Daily Briefing: Fintech startup bent on plugging the SME funding gap; 3 ways to improve productivity

And GIC wary over rate hike.

• Among the financial technology (Fintech) startups aiming to disrupt the traditional banking sector, Singapore-based ApexPeak is set on resolving the funding gap faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) worldwide. Read more here. 
• Singapore is in the middle of an ambitious ten year journey of economic restructuring. Key to both global competitiveness and national prosperity is business productivity, facilitated by investment in and adoption of tools and technologies that deliver efficiencies and cost savings. Find out more here. 
• GIC, a sovereign wealth fund which manages over $100 billion of Singapore's foreign reserves, reported improved returns Thursday but warned future earnings could be hit as central banks worldwide raise interest rates. Read more here.