Overview:
Presence News asked three international business leaders what surprised them most about living and working in Singapore. Their responses challenge common global perceptions of the country as rigid or purely corporate. Instead, they describe a collaborative startup ecosystem, regulatory clarity that accelerates business rather than slowing it down, and a strong interpersonal culture shaped by shared meals and relationship-building. The article explores how Singapore blends Asian cultural values with Western corporate structure, positioning itself not just as a financial centre but as a relational and highly connected gateway to Southeast Asia.
SINGAPORE — For decades, Singapore has carried a carefully curated global image: hyper-efficient, tightly regulated, impeccably clean, and laser-focused on commerce. To outsiders, it is often described as a “fine city” — a tongue-in-cheek reference to its strict laws — or as a sterile financial powerhouse built purely for business.
But for founders and executives who have actually lived and worked there, the reality is far more nuanced.
Presence News asked three international business leaders: What surprised you most about living or working in Singapore compared to common international perceptions — and what do you wish more people understood about the country?
Their responses reveal a country defined not just by policy and infrastructure, but by community, clarity, and culture.
A Tech Ecosystem That Feels Collaborative — Not Cutthroat
For John Cheng, CEO of PlayAbly.AI, Singapore’s startup ecosystem defied expectations.
“I thought Singapore’s tech scene would be cutthroat, but it’s not,” Cheng said. “Starting PlayAbly here, I was surprised how much founders just share what they know.”
Singapore is widely viewed as one of Asia’s most competitive innovation hubs, often compared to Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. Yet Cheng describes a founder culture built more on cooperation than rivalry.
“One piece of advice from a local incubator pointed us in the right direction for early user growth,” he said. “It’s less a business hub and more a community that actually wants you to succeed.”
That communal mindset contrasts sharply with the international perception of relentless competition. While Singapore ranks consistently among the world’s top startup ecosystems, the lived experience for many entrepreneurs appears more relationship-driven than transactional.
Regulation as Clarity — Not Obstacle
If Singapore is known globally for anything, it is regulation. Strict rules, high compliance standards, and visible enforcement are part of the country’s brand.
For Harrison Jordan, Founder and Managing Lawyer at Substance Law, the biggest surprise was not the presence of regulation — but how efficiently it functions in practice.
“Many outsiders expect red tape to slow everything down, but in reality, the system is predictable and transparent,” Jordan said.
Rather than creating friction, he argues that Singapore’s regulatory structure creates clarity.
“I wish more people understood that the strict rules aren’t just about control; they create reliability that benefits both companies and individuals navigating complex industries.”
In many jurisdictions, ambiguity around compliance can become a hidden tax on business growth. In Singapore, leaders say predictability allows companies to plan with confidence — accelerating decision-making instead of stalling it.
The takeaway: regulation in Singapore is not chaotic. It is disciplined — and discipline, in this context, drives velocity.
The Power of “Makan” Culture
Perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of Singapore, according to Kuldeep Kundal, Founder and CEO of CISIN, is its interpersonal warmth.
Internationally, Singapore is often perceived as formal and corporate. But Kundal describes a culture where relationships frequently develop over shared meals — not conference tables.
“Some of my most productive meetings have taken place in a busy hawker centre over coffee instead of in a boardroom,” he said.
The local concept of “makan” — Malay for “to eat” — plays a central role in business relationship-building. Deals and strategic decisions are often shaped through informal conversations over food.
“There is a real communal warmth in Singapore that balances out the pressure of working in a fast-paced global corporation,” Kundal said.
In a city that moves quickly, slowing down to share a meal is not inefficiency. It is infrastructure — social infrastructure.
Efficiency Through Reduced Friction
Singapore’s efficiency is frequently attributed to policy and governance. But leaders suggest the deeper explanation lies in design.
From Singapore Changi Airport to the Central Business District, infrastructure reduces friction at nearly every step.
“You can go from Changi International Airport to an important business meeting in less than one hour,” Kundal noted.
For globally scaling companies, time compression matters. When executives can land, clear immigration, and be downtown in under an hour, strategic momentum remains intact.
Singapore’s layout — compact yet globally connected — turns geography into a competitive advantage. Rather than being a “sterile financial centre,” Kundal describes it as “a highly connected launching pad for Southeast Asia.”
Hybrid Values: Asian Roots, Western Structure
Another recurring theme among business leaders is Singapore’s hybrid identity.
The country blends Asian cultural values — respect for hierarchy, emphasis on relationships, communal dining — with Western corporate structures and legal clarity. That fusion can be disorienting at first.
“Learning how to navigate a new culture usually involves a period of adjustment where we learn that our first impressions were not correct,” Kundal said.
The key, he added, is understanding the pace of the city and investing in personal relationships.
Singapore moves fast. But beneath that speed lies a deeply relational culture.
Beyond the “Fine City” Narrative
The phrase “Singapore is a fine city” has long circulated internationally, referencing its visible enforcement culture. Yet the executives interviewed suggest that narrative misses the broader story.
Strict laws are not merely punitive; they underpin predictability. Infrastructure is not just aesthetic; it reduces operational friction. And business culture is not purely transactional; it is deeply interpersonal.
For entrepreneurs and global firms, the country offers something increasingly rare: clarity.
In a world where regulatory environments shift unpredictably and infrastructure gaps slow growth, Singapore’s disciplined model creates stability. But stability does not equal sterility.
Instead, leaders describe a country where hawker-centre conversations can influence cross-border engineering decisions, where founders freely share growth advice, and where legal transparency empowers rather than restricts.
The Bottom Line
Singapore may be globally branded as a financial hub, but for those working on the ground, it feels more like a tightly woven ecosystem.
It is efficient without being cold. Regulated without being chaotic. Competitive without being cutthroat.
And perhaps most importantly, it is relational at its core.
As international perceptions continue to simplify Singapore into a headline — strict, clean, controlled — business leaders say the real story is more human.
The surprise is not that Singapore is disciplined.
The surprise is how much warmth exists inside that discipline.
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