The government is considering lowering the eligibility age at which singles can buy Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, said Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat.

Chee was speaking at the opening of the 11th Singapore Economic Review Conference on Jul. 28.

Policy under "careful review"

According to CNA, the minister said the policy is under "careful review".

"While the government will continue to encourage marriage and parenthood, and support families to achieve home ownership, we have progressively opened up public housing options to singles," he said.

The government has progressively expanded public housing options for singles over the years.

In the 2010s, singles could buy two-room Built-To-Order (BTO) flats directly from the government, but only in non-mature estates.

These estates included Choa Chu Kang, Jurong East and Woodlands.

In 2024, with the introduction of the new flat classification framework, the government expanded the scheme islandwide, allowing singles to apply for two-room Flexi flats across Singapore.

In 2025, the government also extended priority access under the Family Care Scheme to singles who apply for a new flat to live with or near their parents for mutual care and support.

Previously, such priority was available only to married children under the Married Child Priority Scheme.

The Senior Priority Scheme also sets aside flats for seniors who wish to live with or near their married child or parents.

Chee said the government is now looking at further supporting younger singles by reviewing the current eligibility age of 35.

"These examples reflect the government's pragmatic approach to policy making," he said. "Moving in tandem with changing times and keeping our policies relevant are essential in ensuring that the policies can deliver good outcomes for our people."

A 23-year-old Singapore permanent resident and Myanmar national will be charged in court on Jul. 29 after he allegedly transferred money to facilitate terrorist acts in Gaza.

The Internal Security Department (ISD) initiated investigations against the accused after his extremist postings came to the authorities' attention, according to a Jul. 28 Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) press release.

Radicalised

Based on ISD's investigations, the accused was radicalised after consuming extremist content online.

He developed a strong hatred towards Muslims in 2024 after being exposed to Islamophobic content online in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attacks against Israel.

The man began to subscribe to an extremist interpretation of Zionism, and believed that the killing of Palestinian Muslims was justified.

By early 2025, the accused had also developed a strong hatred towards Jews after he consumed far-right extremist and anti-Semitic narratives on social media.

He began posting online, expressing support for the use of violence against Jews and Muslims, as well as other groups typically targeted by far-right extremists.

These included immigrants to Europe and the LGBT community.

Transferred money

ISD's investigations revealed that in August 2024, the accused transferred funds to an overseas-based user with whom he was in contact on the platform "X".

The user claimed to be soliciting donations online to purchase military equipment, apparently to facilitate a terrorist act in Gaza City.

The act was aimed at eradicating all Palestinians, including civilians.

In the light of potential terrorism financing offences, ISD referred the accused to the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) for investigations.

A parallel investigation by the CAD found that the accused transferred US$72.28 (S$93.45), and attempted to transfer an additional US$1 (S$1.29), to PayPal accounts designated by the "X" user, to facilitate terrorist acts in Gaza City.

Serious offence

MHA said that providing money in support of terrorist purposes — "regardless of the amount" — is a serious offence under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act 2002.

It is punishable with a fine not exceeding S$500,000, a jail term not exceeding 10 years, or both.

Terrorism and terrorist financing are grave threats to domestic and international security, and global action is required to deprive terrorist groups of funding and materials, MHA said.

It added that Singapore is part of this global effort and is strongly committed to combatting terrorist financing, regardless of whether the monies are used to facilitate terrorist acts locally or abroad.

MHA said: "We do not condone and will take firm action against individuals using Singapore as a base to conduct or support terrorist activities, whether locally or overseas.

"Likewise, we will not hesitate to take firm action against anyone who supports, promotes, undertakes, or makes preparations for armed violence, regardless of how they rationalise such ideologies or where the violence takes place."

Members of the public are reminded not to remit money of any amount, or provide any support through the provision of services, supplies or any material to a terrorist organisation, or for facilitating or carrying out any terrorist act.

Anyone with information on such activities should inform the authorities promptly.

In Singapore, the government makes and changes laws, while the role of the Courts is to apply the law to the cases before them, said Senior Minister K Shanmugam.

This is unlike many countries, he went on, where "because of political deadlock, or political controversies, or simply a lack of political will, Parliaments abdicate this power".

In such cases, the Courts would reform laws in ways that are "seriously limited", because the Courts are not equipped to deal with law reform, he said.

The former law minister from 2008 to 2025, SM Shanmugam was speaking at the launch of the book series "25 Years of Legal Reform in Singapore: Innovations in Policy and Law (2000–2025)" by the Ministry of Law on Jul. 28.

The four-volume series documents 25 years of legal changes in Singapore.

It illustrates "how the Singapore government has deliberately and practically made laws that shaped the legal environment to deal with real world problems, make difficult choices, and advance the public interest", SM Shanmugam said.

Reshaping society

SM Shanmugam believes it is "fundamental" for the government to have the power to make laws in order to change and reform the laws.

"Law reform changes rights, obligations. It creates institutions. It determines when the State should intervene, and where boundaries should be drawn."

He shared that Singapore's Parliament has passed close to 1,000 bills in the past 25 years.

Close to 30 per cent of them were handled by the Ministry of Law either alone or with other agencies and ministries.

Over this time, the laws passed have reshaped the legal landscape across many areas of Singapore society, and in turn, reshaped the framework of the society itself, he said.

He recalled the work he and fellow political officeholders had done when he first became law minister in 2008.

"We discussed, conceptualised new laws that can be passed, how existing laws can be made better, as society’s needs changed, and evolved.

And each time, the benefit was to a very substantial section of the public."

Key legal changes in Singapore

SM Shanmugam offered several examples of legal reforms in Singapore and how they impacted the people.

In the area of family justice, the Family Justice Act was passed in 2014, establishing the Family Justice Courts.

Family law processes were simplified and streamlined to make them inexpensive and efficient, and reduce the trauma.

Later in 2023, the Maintenance Enforcement Process (MEP) was introduced, creating a specialised division of officers who can get information on assets and means, and conduct conciliation to help parties reach a settlement.

"We saw too many cases where parties – usually the women – struggle to enforce the maintenance orders that had been made in their favour," SM Shanmugam said.

Under the MEP, nearly 1,400 cases had been referred to its officers in the initial phases, of which over 70 per cent went through conciliation and reached a settlement.

As for criminal justice, the major reforms to the system over the past 25 years are "too many to detail".

They include stronger protection for vulnerable victims, repealing marital immunity for rape, and introducing community-based sentences to enhance rehabilitation.

The Public Defender’s Office (PDO) has also helped more than 400 to 500 cases every year, and the number has been increasing, SM Shanmugam added.

Additionally, he highlighted the efficiency of how Singapore conceptualised and drafted its first Covid legislation in about nine days.

He pointed out that it was a "novel legislation, with no precedent anywhere in the world, with impact on thousands of people".

"Covid-19 showed the power of law reform in a crisis: moving quickly but calibrating carefully as conditions changed."

Continue to evolve

Also speaking at the book launch, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong similarly said that Singapore's legal reforms have "strengthened institutions, supported businesses, and improved lives".

The legal system has also evolved in response to technological disruption, changing societal expectations, economic uncertainty, and the pandemic.

"[Good law reform] is really about understanding deeply how our society is changing...tapping into its pulse, anticipating further challenges ahead, making difficult judgments, and deciding on trade-offs, and also balancing competing interests with care."

A 33-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to jail on Jul. 27 after he helped an illegal moneylending syndicate collect and deliver vapes.

He was trying to pay off his S$50,000 debt to the moneylender.

After his passport was impounded, he lied about having lost it as he wanted to travel to Malaysia to take wedding photos.

Melvin Wong Mun Hao pleaded guilty to one charge of attempting to possess vapes and another charge of making a false statement in a passport application.

According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, Wong's offences were brought to light on Feb. 28, 2025.

Vapes

Investigations revealed that Wong would collect the vapes from one location, load them into a van, and deliver them to another location, The Straits Times reported.

On Feb. 28, 2025, Wong went to two locations on the moneylender's instructions: first at 23 Tagore Lane, and then at a multi-storey carpark in Boon Lay.

After the goods had been loaded onto his van, Wong was told to drive and make a delivery to Sungei Kadut.

He gave the delivery code to one of the workers in the building, but was detained.

Smoked out

Earlier, Customs officers had discovered about 5,000 vaporisers inside a trailer in the building.

Upon being questioned, the office manager of the company occupying the premises said she was unaware of the vapes.

The cartons were said to contain skincare medication, according to the shipment manifest.

The office manager contacted a person called "Bernard Lim" listed on the shipment manifest and informed him to collect the goods at the office, ST reported.

To that, Lim said he would send a delivery person to collect it.

Health Sciences Authority (HSA) officers conducted a controlled delivery operation at the premises, and Wong was promptly arrested.

Lied about passport

After being detained, his passport was impounded by HSA, and he was told that he could not leave the country.

He was then released while investigations for his vape offences were underway.

But on Mar. 7, 2025, Wong submitted an online application for a new passport, lying that he had lost his old one.

He wrote in his ICA application that he had "dropped [his] passport" and tried to find it, but failed.

He had apparently wanted to travel to Malaysia for a wedding photo shoot.

Court documents did not say how he was caught.

Penalties

Wong was sentenced to 24 weeks' jail for his offences.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said it takes a very serious view of people who provide false or misleading information or conceal material facts in their passport or travel document applications, ST reported.

"We will deal with them firmly. If convicted, he or she faces a fine not exceeding S$10,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or both," ICA said.

An offender convicted of the possession of vapes for sale may fined up to S$10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.

He is expected to surrender himself at 12pm on Aug. 3 to begin serving his sentence.

A man in Singapore was fined S$2,000 on Jul. 10, 2026 for making false declarations as the local sponsor in his spouse's application for a long-term visit pass.

Tan Kim Lam was convicted under the Immigration Act 1959, which came into effect on Dec. 31, 2024.

He is the first person to be prosecuted under this provision, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a statement.

His wife was identified as Lin Qiaoming.

According to the Immigration Act 1959, an applicant or local sponsor may be held liable if false or misleading information is provided in an application for any immigration facility.

This is so even when the applicant or sponsor claims ignorance that the information was false or misleading.

Responsibility of applicants and sponsors

ICA said it takes a very serious view of individuals who make false or misleading statements in applications to obtain immigration facilities for themselves or others.

Applicants and local sponsors are reminded that they are responsible for ensuring that the information provided in their applications are true and accurate.

Those convicted under the Immigration Act 1959, may be fined up to S$4,000.

ICA also said it has strengthened its capabilities to detect travellers using multiple identities by leveraging biometrics and data analytics.

This includes the implementation of multi-modal biometrics screening in 2020, which captures travellers’ biometrics and helps detect individuals attempting to enter Singapore using a different or false identity.

HSBC is set to hire more than 100 AI specialists and 100 wealth managers in Singapore, as the bank launches a new Global AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the country in the second half of 2026.

What the centre will focus on

According to HSBC's press release, the CoE will initially focus on three areas: personalising customer wealth management conversations, introducing agentic treasury solutions, and expanding AI-enabled digital payments.

HSBC said it will recruit talent across natural language processing, data science, AI governance and human-centred design, and plans to work with educational institutions and government bodies in Singapore.

The new hires will work alongside David Rice, HSBC's Chief AI Officer.

Also hiring 100 wealth managers

Beyond AI, HSBC is also looking to grow its local wealth management operation by adding 100 relationship managers, according to Reuters.

HSBC's Group CEO said in May that AI would both eliminate and create certain jobs in the financial industry, and that the bank was retraining its workforce to adapt, Reuters reported.

While Singapore must not change its Constitution on a whim, neither should it treat it as an immutable document forever cast in stone, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

"Just like other laws, the Constitution needs to be updated from time to time as society develops and the world changes," he added.

He highlighted several major Constitutional changes Singapore has enacted to "remedy significant vulnerabilities in our legal framework".

They include creating group representation constituencies (GRCs) to ensure multiracial representation in Parliament, and schemes to guarantee opposition voices and non-political civil society representation in Parliament.

SM Lee was speaking at the launch of the book series "25 Years of Legal Reform in Singapore: Innovations in Policy and Law (2000–2025)" by the Ministry of Law on Jul. 28.

The four-volume series chronicles Singapore's legal reform journey over the last 25 years.

Through perspectives from government policymakers, judges, legal practitioners, and more, the series sheds light on the policy thinking and societal considerations behind key legislative and legal reforms during this period.

A continuous undertaking

SM Lee pointed out that the challenges Singapore faces today are very different from those the pioneers faced when the country's modern legal system was introduced 200 years ago.

These changes include technological advances, evolving social norms, and different expectations over governance and rights.

Singapore's approach to governance is to ensure its legal system responds to changes.

"We have never treated law reform as an occasional, one-off exercise. It is a continuous undertaking," SM Lee said.

"Each generation must review the system it has inherited, decide what remains fit for purpose, update or repeal those parts which are outdated, and design and pass new laws to deal with new circumstances."

He went on to discuss how laws should serve society's needs: they must address national imperatives, respond to new challenges, respond quickly in times of crisis, and respond to social change.

Addressing national imperatives

Singapore has used the law to address enduring national imperatives, particularly social cohesion.

SM Lee detailed how the country implemented policies to foster social mixing, build common spaces, and forge a national identity in response to the communal riots of the 1950s and 1960s.

In 2025, Parliament passed the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act to counter new and emerging threats to social cohesion on the internet.

SM Lee highlighted that since the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act came into force in 1992, no restraining order has had to be issued.

"This is not because the law was not needed, but because its presence encouraged restraint, dialogue, and responsible conduct among religious groups," he said.

He noted that laws cannot compel people to trust one another or make friends across different groups — such work must be done by Singaporeans themselves, supported by initiatives.

"But laws can set boundaries, deter harmful conduct, and create the conditions for harmony," he said.

Responding to new challenges

Singapore has also had to develop new legal tools to respond to new challenges in the digital age.

SM Lee brought up the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (FICA), and the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act as recent measures enacted to tackle misinformation, foreign interference, scams, online harassment, and other forms of digital harm.

As today’s threats have changed greatly, "our laws must be updated, in order to remain fit for purpose", he said.

Responding quickly in times of crisis

While legislation usually requires extensive and deliberate study, consultation and debate, "crises do not wait for this normal stately pace of legislation", SM Lee stressed.

"In such moments, governments must respond swiftly while remaining anchored in the rule of law," he said.

For example, during the Covid pandemic, the Singapore government worked quickly to put together and pass the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020 to address urgent issues of the pandemic, and amended the Act eight times as new challenges emerged.

"What is noteworthy is not merely the speed of the response, but that all this was done through established constitutional and parliamentary processes," SM Lee highlighted.

Responding to social change

Apart from technological change and crises, SM Lee believes Singapore's laws must also react to changing societal values, identity, and norms.

Such reforms are often among the most challenging to implement, he noted, as they may involve deep personal convictions that may differ between groups.

"In these circumstances, the task of government is not simply to decide whether to change any laws," he said. "It must also manage changes in a way that respects different viewpoints, maintains social cohesion, and preserves trust."

He used the 2022 repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code as an example of how the Singapore government responded to the growing acceptance among Singaporeans that "private consensual conduct between adults should not be criminalised".

It engaged different groups of society to understand concerns, identify common ground, and seek a path forward that Singaporeans could broadly accept.

Then, in addition to repealing Section 377A, the Constitution was also amended "to affirm Parliament’s authority to define, regulate, and support the institution of marriage".

SM Lee said that the response in this case exemplifies how the Singapore government did not treat dissent as something to be quelled, but "managed it constructively" and accommodated opposing concerns.

Adapting the law to new realities

SM Lee expressed confidence in Singapore's ability to meet new challenges of the future.

This confidence comes not because the government possesses all the solutions, but because Singapore has shown its ability to "adapt thoughtfully and pragmatically to changing circumstances", he said.

He believes the next chapter of Singapore’s legal story is not about preserving what the country has inherited, but about building upon the foundations to keep its laws relevant.

"Each generation must strengthen the legal system it inherits, and adapt it to new realities, and pass it on, updated and improved, to the next generation."

Ever since 38-year-old Rebecca Ng can remember, she has been teased and called names because of one part of her body — her breasts.

They were a constant source of frustration for her. Apart from the jokes, they got in the way of simple daily activities, like running or playing sports.

The discomfort only worsened after she became a mother. While breastfeeding, her breasts grew even larger, going from a D to an E-cup.

But undergoing breast reduction surgery granted her a "new lease of life", she said.

She tells Mothership how she decided to go ahead with the procedure — and how her "life changed completely."

The pains of having a bigger bust

Ng shared that her cup size increased rapidly from a B to a D in her mid-teens, when she was in secondary school.

"One unfortunate thing about having big breasts was the name-calling. They had nicknames for me in Hokkien, such as 'big-breasted girl'," she said.

"I quickly learned to laugh along with the jokes and not let the remarks get to me because I figured out that if I protested or resisted too much, the jokes would probably get worse."

Deep down, however, the comments affected her and made her wish she had smaller breasts.

Another challenge was that her larger bust made it difficult to participate in sports, particularly after giving birth.

"Simple things like running felt impossible, and I rarely felt comfortable doing high-impact activities because my breasts always seemed to be in the way," she said.

Rather than deal with the discomfort and frustration, Ng simply stopped taking part in such activities.

Chronic pain

When she started suffering from chronic pain in her neck, shoulders, and back, she did not realise that the weight of her breasts was the underlying cause.

The signs were there, however.

While breastfeeding, her bra size had increased to a 36E.

But she did not make the connection between her symptoms and her breasts, instead seeking pain relief from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners.

It was only after she began Googling her symptoms out of curiosity that she realised her breast size could be the cause of her pain.

Even then, she had no one to discuss her concerns with or refer her to a plastic surgeon.

The turning point

Despite diet and exercise, nothing resolved the pain or made her chest smaller.

In 2024, after her second child had finished breastfeeding, Ng noticed that the sagging and drooping of her breasts — known medically as breast ptosis — had become severe.

That was when she decided it was time for more drastic action.

Ng consulted Dr Lee Hanjing of Argent Plastic Surgery at Mount Alvernia Hospital.

She had met Lee once, when accompanying a friend to her clinic. After setting up a meeting for herself, they "hit it off straight away".

It was this chemistry that gave her the confidence to proceed with surgery, she added.

After assessing her condition, Lee confirmed that a substantial breast reduction would help alleviate the chronic neck and back pain that had been affecting her for so many years.

In the end, around 700g to 800g of breast tissue was removed — roughly 350g to 400g from each breast.

As the procedure was deemed medically necessary, insurance covered most of the cost, making the decision much easier.

Reservations about the surgery

When Ng's family found out about her plans, they were more nervous than she was.

The most supportive person was her husband, who had known about her wish to undergo breast reduction surgery for many years.

As for Ng, she said she felt calm throughout the process.

She said she knew it was the right decision for her.

Post-surgery

Ng underwent the surgery in December 2024, a little under two years ago.

The first two weeks of recovery, she recalls, were "uncomfortable".

"The dressings were sticky and awkward, and I had to wear a surgical undergarment that was really tight around my breasts. At around week three post-surgery, the scars got quite itchy, which made me briefly wonder why I was putting myself through it," she said.

Despite the discomfort, she said she noticed the physical benefits almost immediately.

"When I woke up from surgery, I was so relieved to find that the weight on my chest was no longer there," she shared.

By the one-month mark, the improvements became even more apparent.

She was finally able to wear pretty lingerie and clothes that fit her body well.

In fact, about three weeks after surgery, she went on a shopping spree in Guangzhou, China, and thoroughly enjoyed trying on clothes that complemented her figure.

Life changed completely

"My life has changed completely," Ng said.

"I feel amazing, like I got a new lease of life, and my body is finally where I have always wanted it to be."

Her bra size went from a 36E to a 34C, while the number of activities she could comfortably enjoy increased dramatically.

These include running, golfing, Pilates and taekwondo, to name a few.

Ng's newfound confidence was evident. She carried herself differently, and even started receiving invitations to speak at work.

"I have not regretted the decision for a single moment. If anything, my only regret is that I did not do it sooner," said Ng, who works in insurance.

Perceptions about breast reduction surgery

According to Ng's doctor, Lee, discussions surrounding breast health and physical discomfort can carry a "layer of private hesitation" in Singapore.

"Many women cope silently, trying to manage the physical strain through structural undergarments or lifestyle adjustments rather than seeking out a specialist medical evaluation," she said.

As many individuals do not formally step forward or recognise their pain as a clinical issue, local data on women facing such issues remains scarce, she added.

However, Lee said there has been a "steady flow" of patients seeking treatment, suggesting many women continue to live with the daily physical burden of larger-sized breasts.

Ng believes many women hesitate to undergo breast reduction surgery because of the stigma that it is a cosmetic or vanity procedure.

But for women who are considering breast reduction surgery, Ng has one piece of advice:

“Don’t overthink it. If this is the right surgery for you, just do it.”

The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) will be extending the validity periods for all property agency licences and property agent registrations from one year to three years.

To uphold industry professionalism under the extended registration period, a new Currency Requirement (CR) for property agents will be introduced, CEA said in a press release on Jul. 28, 2026.

Property agents must either complete at least three property transactions over their three-year registration period, or pass a Refresher Examination, to be eligible for registration renewal for another three years.

CEA shared that they have conducted an industry review together with the Ministry of National Development (MND) to guide the industry towards “greater efficiency and sustainability”.

They have since come up with three measures to be implemented in the near-term, with an additional eight being studied for longer-term implementation.

The council also plans to collect commission data from property agencies in the near term.

Senior Minister of State for National Development & Transport Sun Xueling announced the changes at the Singapore Estate Agents Conference, organised by the Singapore Institute of Estate Agents (SIEA), on Jul. 28, 2026.

Three in four consumers surveyed in CEA’s 2024 Public Perception Survey expected their property agents to complete at least one property transaction per year, Sun shared.

However, about 40 per cent of property agents do not meet this expectation today, she said, giving context on the need to raise industry standards.

Licence and registration validity periods extended

In consultation with the industry, the validity period for property agency licences and property agent registrations will be extended from one year to three years from Jan. 1, 2027.

This will reduce administrative workload in having to do yearly renewals as part of our pro-enterprise efforts, Sun said.

The upcoming licensing and registration renewal exercise for existing property agencies and property agents at the end of 2026 will kickstart the first three-year cycle, which will run from Jan. 1, 2027 to Dec. 31, 2029.

New property agencies and agents will be issued licences and registrations with a three-year validity period, commencing from the date they join the industry, and expiring on Dec. 31 of the third year.

CEA will continue to charge the licence and registration fees annually.

This means that property agencies and agents will not need to make a large lump sum payment at the point of renewal every three years.

Property agencies and agents will benefit from paying the application fee for renewal only once every three years, CEA said.

As at Jul. 1, 2026, there were 38,162 property agents and 1,018 property agencies in Singapore.

Currency requirement

A new Currency Requirement (CR) for property agents will also be introduced.

Under the new CR, property agents must either complete at least three property transactions over their three-year registration period, or pass a Refresher Examination, to be eligible for registration renewal for another three years.

The CR will ensure that consumers continue to receive “professional and up-to-date advice” when making important property decisions, Sun said.

With the new CR, all property agents who have not completed at least three transactions by the end of the three-year cycle are eligible to sit for the Refresher Examination and will be guaranteed a seat for the Refresher Examination.

The types of transactions recognised for the CR include: HDB resale and rental transactions, private residential sale, resale and rental transactions, commercial sale, resale and rental transactions, industrial sale, resale and rental transactions, foreign property sale transactions and en bloc transactions.

From 2023 to 2025, the median number of residential property transactions completed by each agent per year was two, a CEA spokesperson said, adding that they will begin collecting transaction records for other qualifying transaction types from Jan. 1, 2027.

The spokesperson also shared that the Refresher Examination will focus on practice-related knowledge essential for conducting estate agency work.

CEA will release more details of the Refresher Examination by the first half of 2029.

Complements annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirement

All existing annual requirements for property agents’ registration renewal will continue to apply even as the new measures are introduced.

Since Jan. 1, 2026, property agents have to complete 16 training hours per year under the annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirement to maintain their registrations.

The CR complements the CPD requirement, CEA stated.

Exemptions and waivers

There will, however, be exemptions and waivers for certain groups of agents.

New property agents who have just joined the industry will not be required to complete any transactions in their first year to allow them time to build up their skills and client base, CEA said.

They will only be required to meet the CR from their second year of registration.

This means that they will need to either complete at least two transactions over the remaining two years of their registration period, or pass the Refresher Examination, to be eligible for renewal.

Additionally, agents who are unable to meet the CR due to extenuating circumstances, such as serious medical issues or those handling complex property transactions which may take more time, may be considered for waivers on a case-by-case basis, CEA said.

A CEA spokesperson also clarified that those in management roles who do not intend to conduct estate agency work are not required to maintain their property agent registration and will hence not need to meet the CR.

Collecting commission data from property agencies

As a measure to make the industry more transparent for both consumers and property agents, Sun shared that CEA will begin collecting commission data from property agencies.

While the industry celebrates and recognises top performers today, they want prospective property agents to have a “realistic picture” of what a career in the real estate agency industry looks like, Sun said.

“We will look at the data and, in time, publish aggregated and anonymised industry-level information to help prospective property agents make better-informed career decisions,” she said.

She clarified that they are not looking to publish individual property agents’ commission figures.

A CEA spokesperson said they will collect commission data every month from property agencies starting Jan. 1, 2027.

However, CEA has not decided when to publish the data and will share more details in due course.

Further measures for transparency

Sun also shared that, to combat the prevalence of inaccurate, fake, duplicate, and unauthorised property listings, CEA has built on the work of the Alliance for Action on Accurate Property Listings and will launch a full-scale platform to verify the authenticity of online listings next year.

CEA will announce more details closer to implementation.

CEA is also studying whether to publish consumers’ ratings of their property agents on the CEA Public Register and to make it easier for consumers to access the register, Sun said.

Currently, the public can check whether a person is a registered salesperson or check whether a real estate agent is a licensed estate agent through the register.

Sun also said they are looking to require property agents and their clients to sign an Estate Agency Agreement and disclose who the agents are collecting commission from before commencing work.

“A signed agreement will give greater clarity to all parties and prevent downstream disputes,” she said.

In addition, CEA plans to conduct a survey of property agents on their property agencies to better understand how their property agencies support agents, Sun shared.

To empower consumers with more choice, Sun said they are looking into making HDB’s Resale Flat Listing the default listing platform for HDB resale flats as well as whether consumers can list their own properties directly on property portals.

Sun said they are actively studying the eight longer-term measures and will consult the industry soon.

There were 441 cases of suicides in Singapore in 2024, an increase of 1.6 per cent from 2023, according to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) said in a Jul. 28 press release.

While suicide deaths showed a general decline across all other age groups, suicides among adults aged 30 to 39 rose from 66 in the previous year to 99 in 2024, a 50 per cent increase.

Findings

Other key findings were also gleaned from the numbers.

The suicide death rate is 8.23 per 100,000 Singaporean residents, an increase of 0.04.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst adults aged 30 to 39.

In addition, for the seventh consecutive year, suicide is the leading cause of death amongst youths aged 10 to 29.

Among the 441 suicide deaths, 65.8 per cent are male, with 290 suicide deaths.

According to provisional data, Singapore reported a total of 256 suicide deaths in 2025.

However, the final actual number may vary substantially from the provisional number.

For 2024, the provisional figure was 314.

The final tally of 441 suicides was a 40.4 per cent increase from the provisional figure.

Complex pressures

Age and gender differences impact suicide attempts and suicide deaths.

SOS also observed through its 24-hour crisis helplines that adults aged 30 to 39 often face complex pressures and psychosocial stressors related to family, employment, and social isolation.

Meanwhile, youths aged 10 to 29 struggle with stressors related to family, education and interpersonal relationships.

For older persons aged 60 and above, key issues remain medical issues and social isolation, as they experience a decline in physical health, mobility and social connections.

While males account for the majority of suicide deaths in 2024, this trend was particularly pronounced among adults aged 60 and above, where there were three times the number of males lost to death by suicide than females.

Males more isolated, less likely to seek help

Existing research also suggests that males are more socially isolated, more reserved in seeking help when experiencing emotional distress, and are more likely to use highly lethal means in suicide attempts.

In contrast, females accounted for approximately one-third of suicide deaths.

Some 62.5 per cent of suicide-related calls and texts received by SOS in 2024 were from female service users.

This pointed to higher rates of women’s help-seeking behaviours related to pressures of differing societal roles and norms such as caregiving and gender-based violence.

“These should not just be numbers. Behind each one is a parent who still lies awake wondering what they missed, a friend who wishes they had called back," said Jared Ng, medical director, psychiatrist, and senior consultant at Connections MindHealth.

"The moments that matter most are rarely dramatic. They are small. Someone noticing a friend has gone quiet, and asking again, even when the answer was ‘I’m fine’," he explained.

Ng added that prevention happens "in the ordinary moments between people who care enough to ask twice".

Efforts

According to SOS, suicide is a complex mental health issue influenced by multiple factors.

Those factors include social determinants, such as unemployment, lower educational outcomes, income equality, housing insecurity, adverse childhood experiences, exposure to violence, physical and mental disabilities, and social isolation.

Every 13 hours, Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) de-escalates and prevents one person from risk of suicide through crisis intervention.

Over the past year, SOS responded to more than 55,000 calls and chats via its 24-hour hotline and CareText services.

Beyond its crisis helplines, SOS also provided in-person counselling services and support groups to more than 1,200 individuals experiencing emotional crisis.

SOS also seeks to strengthen early intervention through prevention efforts.

The Be A Samaritan (BAS) programme aims to equip more individuals to recognise distress early, start conversations, and guide those in need towards appropriate support.

In the past financial year, SOS has also trained over 2,000 individuals across workplaces, schools, and communities, with more than 90 per cent reporting increased literacy and confidence in responding to conversations around suicide.

SOS is also developing partnerships with several organisations to customise the BAS programme to specific needs and widen the safety nets in the community.

Recognising that suicide prevention is a shared responsibility, SOS will convene its flagship suicide prevention symposium, SONDER: Where Resilience Meets Collective Hope, on Sep. 10 in conjunction with World Suicide Prevention Day.

Local and international experts, practitioners, and community leaders will be brought together for the symposium.

Emerging trends, evidence-informed practices, and collaborative approaches to strengthen suicide prevention across Singapore and the region will be explored.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

• National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)
• National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)
• SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767
• Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
• Centre for Domestic Employees: 1800 225 5233 (24 hours)
• Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training: 1800 339 4357 (24 hours)
• HOME (migrant worker): +65 6341 5535 (WhatsApp/ Viber/ SMS)