges Metropolis’ commitment to HR strategies and practices that put employees at the core of its progress, fostering an environment where staff can thrive and deliver their best.

The recognition of Metropolis Training Academy in the Tier 1 Outstanding category underscores the company’s strong emphasis on upskilling and empowering security officers to meet evolving security challenges. Similarly, the awards in systems integration and commercial security highlight Metropolis Security’s growing capabilities in blending manpower expertise with technology-enabled solutions.

With more than two decades of service in Singapore’s security industry, Metropolis Security continues to invest in workforce development, digital transformation, and client-focused innovation to deliver reliable, effective, and future-ready security services.

Odisha-headquartered infrastructure inspection and civil engineering consultancy company DKM Consult is taking the combined expertise of three innovative Singapore companies- RaSpect AI, WaveScan and SquareDog Robotics- to revolutionize robotic inspection technology for built infrastructure in India.

DKM has already been offering RaSpect’s award-winning AI-powered inspection monitoring and defect defection solutions in India over the last 12 months. The use of RaSpect’s solutions enables DKM to conduct comprehensive condition surveys of built infrastructure, capture valuable data for AI powered analysis that can auto-identify critical and major defects such as cracks, spalling, corrosion etc., visualize the information and generate in-depth reports.

Wavescan’s groundbreaking microwave-based Non Destructive Testing (NDT) technology will help DKM to efficiently investigate major defects and issues in infrastructure, such as leakage, corrosion, and concrete quality. The NDT technology will be ably complemented by the advanced robotic platforms from SquareDog Robotics for a seamless and efficient inspection of built infrastructure, that will not only enhance the inspection process but also provide invaluable insights into infrastructure problems.

Commenting on the latest move, Soham Parija, Chief Operating Officer of DKM Consult, said, “We are excited to introduce the combined power of AI/software, robotics, and microwave scanning technology and offer comprehensive and robust solutions for faster, more accurate, and cost-effective inspections in India.”

DKM Consult is a fast-growing infrastructure inspection and civil engineering consultancy with particular focus on facade inspection and monitoring solutions. The company serves infrastructure companies in both the public and private sector in India, building and construction corporations, industrial companies and facility management organizations with their inspection, monitoring and testing needs for timely defect detection. RaSpect Intelligence Inspection (https://www.raspect.ai) provides AI-powered inspection and monitoring solutions for clients across South East Asia. The company aims to enhance safety and serviceability standards of buildings and living spaces through the use of its cutting-edge technology solutions.

Metropolis Training Academy (MTA), one of the leading training institutes in Singapore focused on continuing education, upskilling and professional development, particularly for security officers and professionals, is pleased to announce the launch of the Practitioner Certificate in Personal Data Protection (Singapore) 2020 (WSQ) (Synchronous e-learning) training course.

This course will empower professionals in Singapore with the essential skills and knowledge required to navigate the complex landscape of personal data protection and governance.
As data privacy concerns escalate and regulatory frameworks evolve rapidly, the demand for skilled professionals in the field of personal data protection continues to surge. This practical course is designed to equip individuals with the expertise necessary to thrive in this dynamic domain.

The Practitioner Certificate in Personal Data Protection (Singapore) 2020 (WSQ) (Synchronous e-learning) is structured to provide a deep understanding of Singapore’s data protection laws, compliance strategies, risk management frameworks, and practical application of governance principles in the context of personal data.

Key Benefits of the Course Include:
- Specialized Knowledge: Participants will gain specialized insights into data protection laws specific to Singapore, acquiring in-depth knowledge of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and its implications for businesses and individuals alike.

- Practical Application: The course emphasizes on hands-on learning, enabling participants to apply theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios through case studies, simulations, and interactive modules.

- Professional Advancement: Completion of this training program elevates participants’ profiles, enhancing their credibility and opening doors to a wide array of career opportunities in the burgeoning field of data protection and governance.

- Expert Instruction: Experienced practitioners serve as instructors, providing invaluable guidance and mentorship throughout the course duration.

Metropolis Training Academy is a recipient of the Best Training Institute (Tier 1 – Outstanding) at the Singapore Security Industry Awards 2023.

A recent study on B2B cross-border payments by fintech major Rapyd reveals that nearly 1 in 2 businesses in Singapore expressed a strong need for innovative fintech solutions to tackle business concerns.

Despite the accelerated adoption of digital payments across businesses and consumers in recent years, there is a consensus among local businesses that fintech solutions can be further improved to better serve their specific needs. While innovations have been made within consumer payments, they have not been carried over to B2B transactions. Many Singapore businesses making B2B payments still rely on expensive wire transfers and slow bank transfers to make and receive payments overseas, hindering the efficiency of cross-border transactions.

In the latest report by Rapyd, titled “2023 State of B2B Cross-Border Payments in Singapore”, Rapyd dove into the payment preferences and obstacles of 100 B2B businesses in Singapore. The Singapore report is part of a larger global research study by Rapyd, which gathered insights from 715 business proprietors and payment decision-makers across key markets, including Brazil, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, the UK, and the US. The overarching objective of this research study was to assess the prevailing sentiments regarding market conditions, the cross-border payment complexities confronting B2B enterprises, and the potential role of fintech solutions in addressing these challenges.

48% of Singapore businesses hope innovative payment technology can solve their challenges

A growing number of businesses in Singapore today realize the imperative for change. Digitization is no longer a luxury but an absolute necessity. Nearly half – 48% – of respondents from Singapore identified ‘Better Fintech Solutions’ as the paramount factor in addressing their most pressing business concerns. This percentage surpasses any other category in Singapore and demonstrates that B2B businesses in the country prioritize fintech as a way to solve business problems more than their counterparts in any other country surveyed.

Despite Singapore being one of the world’s most advanced payment markets, many B2B businesses have yet to adopt digital payments. This presents a valuable opportunity for these enterprises to collaborate with innovative fintech firms and embrace modern payment solutions to harness the full benefits of Real-Time Payment networks and streamline payment processes to enhance their operational efficiency.

Moreover, Singaporean businesses themselves are displaying a strong commitment to digitization, particularly for expediting payment processes. Approximately 38% of these businesses consider it a top priority, with an additional 29% identifying it as one of their primary objectives. This approach aligns with local government initiatives, which have introduced numerous schemes to encourage businesses to digitize and integrate financial technology into their operations.

Arik Shtilman, CEO, and co-founder of Rapyd, shared the company’s commitment to addressing evolving business needs through innovative fintech solutions. He mentioned, “Our latest B2B cross-border payment report highlights Singapore’s strong confidence in its business environment, while also showing a widespread desire for efficient and cost-effective fintech solutions. We understand how important it is to be efficient and adaptable in today’s ever-changing business world. With our recent addition of card acquiring services to our Fintech as a Service platform in Singapore, we’re doubling down on our promise to provide the innovative fintech solutions Singapore businesses are looking for that will empower them on their payment journey and help them handle payment complexities with confidence and ease.”

In September 2023, Rapyd expanded its offerings in Singapore by introducing a card acquiring solution, enhancing its comprehensive Fintech as a Service platform. This addition equips businesses with a unified and efficient platform for accepting a wide array of payment methods, including credit and debit cards, popular e-wallets such as ApplePay, GooglePay, and GrabPay, bank transfers through PayNow, and the ability to conduct international money transfers to over 190 countries via the extensive Rapyd Global Payment Network. Rapyd’s swift onboarding process and strong payment capabilities enable businesses to quickly access the market, enhance cost-effectiveness, and efficiently navigate complex business models.

Singapore businesses maintain confidence on global outlook

Singapore businesses have emerged as cautious optimists when it comes to their perceptions of market conditions. Approximately 60% of respondents from Singapore expressed confidence in prevailing market conditions, indicating a measured level of trust in their business environment.

Moreover, while the majority of the markets surveyed have listed inflation, increasing interest rates, and market volatility as top concerns, Singapore businesses have taken a different stance. They have rated market volatility and economic stability as the least troublesome, highlighting their confidence in Singapore’s position as a robust global business hub. Conversely, local enterprises have identified increasing interest rates (53%) and a reduction in incoming work (43%) as their primary concerns. This indicates that Singapore businesses are closely tracking financial developments and their potential impact on the demand for their products and services.

Payments take a toll: Singapore businesses reported biggest delays and costlier transactions

One of the ways for companies to increase their profits and tackle financial anxieties is by improving business efficiency and cutting down on operational expenses. Notably, payment delays have surfaced as a substantial operational hurdle experienced by businesses throughout the markets surveyed. Among the seven markets, Germany and Singapore reported the greatest payment delay. Singapore businesses reported a 2 to 10 days delay, and in many cases, even more than 10 days delay in sending or receiving payments.

The delays could be attributed to the fact that a significant portion of Singapore enterprises still lean on traditional wire and bank transfers for making and receiving payments. Many businesses have deep-rooted relationships with traditional banking methods and, as a result, gravitate toward these long-standing practices. The resulting delays add complexities to cross-border business operations, impacting cash flow, supplier relationships, and overall business efficiency. Such delays underscore the critical need for efficient and reliable payment solutions to facilitate seamless cross-border transactions.

Further, the Rapyd research also highlighted that 43% of B2B companies in Singapore incur cross-border fees ranging from US$10 to US$25 per transaction. This rate is above the average observed across the surveyed markets, where approximately 36% of businesses face cross-border transaction fees within the same US$10 to US$25 range.

These elevated costs can hinder growth, limit expansion opportunities, and strain resources, posing a direct challenge to firms striving to capitalize on cross-border commerce and highlighting larger inefficiencies in the system.

See the Singapore report.

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Cloud4C, an application-focused cloud managed services provider and a Google Cloud Premier Partner for the Sell Engagement Model, has acquired the Google Cloud Specialization for Infrastructure Services in the APAC region. This makes Cloud4C a Specialized Partner for Google Cloud, adding to its 15 expertise in an array of Google Cloud products, solutions, and sectors.

A Specialization is the highest technical designation for any certified partner under the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program, which aims to connect Google Cloud customers with partners who possess in-depth technical specializations, established expertise, and validated skills with certified teams, enabling them to accomplish their digital transformation goals.

According to Deb Deep Sengupta, President and Chief Revenue Officer at Cloud4C, “Being one of the trusted cloud partners in the APAC region, we are proud to achieve the Infrastructure Services Specialization. This accolade recognizes the ongoing dedication of the Cloud4C team in architecting end-to-end transformations in a single SLA on Google Cloud, not only renovating operational experiences for clients but also that of end consumers with breakthrough agility, scalability, and availability. We commit to walking till the last mile and delivering long-term impact at a business level.”

Cloud4C holds certified Google Cloud Specializations in SAP services (Level 300, 200, 100), Anthos, managed Google Kubernetes Engine services, and application management on Google Cloud. Their range of automation-driven, fully managed public, private, hybrid, and multi-cloud services allows enterprises to architect advanced cloud foundations, optimize and modernize operations, maximize returns on technology investments, and achieve the highest standards of security without downtime.

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Talkwalker, a social listening and analytics company, has introduced Conversation Clusters, a data visualization tool that enables marketers, PR professionals and consumer insight analysts to instantly uncover, understand and visualize the context around any topic at a glance.

The launch marks a significant development in the social listening and analytics space, enabling users to take full advantage of assisted data exploration with the help of augmented analytics. For the first time, the latest advances in machine learning research can be utilized at speed and scale for use cases such as trend research, content creation and consumer insights.

Achieving industry-leading time-to-insight, Talkwalker’s data science team mastered high dimensional data reduction and streamlined processing power to display a map of complex connections within minutes. “Automated data segmentation holds massive revenue potential for enterprises. An analysis that would take weeks or months to build can now produce actionable results in minutes,” said Todd Grossman, Talkwalker CEO Americas.

Conversation Clusters is based on a powerful machine learning algorithm that groups results semantically. “Our algorithm first identifies relevant word patterns and topic structures in the results taken from our annotated database of billions of articles, and then plots them so that results with many similarities are shown close to each other,” said Dr Benedikt Wilbertz, Head of Data Science at Talkwalker. “Using a massively parallel infrastructure, we are able to analyze and represent tens of thousands of links and connections between data points in little more than one minute.”

Talkwalker is one of very few companies that have the data science expertise and technical infrastructure to be able to run advanced computations for clients on this scale. Unlike many legacy solutions that rely on time consuming importing and exporting of data sets, Talkwalker provides access to a vast media, consumer and social database for analysis. Additionally, it has a user-friendly option to add and analyze custom data instantly, like call center, email, chat or survey data.

“Businesses need data to be able to answer ever more detailed questions that are tailored to their unique situation, whether it be on consumers, campaigns or brands. A contextual AI solution like Conversation Clusters enables users to train custom AI models using business-specific datasets – fast and easy, without the need for costly user training,” said Grossman. “We’re really excited for users to experience this next stage of social listening. It’s never been so easy to map hidden patterns within any topic to create trending content, find consumer insights or leverage the next big trends for content creation.”

Conversation Clusters is available as an add-on for Talkwalker clients.

Ventigence Pte Ltd has launched in Singapore and announces a novel approach to taking in new clients using a unique recruitment model that taps on idle resources.

Ventigence’s novel lead generation system works based on a recruitment model with two unique twists. First, the firm attracts finance and accounting university graduates by asking them not to bring their resume but rather a client account to work on. Second, a call to action to graduates or seasoned professionals to enhance their value proposition at their job interview by bringing Ventigence in as an independent contractor.

“It’s a win-win-win situation for Ventigence, the graduate or professional and the client,” says founder Mr Zoltan Csonka. “The graduates can gain invaluable exposure early on in their career, the professional can carve out a niche for himself/herself and the client benefits from an unparalleled attention to detail. All this is made possible by having one account manager capable of handling all internal audit, risk and compliance matters across the organisation.”

Ventigence offers companies globally the unique proposition of the diversity in services of the Big Four with the personal attention of a single account manager. Mr Csonka is able to offer this incredible combination because he personally holds a total of 20 professional certifications.

Crowell & Moring International, LLC is expanding into Singapore to launch a strategic hub that will advise global businesses on the fast-evolving policy and regulatory landscape across Asia.

C&M International, a global government affairs, public policy, and public affairs firm, is launching its first formal office in Southeast Asia, building upon more than three decades of experience working in the world’s most dynamic markets across the Asia-Pacific. The firm is affiliated with the international law firm of Crowell & Moring, LLP.

“Singapore is increasingly a center of gravity for all of Asia, not only for commercial and business operations, but as a regulatory and policy innovator,” said Ambassador Robert Holleyman, president and CEO of C&M International and former deputy U.S. Trade Representative responsible for Asia.

Clark Jennings, director at C&M International and former White House official, will serve as managing director of Asia and oversee the new operation in Singapore. Jennings served at the National Economic Council of the Obama Administration.

“Our work is already deeply rooted in the Asia-Pacific, and we’re keenly watching how digital transformation is reshaping every industry and reorienting the way that governments work with the private sector,” Jennings said. “Having a physical presence in the region will help us deepen our collaboration with governments, associations, and business executives to shape the policies and manage the emerging issues that will define economic growth in ‘the Asian century’.”

The move into Singapore comes less than one year after C&M International opened an office in Shanghai to support clients facing cross-border transactional, investigative, policy, and regulatory needs.

C&M International is well established in Southeast Asia, having advised on high-profile policy initiatives and supported the development of unique, impactful public-private partnerships for a wide range of industries. This includes advising on the creation of a new framework within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to enable cross-border data flows and helping launch the region’s largest public-private platform to strengthen ethical business practices across national health systems. The firm has long worked with governments to raise standards, having secured a political commitment from 21 Asia‐Pacific trade ministers to align regulatory approval procedures for medical products, and is now working to deploy international standards for the energy sector, particularly for LNG importation.

Credify Pte Ltd has closed a US$1 million seed round investment with two leading Venture Capital funds: BEENEXT and DEEPCORE.

Credify provides Universal Identity and Trust System solutions to companies active in e-commerce and finance. Credify’s Universal Identity product acts as a personal data bridge, connecting consuming services like e-commerce marketplaces and lending platforms with institutions that possess valuable, yet untapped information like identity verification results and credit scores. In this way, Credify enables entirely new revenue streams for these traditional organisations in a completely secure and data privacy compliant manner.

On top of this powerful identity system, Credify is developing an innovative credibility mechanism that addresses issues inherent to the trust systems we rely on in e-commerce and digital lending, like fraud and manipulation, that lead to an estimated USD 1T in transacted value being negatively impacted every year.

Chosen out of 250+ companies around the world, Credify is one of the outstanding startups in Plug and Play Japan’s 2020 FinTech Accelerator program. Credify was also awarded the UK Tech Rocketship: Future of Financial Services Award 2019 by the UK’s Department of International Trade and Scottish Development International.

This funding round allows Credify to enhance the development of its suite of products, further localize its software development operations in South East Asia, and move ahead with its live client engagements. ASEAN nations represent the fastest growth opportunities globally in FinTech and E-commerce: USD 72B FinTech market with 72.5% CAGR by 2020, and USD 102B E-commerce market by 2025. At the same time, South East Asia fraud rates in finance and e-commerce are one of the highest globally. Credify aims to tackle these issues with its leading-edge technologies.