After merging with Commerce Bancorp Inc., TD Bank NA (TD Bank) continued to wow its customers by providing free lollipops, pens, and dog-friendly services and staying open longer than major competitors in the region. Through social media campaigns, it emphasized the importance of having a human touch in banking and showcased its appreciation for customers who had lent a helping hand to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. It introduced innovative services such as curbside pickup for debit cards, and it increased its digital offerings by providing various digital financial services, platforms, and mobile applications (apps). It also enhanced its social media footprint and engagement with various hashtags such as #TDThanksYou. While TD Bank was doing all this, major competitors such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo responded with improved online and offline services. Having successfully differentiated itself as a bank with a human touch, TD Bank was forced to shutter 81 branches in the first quarter of 2021 due to the prolonged effects of the pandemic. Now, in September 2021, it has to recalibrate and provide more digital banking services as most of its customers are demanding the safety and convenience of digital banking. Can TD Bank build upon its slogan, “America’s Most Convenient Bank,” by consistently delivering humanized and seamless “phygital” banking experiences?

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On June 24, 2021, Keppel Corporation (Keppel) and Sembcorp Marine Limited (Sembmarine) announced that they had signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to enter into exclusive talks to merge Sembmarine and Keppel Offshore and Marine (Keppel O&M), a division of Keppel. Separately, but on the same day, Sembmarine also announced an intention to raise S$1.5 billion through a three-for-two renounceable rights issue (up to 18.83 billion new shares) at an exercise price of S$0.08 per share, which was a 35.7 per cent discount to the theoretical ex-rights price and a 58.1 per cent discount to the June 23 closing price of S$0.191.

Based on the share price reaction to the announcement of the restructuring, what was the market’s perception of the merger? Would it create value? Should Sembmarine raise capital via a rights issue and should shareholders subscribe to the rights issue?

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Finbook Pte. Ltd. (FinBook), a financial technology (fintech) start-up, started in July 2017 in Singapore as a decentralized marketplace for structured products on the blockchain. The founders obtained seed funding of approximately US$200,000 that allowed it to introduce and incorporate structured funds, short sales, and financial options in the crypto space using smart contracts under the distributed ledger system.

In May 2018, FinBook launched a private cornerstone round of token financing and obtained $3.5 million worth of Ethereum. However, the cryptocurrency market plunged in 2018. As a result, the founders needed to discuss their options: Should they postpone the public initial coin offering (ICO) planned for September 2018, or should they consider another round of venture capital (VC) equity financing while waiting for a better time for the ICO?

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This case focuses on the use of modern data analytics to alleviate crowding at the branches of United Overseas Bank, a full-service bank headquartered in Singapore. The case is set in 2020 against the backdrop of the COVID-19 global pandemic when vaccines were not yet available and social distancing was a key tool in the fight against the spread of the disease. How should the bank develop and deploy predictive analytics to accurately anticipate future branch crowds? How should the bank trade off key design considerations?

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In February 2021, the responsible seafood program officer for World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore (WWF-Singapore) was looking to encourage a collective change in the consumption of sustainable seafood. Promoting sustainable seafood in Singapore, however, had not been easy. Due to cultural influences and the nature of seafood trading, driving a change in the sourcing and consumption of seafood among stakeholders required significant effort and creativity. Identified stakeholders were generally either slow in acting or unresponsive. With each party pushing the responsibility to another, the challenge facing the program officer and WWF-Singapore’s market transformation team was how to overcome this deadlock of inertia. WWF-Singapore believed that it was necessary to understand and address each stakeholder separately, as stakeholders required specific communication messages and support to help them make a change. However, with limited resources, WWF-Singapore had to be strategic in deciding who to target and how.

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On March 26, 2020, Singapore Airlines was reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. To raise badly needed capital, it announced that its shareholders would be offered S$5.3 billion worth of rights shares and S$3.5 billion of rights mandatory convertible bonds, both of which would be reflected as equity on its balance sheet. Should shareholders take advantage of this offer or not? To make this decision, investors had to analyze the airline’s reasons for choosing this form of equity financing, the impact of this capital-raising exercise, Singapore Airline’s valuation, and the role of sovereign wealth funds in equity financing. Investors would have to decide the appropriate response to the rights issuances.

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In August 2021, Singapore Airlines Group (SIA) was at a critical juncture in its history. Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had forced commercial travel to almost a standstill, requiring SIA to idle most of its fleet. The group’s overall revenues had declined by 76 per cent in the 2020/21 financial year, resulting in a loss of S$4.27 billion. The massive cash bleed forced the group to issue new capital, thus diluting the stake of its existing shareholders. Although SIA’s results had improved for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, the emergence of new virus variants and continued travel restrictions meant that the group needed to make critical decisions that would have implications for both its short-term survival and its long-term performance.

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In early 2020, Singapore Airlines Limited (Singapore Airlines) faced severe liquidity issues as the global pandemic halted its flights and uncertainty loomed. Erstwhile massive cash reserves were quickly running out, and the airline’s executives pondered how to save the company from insolvency. Singapore Airlines’ majority shareholder, Temasek Holdings Limited, agreed to subscribe to a massive capital-raising exercise of up to S$15 billion via a proposed rights offer and mandatory convertible bonds (MCBs). Although minority shareholders were not convinced that the rights issue would be a good investment in such uncertain times, they had to decide whether to vote for it and whether to subscribe to the rights issue and MCBs.

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On September 26, 2018, the Chinese hotpot chain Haidilao International Holding Ltd. launched an initial public offering, during a time of ongoing trade tensions between the United States and China, and started trading of the company’s shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Beijing-based company sold 424.5 million shares at HK$17.8 (US$2.27) per share, which was on the high end of the indicative price range. Its price-to-earnings ratio of 30.2 was higher than that of its peers, which ranged from 16 to 27. In addition, the CSI 300 Index, which monitored the performance of 300 stocks on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, was down 27 per cent year-to-date at that time. Another key factor was that the company’s stock would likely be included on the Stock Connect program that enabled access from Mainland China to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Investors had an opportunity to value the company at the time of the initial public offering launch and analyze the information provided in the company’s prospectus. Based on their assessment, investors had to decide if the company’s stock was a good investment.

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On September 6, 2018, a couple was enjoying a meal at a hotpot restaurant in Weifang, Shandong Province, China. The restaurant was a branch of the popular Chinese hotpot restaurant chain owned by Xiabuxiabu Catering Management (China) Holdings Co. Ltd. (Xiabu Xiabu). Halfway through the meal, the pregnant wife found a dead rat in her soup. The news spread on social media, and according to some analysts, Xiabu Xiabu’s share price dropped US$190 million in market value. Had Xiabu Xiabu’s lack of quality assurance undermined the company’s success? How could the company improve its risk and crisis management?

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