Kopi With YP: Your Minimalist Morning Brief, 13 Mar

Get up to speed and stay smart with the latest business, tech, and local news in under 2 minutes

Business

Our property market finally saw light. Seller’s stamp duty will be lowered by 4% for each tier but industry experts says impact on property market is minimal.

Bitcoin drops 15% after the SEC rejected the first Bitcoin ETF due to a lack of regulation surrounding the digital currency.

Asian shares are off to a cautious start as expectations of the US interest rate hike grows stronger. The market is shifting its pace to the possibility of a rate hike beyond March.
 

World

Britain may start on ground zero. UK’s Theresa May has issued warnings that she is prepared to exit the EU without a deal which might cut off any subsidies funded by the EU.

Japan provided Malaysia with Kim Jong Nam’s fingerprints – obtained when the deceased was detained for entering Japan with a false passport.
 

Local

The Police have taken issue with a Reuters article on the water hike protest at the Speakers’ Corner. The piece was regarded as an “attempt to sow distrust of the Police”.

There’ll be more kiosks for replacing your transport concession cards and even a mobile app for you to apply beforehand as part of TransitLink’s self-help pilot trial.

Chinatown’s rents to go up after it undergoes a year-long facelift.
 

Tech

MAS will use a blockchain technology for domestic inter-bank payments as part their plan to be a world-class fintech hub.

Google and Levi’s smart jacket retails for US$350. Think smart watch but in jacket form.