Daily Briefing: Singapore's bid to lure tech titans raises investor protection concerns; Temasek invests in Indian ride-hailing firm Ola

And here’s why CapitaLand boss is bullish on property cooling measures.

From Bloomberg:

After years of debate, Hong Kong and Singapore’s stock exchanges this year allowed companies to list shares with different voting rights. 

While opponents to dual-class shares like Aberdeen Standard Investments are sticking to their guns, the rising clout of tech companies -- whether they use such structures or not -- underscores why there’s no turning back for Asian exchanges. 

“It looks like dual-class shares are here for now,” said David Smith, Asia head of corporate governance at Aberdeen. “We need to be careful, though, that investor protection is balanced with this commercial desire to attract listings.”

Read more here. 

From DealStreet Asia:

Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings has made a US$225 million investment into India-based ride-hailing firm Ola, according to a report by Inc42.

It is said to have acquired a “large single-digit” stake in the company through the deal, which involves the sale of secondary stakes from Ola’s early investors. Temasek is also in talks with Ola to purchase new shares.

Read more here.

From Bloomberg:

Singapore’s latest round of property curbs are probably enough to cool the market, and may present buying opportunities, the head of the city-state’s biggest developer said. “With the recent property curbs, we see new situations, new opportunities arising,” CapitaLand Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Lim Ming Yan said in a Bloomberg Television interview Wednesday.

“We still like Vietnam, we still like China,” Lim said. “In China, residential is still a big part of the business.”

Read more here.