Daily Briefing: Singapore rises in global finance secrecy rankings; Singapore lags in personal freedom

And here’s the deal on the most expensive 4-room flat sold.

Hong Kong and Singapore have increased their ranking for financial secrecy, with the Chinese territory rising to number two behind only Switzerland in a 2015 index of the world’s offshore havens compiled by the Tax Justice Network. Both Asian financial hubs have made insufficient reforms to their corporate secrecy regimes, according to the London-based TJN, which campaigns for greater transparency in finance. Read more here.

Singapore was ranked 25th in the Social Capital sub-index and 38th in the Personal Freedom sub-index, the country’s lowest performance. Overall, Singapore was ranked 17th the highest ranking ever achieved. Find out more here.

A four-room HDB flat at The Pinnacle@Duxton measuring 93 sqm (approx. 1,000 sq ft) was recently sold for $990,000, making it the most expensive four-room resale flat to date, reported Shin Min Daily News. Situated on the 43rd to 45th storey, the unit was sold in September. Read more here.