Move Aside, Duct-taped Bananas

Forget the Balenciaga Trash Bag, the Louis Vuitton Paint Can Bag and the YSL Takeaway Box Bag… 2025’s viral trend in luxury accessories was the “Invisible Bag.” A collaboration between unnamed top-tier designers, these bags are made from an ultra-advanced material that is completely transparent. Priced at a cool US$50,000 per bag, they are the pinnacle of minimalist fashion, allowing wearers to carry nothing but the idea of a bag. Social media and collectors worldwide are calling it the “Emperor’s New Bag”. Each bag comes with a limited edition blind-box Labubu keychain and a receipt as proof of your purchase – invisible too, of course. 
– JUNE HO

New Housing Initiative To Boost Fertility Rate 

HDB started a building spree to ensure an entire generation of new voters fulfil their dream of owning their first home. Priority is given to families with four or more children and women are not left behind; those with three or more children are exempt from income tax forever, while the government pays CPF contributions to stay-at-home mothers. More HDB flats are also built in prime districts but with a catch: buyers can only sell their flats back to the HDB, reverting to the core mission of HDB to house the nation, instead of encouraging million-dollar public apartments. The desired result? Birth rates will rise, property prices will stabilise, and the next generation will not feel priced out of their own country.
– MELVIN CHAN

Social Media Ban Goes Global

2025 marked the arrival of Generation Beta, those born between 2025 and 2039. It may also be the first generation since Gen X to have a social media–free childhood, or so it is hoped.  The rumblings of this revolution, which began with Australia’s 2024 social media ban for under 16s, had since cascaded to similar bans in other countries in 2025. Enforcement issues remain, but there is a marked difference in online content – already, children are not keen to “hang out” at digital town squares if their friends are not even there. Will the abstinence from social media welcome a new era of better mental health in our youth? Maybe X will tell. 
– ONG PEI CHING

Can Workplace Fairness Act?

The first case of workplace discrimination is set to be filed by a childcare teacher, denied employment because she disclosed struggles with chronic anxiety and depression – notwithstanding that she was responding to treatment. Businesses have had the whole of 2025 to revamp their policies and processes for the Workplace Fairness Act and 2026 will see the new laws kick in; mental health could be the trickiest protected characteristic of all. As we strive to be a kinder, more inclusive society, where do we draw the line? 
– IAN LIM

Are We In a Financial Winter?

Some thought the US would remain the world’s engine of economic growth in 2025. Boy, were they wrong. After multiple years of double-digit run up, the US stock market’s retreat into bear territory this year should have been expected. When coupled with the global economic downturn from the US’ withdrawal as the “consumer of last resort”, 2025 was a bad year for everyone. Come 2026, we expect continuing high US interest rates due to Trump’s tariffs. For the rest of the world, this forces many markets to keep unnaturally high rates or suffer capital flight. With things looking to get worse before they get better, are we entering a global financial winter? 
– MARK A. JACOBSEN

City State Bets Big on Safer Nuclear Energy Options

Singapore’s Energy Market Authority announced its intention to seek joint venture partners for the design, assembly, testing, and operation of its inaugural small modular reactor, a pivotal move in the nation’s nuclear energy aspirations. As the electric vehicle (EV) landscape rapidly evolves – with China-based manufacturers like BYD outstripping Tesla in market share – the focus is shifting towards sustainable energy solutions like hydrogen fuel cell technology in EVs. Amidst these developments, concerns about the Singapore’s long-term energy security are mounting, fuelled by AI advances, blockchain innovations, and fluctuating fossil fuel prices.  
– KELVIN KOH

Is AI To Blame For The Widening Wealth Gap?

The continued and rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) raises not just an employment concern but significant implications for economic inequality. Companies, implementing widespread layoffs empowered by AI’s efficiencies and productivity, are enjoying skyrocketing profits as their stocks perform well. The general workforce struggles to find employment, while the wealthy benefit from corporate investments. Is there an answer to this? 
– NANTHINI VIJAYAKUMAR

Peace In Our Time

It didn’t go according to script. The Donald confounded all expectations – including his own – achieving a détente with China.  The new Americo-Sino hegemony came about after difficult and candid discussions between Xi and a Trump panicked at the runaway success of DeepSeek, China’s answer to ChatGPT.  The loser? Putin. Russia is broken, besieged and isolated. It has all but lost the Ukraine war. Not with a bang but with a whimper. 
– THIO SHEN YI