10 Quick things to Know About MC Payment Limited

This article is written by Small Cap Asia.

Upon the RTO of Catalist-listed Artivision Technologies Ltd., MC Payment is set to become the first digital payments service provider listed on SGX.

With digital payments all the rage these days, it pays (pun intended) to take a deep look at this company.

Here are 10 quick things investors should know about MC Payment Limited.

1) RTO Details

According to this notice, the RTO has already gone underway with a 50 to 1 share consolidation and Artivision Tech will be renamed to MC Payment Limited.

The exercise closed at 5.00 p.m. on 15 February 2021 and shall be effective from 9.00 a.m. on the Market Day immediately following the Record Date, being 16 February 2021.

Taking the ‘delisting’ price of S$0.009 into account, the starting post-RTO price of MC Payment should be around S$0.45.

2) About MC Payment

Established in 2005 and regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under the Payment Services Act 2019, MC Payment holds a major payment institution licence.

It is a Singapore-based, online-to-offline (O2O) financial services technology company with a fully integrated platform and with a focus on servicing merchants in the retail, transportation and food and beverage industries.

Currently, MC Payment has a presence in 4 countries – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand – with ambitions to become a regional player.

With digital payments in ASEAN expected to triple to US$1.5 trillion (S$2 trillion) by 2030, the Group is well-placed to capitalise on this significant and growing market opportunity, given its established infrastructure and expanding geographical footprint.

3) MC Payment Business Model

As shown above, MC Payment offers 2 types of services.

#1 Merchant Payment Services (MPS)

This is the provision of payment processing services through its unified platform and smart software, which can be installed onto or integrated with any smart devices (including mobile phones, tablest, and smart POS terminals) for merchants with physical stores, or integrated into online merchants’ websites and applications.

MC Payment collects a nominal fee for each transaction for its payment processing services.

#2 Digital Commerce Enabling Solutions (DCES)

The company also provide ancillary services, such as the sale and lease of Smart POS terminals as well as both proprietary and licensed software-as-a-service which can be white-labelled.

This segment also develops bespoke software solutions for its merchants.

In addition, the picture above shows how MC Payment is able to tap on its ‘middle-man’ status to integrate various payment providers to offer payment modes to the merchants.

4) Financials of MC Payment Limited

A quick look at the above shows that revenue has been surging from S$2.99 million in FY2017 to S$8.65 million in FY2019. Although it is loss-making in the past few years, the losses have been declining over time.

On that note, here’s one important thing – MC Payment’s profits have turned positive in 1H2020. It posted a S$0.66 million profit for 1H2020 compared to S$1.3 million loss in the previous year.

5) MC Payment Management Team

Knowing the management team behind MC Payment is vital as they are the key personnel driving the company’s growth forward.

The co-founders and executive directors of MC Payment are Mr. Anthony Koh and Mr. Kim, are also the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer respectively. They have extensive experience in the FinTech industry, and have been fundamental to the Target Group’s growth and the regional expansion of its business operations.

Upon completion of the RTO, CEO Anthony Koh is expected to own a 6.11% stake while COO Mr. Kim will be having a 1.46% interest in the firm.

6) Rationale for MC Payment listing

According to Deloitte and Inclusion Fintech Conference, they did a recent study of emerging digital life in South and South-east Asia.

The report noted that this trend of digital payments is still at a nascent stage in this region. Singapore is the only exception, as the Republic has a fairly mature digital payment landscape.

Hence, MC Payment’s listing comes at an opportune time, with digital payments surging in Southeast Asia and in light of safe-distancing measures imposed by respective government and general public’s concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak.

7) Riding on the tailwinds of a Digital Payments Boom

According to the Circular, MC Payment is well positioned to capitalize on Singapore’s recent push towards cashless payments, and there is strong and increasing demand for such e-payment systems.

There is huge growth potential to be tapped too – c.75% of consumer payments in SEA’s 6 largest economies are currently made in cash.

The digitalization secular trend to shift cash payments to e-payments will take place at a rapid pace in the years ahead.

Furthermore, the Southeast Asian region also possesses many of the key characteristics that fuelled the take-off and rapid evolution of digital payments in China:

Rise in online and e-commerce transactions
High digital penetration and digital engagement
Extensive friction between consumers and commercial banks
Investments by start-ups and digital platforms
Steady expansion of e-payment use cases and
Strong government support/push

MC Payment Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Koh has this to say:

“We’re expecting a robust growth trajectory for the Southeast Asian payments industry, following a surge in digitisation, spurred by increased access to 5G mobile technology, blockchain and AI, coupled with the rapid rise of e-commerce.

We look forward to an exciting future in the digital payments industry, one that is filled with immense possibilities and opportunities”.

8) Risks to Take Note of

Although MC Payment has a sexy story behind it, investors would need to take note of the risks involved too.

One of them is the huge Trade and other Receivables of S$11.6 million as at 31 Dec 2019. It is pretty significant when you see from the income statement (point 4) that it is in fact more than FY2019’s revenue!

Upon a closer look (see above pic), it pertains to the monies receivables from payment providers – the credit card, e-wallet and bank institutions.

As such, I would think that the risks is pretty low here.

One other risk to take note is probably the competitive nature of the E-payments landscape. One direct competitor I can think of is Square, but it is more entrenched in the U.S. instead.

Hence, MC Payment may grab the opportunity to be a first mover in SEA by aggregating all the different type of payment methods in 1 platform for merchants.

For instance, if you visit some shops, they may have various Point-of-sale (POS) systems (the one you tap for credit card payment) for either Visa or other vendors like Ali-pay etc. MC Payment will help to provide all these payment under 1 platform.

9) Oxley CEO a substantial shareholder

Here’s a quick trivia – Mr. Ching Chiat Kwong, CEO of property developer Oxley Holdings, is also a controlling shareholder of MC Payment Limited.

According to the SGX announcement, he now owns 24.59% of the firm.

10) Conclusion

To conclude, the Group retains a competitive edge by being one of the few licensed payment providers with a regional presence and a scalable payment infrastructure.

MC Payment has a long growth runway by banking on a secular digital-payments trend and a huge addressable market across ASEAN.

What’s more value for money, owning a car or taking grab daily?

We’re here to break it down for you.

Cost of Annual Car Ownership

Annual Car Installment	S$11,600 (Assuming S$100,000 car, 30% desposit, loan tenure of 7 years)
Annual Road Tax	S$168 (1.6 liter car)
Annual Insurance	S$2,400 (Assuming a Mazda 3)
Annual Fuel Fees	S$2,600 (Assuming S$1.85/liter, mid grade petrol)
Annual Servicing Package	S$500
Annual HDB Season Parking	S$960 (Assuming minimum monthly parking)
Total	≈S$18,200

Let’s assume you need to commute to and from work daily from Pasir Ris to Marina Bay Financial Centre, and you book a Grab at least twice on the weekends

5 day work week	S$20 x 10 = S$200
Weekend Grabs	S$20 x 2 = S$40
Annual Cost	S$12,480

Conclusion

You could easily save at least $6000 a year without a car, even if you went ham on taking Grabs. We’re assuming very few people would take Grabs on this frequency.

Of course, owning a car is very much a lifestyle choice. Having a car comes with the convenience of being able to take control of your own transport. So if that all rounds off nicely for you, car ownership can still be on the cards for your financial goals.

We all know what went down in 2020.

The world got hit with a pandemic, and global economic and trade was severely disrupted. The 2020 economic outlook took a sharp turn, and stock markets crashed globally.

There were many reports about the 2020 stock market crash all across social media back then. Even if you were not a finance junkie at all, you would have felt the effects of the stock market crash.

But what exactly is a stock market crash? Does it affect our everyday financial health? Is it the end of the world?

What is a stock market crash?

A stock market crash can be defined as a sharp drop in prices of stocks. Over the years, there have been several stock markets collapses, each with its own unique reason for why it happened.

Instead of worrying endlessly about a stock market crash, it would be useful to study the reasons behind historical market crashes.

We’ve compiled a few of the significant market crashes in the past to give you a glimpse of how things happened, and how the market eventually recovered.

1987 Black Monday Crash

On 19 October 1987, all the major work markets experienced a sharp decline in price from 20 to more than 40%. The US Dow Jones Index fell more than 20% for the day. Prior to the crash, markets had been on a roar, as the Dow Jones more than tripled in value since 1982, leading to concerns of an overvalued market that was due for a major correction. (FOMO Investors who are at the same time worried about the market’s valuation)
With market participants mostly jittery about market valuations, it also prompted investors to set “stop-loss orders” (automated orders to sell out of stock positions, if prices dropped to/past a certain point) As the market drop, these stop loss orders further exacerbated the speed and size of the market losses. To make matters worst, large institutional investors also partially hedged their portfolios by implementing portfolio insurance strategies- automatically increase short future positions if there was a significant decline in stock prices.
Markets only recovered back to levels before the crash in March 1989. (17 months)

Dot-com Bust (2000 – 2002)

Termed as the internet stock bubble, US tech heavy index, Nasdaq, hit an a high of 5,132 in March 2000. By Oct 2002, the Nasdaq has fallen by more than 70%. Prior to the fall, the Nasdaq rose almost 4x driven by speculation on internet-related companies, as computers became a mass market product.
Record amount of funds flowed into Nasdaq during the period, as the Fed Chairman then, Alan Greenspan, warned the markets of “irrational exuberance” in 1996. However, he only tightened monetary policy in 2000, bursting the internet bubble.
It took 15 years for the Nasdaq to rebound back to levels before the crash, in April 2015. (15 years)

11 Sep 2001 Attacks

On 11 Sep 2001, 2 planes crash into World Trade Center in the US. Stock exchanges including the US and London were closed and evacuated in fear of more terrorist attacks.
Markets went into risk off mode, with the US Dow Jones index falling more than 7% on the first day of trading, the largest loss in history for a trading then (before the flash crash during COVID-19). At the end of the first trading week following the accident, the Dow Jones was down more than 14%.
Nonetheless this was a relatively short sell off, as markets subsequently rebounded and was back to the levels before the crash by November 2001. (3 months)

2008 Global Financial Crisis

Often referred to as one of the most severe financial crises in recent times. The global financial crisis in 2008 was a result of excessive risk taking by banks (in the form of mortgaged backed securities) which threatened the financial system with the collapse of the US housing market. The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in Sep 2008 became the trigger for the crisis and the wakeup call to the world. Prior to that, investors have been speculating on the rising US home prices, with home mortgage debt rising from an average of 46% during the 1990s to 73% during 2008. The crisis which started in the US spread rapidly to the rest of the world in part as US accounted for more than a third of the growth in global consumption then, and large financial institutions were also linked due to derivates such as credit default swaps.
The crisis saw central banks having to unleash huge stimulus to buy up mortgage securities and reduce interest rates to 0%, and to bail out “too big to fail banks”. Following the crisis, it also saw stricter regulations for the large banks including the Dodd-Frank act to ensure the stability of the financial system. Even after more than 10 years from the financial crisis, several banks have not fully recovered their lost market cap including Bank of America and Citibank.
US markets peaked in Oct 2007 and bottomed only in March 2009. Markets recovered back to levels before the crash in March 2013. (5 yrs 6 months)

2020 Covid-19

COVID-19 brought about what was believed to be the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s, as the pandemic brought about social distancing measures and lockdowns resulting in a disruption in economic activity. By April 2020, more than 3.9b people or half of the world’s population were ordered to stay indoors to prevent the spread of the virus, with recommended confinements and curfews in more than 90 countries or territories.
In March 2020, markets around the world suffered one of their steepest and fastest fall in recent times. The US S&P500 index took just 22 trading days to fall 30% from its record high in Feb 19, making it the fastest drop of this magnitude in history. However, as markets grasp with the pandemic, and central governments around the world unleash unprecedented stimulus to boost the economy, markets rapidly rebound.
After bottoming in March 20, markets recovered back to levels before the crash in November 20 (8 months)

While I studied in Banking & Finance and Accountancy in school, the best investing knowledge I got was from the books of other investors. This is not to say that the knowledge we learnt in school is useless, but it provides us with the basic fundamentals on how to read the financial statements and value the companies (Discounted Cashflow or Relative Valuation etc).

Over the years, I have scanned quite a few investment books. Below are the top 3 investment books that left the deepest impression on me.

1. One Up On Wall Street – by Peter Lynch

As one of the most famous investors of all time, this classic was among the top read in my list. The classification of the companies into different categories, while obvious can sometimes be oblivion to beginners. It is a good starting ground for investors to decide which type of stocks is most suitable for you, based on your character, and start active looking for them.

The 6 types of companies are:

Slow growers
Fast growers
Stalwarts
Cyclicals
Turnarounds
Asset plays

2. The Guru Investor – by John P. Reese with Jack M. Forehand

This is not the among the classics, but it is hands down my most favorite investment book. Every investor wants to find what is the holy grail to find the perfect stock. Well, there just isn’t a one size fits all solution. However, this book does compile the selection criteria used by some of the most famous investors of all time (eg. John Neff, Martin Zweig, Joel Greenblatt etc). While it may not always be practical to use some of these criteria in entirety, it help to shape some of the metrics and filters that I use when I look at a company.

The top criterias that I look out for includes:

Cashflow (operating, investing and free cash flow)
Net debt to equity
Revenue and earnings growth
The size and trend of profit margins
Dividend payout ratio and trend
Management

3. Hit Refresh – Satya Nadella

This is not exactly an investment book, but I believe the concepts behind it is applicable to life as well as in investment. This is a book by the current CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, which talks about his life story from his childhood in India to ultimately becoming the CEO of Microsoft. Under Satya’s leadership, Microsoft reinvented itself to help the tech giant remain relevant.

One of the main themes highlighted in the book is the importance of empathy which drive the innovation behind Microsoft’s transformation. It is the ability to understand customers’ unarticulated and unmet needs to drive the innovation to come out with the great products to satisfy these needs. Products that solve the needs of users will ultimately sell themselves, driving profitability and make the basis of a good investment.

Investing is all the rage these days. Even if you’re not actively investing, you probably would have felt its rise in popularity with the numerous YouTube and Facebook ads by so-called “investment gurus”.

I’d hazard a guess that the financial instability and uncertainty in 2020 (now spilling into 2021) has got more people thinking about ways to make more money. Investing is surely one way for that to happen.

But let’s not forget that investing in itself bears a certain level of risk – and therefore instability and uncertainty as well.

Though it might be tempting to jump into the investment bandwagon when you see the kinds of returns that people claim to have received, the truth is that there are no guarantees to investing.

So for everyone who’s just beginning to invest, or even just thinking about investing, here are some soft truths to think about before you put your money anywhere.

Make sure that you’ve got a solid foundation to stand on

If you’ve got a large debt to pay for, and only a not-so-stellar savings account to depend on, it’s probably a wise move to sort through your finances first before committing to anything.

Like mentioned above, investing is a risky move to make. If your current finances are already standing on shaky ground, adding more risk factors into play can easily topple your balance.

While I’ve heard of people that managed to turn their finances around by investing, the flip side is true as well.

We need not look far for examples. The shockwaves from the 2008 Global Financial Crisis could be clearly felt in Singapore, and the aftermath of it still a stinging memory for many.

It’s important to note that sometimes putting your money into investments may not be the best way to manage your current situation.

I’ve read that by making extra payments for a high-interest debt, it’s also equivalent to investing that money and getting an annual percentage return. And there are many more boring but necessary financial management tips that we should probably heed, rather than jumping into some shiny investment vehicle.

Which leads me into my next point.

Do your research

This is really straightforward, but something that’s often ignored especially for beginners who aren’t financially savvy.

It’s easier to just trust what a friend says or watch your financial advisor scribble away impressive calculations and simply take it as that.

But nothing beats doing your own research and making your decisions for yourself.

I know it’s boring to plough through the numbers. And with investment schemes available, it’s not necessary to do all the legwork ourselves.

However, I think it’s wise that we know what’s going on with our money rather than sign it away on some mysterious plan.

The best teachers? Books. That’s where you can get detailed explanations by investment experts. But if that’s too much content for you, hey, blogs like these and YouTube videos are your next best bet for investment tips.

Know what you are investing for

The next thing to think about is your investment goals and timeline. What exactly are you investing for, and how much time do you need to raise this amount of money?

We all have life/financial milestones. Some of us want to own a house by 30. Others are eyeing for that dream (but expensive) car. It’s perfectly fine to splurge, just make sure that you’ve got everything sorted out before you make that huge purchase.

Especially if you’re planning for a big purchase, like a house, a car, or a big wedding, making an investment plan will help you to move faster towards that goal.

It’ll also help you to answer very important questions like: How much money should I invest in? What should I invest in? How much risk can I tolerate? These are the questions that usually boggle beginners the most, but can be answered with relative ease once you know where you want to go with your money.

Money goals can get quite existential at times, simply because of how tightly linked it is towards our life goals. And it can just get tempting to put the entire accounts aside and not have to face the truth.

There’s really no two ways around it other than to look at it and start making plans to clear up debt and start making plans for the things that you really want.

It’s pretty simple. Begin by making a list of your financial goals, find out how exactly how much you need to achieve them, then start planning the best route to get there.

All the best in your investing journey folks!

The Money Matters

After the “worst recessions since Great Depression”, markets are looking forward to a global economic recovery. What are the experts saying?

UBS: Long Value over Growth over Defensives. Forecast S&P 500 at 4,100 at end 2021E.

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management: Forecast 10% gain next 12 months, sees opportunity in smaller cap stocks that “have greater sensitivity to what is likely to be a very strong economic recovery, along with financials, consumer services, materials, industrials and cyclical technology stocks”

Locally,

UOB: Sees STI valuation as “not stretched”, 2021 target for STI at 3,180. Overweight Banks, healthcare, plantation, technology and suburban retail and hospitality S-REIT sectors

CIMB: Base case Target for STI for 2021 at 3,068 (Bull at 3,412). Still “bullish on recovery theme but think one should wait for a market breather to reload ammunition.”

January

WHO announced that COVID-19 had emerged in Wuhan, China, and is spreading across the world.
Brexit is officially completed- as UK becomes the first country to leave the European Union, after 47 years of membership

February

Donald Trump was acquitted by the senate for his impeachment

March

Australia bushfire finally ended– the fire which started from Sep 19 to Mar 20, is estimated to have cost Australia’s economy as high as A$5 billion
Stock markets crash around the world- US S&P500 took just 22 trading days to fall 30% from its record high, the fastest drop of this magnitude in history.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics was officially postponed till 2021. As a result of COVID-19, the delay is expected to cost Japan an additional $2.4b, adding to the previous budget of $13b which was already significantly more than originally planned. The delay had caused a surge in extra costs from rebooking venues, transport, to COVID-19 counter measures
SIA to raise $15b with support from Temasek to combat COVID-19 via shares offering and convertible bonds. Temasek had pledged to underwrite all shares and bonds that are not subscribed. SIA had come under pressure as COVID-19 halted air travel. DPM Heng said “SIA is an outstanding airline and a strategic asset for Singapore. Through the Government’s support for the aviation sector, and if necessary more direct support measures, we will make sure that SIA is able to come through this in good shape.”

April

Half of the population was under lockdown with more than 3.9b people in more than 90 countries ordered to stay at home. Singapore announced its circuit breaker starting from 7 April 2020, before progressively easing restrictions from 1 June 20.
US unemployment rate hit a record high of 14.7%, the highest rate and largest over the month increase due to COVID-19.

May

Black live matters- Protests broke out in US in May, after a Black African American was killed due to a white police officer kneeling on his neck for nearly 8 minutes, as other officers looked on and prevented passers-by from intervening. The protests spread to over 60 countries, and continue well into early November, with some believing it helped to boost the anti-Trump vote.

June

Wirecard filed for insolvency – In a shock news to the business world, Wirecard filed for insolvency following an accounting scandal which saw over US$2b missing and the arrest of its CEO. It was the first member of Germany’s blue chip DAX index to fail
China passes controversial HK national security law giving Beijing unprecedented powers over HK. This led to strong responses from overseas which raised concerns that HK’s position as a financial and business hub in Asia may be threatened. US President trump ordered an end to HK’s special status under US law following the passing of the HK national security law.

July

MAS calls on local banks to cap FY20 dividends at 60% of FY19. This came amidst concerns of the banks financial strength amid the uncertain economic climate, as central governments around the world try to ensure local banks’ capital positions are strong to support businesses and economies. In June, US Fed has also capped US banks dividends and suspended their buybacks
Facebook suffered ad boycotts which saw over 1,000 companies participated including Unilever and Coca-Cola. The boycott came after Facebook refused to censor a post containing Donald Trump’s “When the looting starts, the shooting starts” as well as a post by Trump that criticized CHAZ, leading to immense criticism.

August

Singapore reports worst ever quarterly contraction of 13.2% in 2Q20. This was mainly due to the circuit breaker which was implemented from 7 Apr to 1 June.

November

Joe Biden wins US election – In one of the highest voter turnout in more than a century, Joe biden was voted the next president of USA. He will be the oldest president to ever take office at 78 years old. This is the third time Joe Biden has ran for the White House, having done so previously in 1988 and 2008.
ANT IPO abruptly halted- In what could have been the world’s largest IPO valued at more than $300b, ANT Group, the financial arm of Alibaba, saw its listing abruptly pulled by Chinese regulatory authorities, citing “major issues”.
China cracked down on its biggest tech companies in the country as the nation’s biggest tech companies lost nearly $290b in market value in just 2 days (the GDP of Egypt). The selloff came amidst new regulations from Beijing aimed at curbing monopolies in big tech.
Bitcoin hit a new record high, surging above its last peak reached in Dec 17. Cryptocurrencies has been on a roar in 2020, amidst massive stimulative measures by governments around the world, in a bid to support the world economy.

December

First COVID-19 vaccines roll out for Americans after the US FDA approved emergency use for Pfizer’s and Moderna COVID-19 shot. Singapore also got its first shipment of vaccines on 21 Dec 20.
‘New variant’ of coronavirus found in UK , which PM Boris Johnson said could be “up to 70% more transmissible”
Tesla joined S&P 500 share index- This follows a nearly 700% rise in share price in 2020. Tesla will become the sixth largest member in the S&P 500 share index.
Singapore grant digital bank licenses – Grab-Singtel consortium and SEA secured the full digital bank license, while ANT Group and a consortium comprising Greenland Financial Holdings, Linklogis HK and Beijing Co-operative Equity Investment Fund management was granted digital wholesale bank licenses.
mm2 proposes the merger of its cinema business (Cathay Cinemas) with Golden Village. The move will form the biggest cinema operator in Singapore
Robinsons closed its last outlet in Singapore. The iconic 162 year old department store closed its flagship store at The Heeren on 16 Dec 20.

For more reports and market insights, pls open a trading account with us (text +65-8740 7951 or PM telegram @moneyplantt)

“So money minded!” is usually not the nicest thing to say about someone. But if we really think about it, who isn’t money minded? We spend most of our life toiling away at work for the simple fact that we need money to finance our lives.

Money is usually the source of numbing anxiety, frustration, and not to mention endless confusion for many. And that’s not an ideal mix of emotions to be living with.

If money’s constantly on your mind, and you’re not sure about what to do with it, we might have a few ideas for you.

The So Money Minded team is made up of investment pros and finance noobs. We want to share different finance perspectives and stories that will helpfully help you along in your financial journey – no matter where you’re at.

We’re here to share our woes, experiences, highs, lows, and just get real about all things money.

Find us on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somoneymindedsg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somoneyminded/

The talk about money cannot be missed in every Chinese New Year.

If you’ve had enough of 2020, and you’re looking to make 2021 the best it could get for you, here are some pantang things to increase your luck during Chinese New Year.

Don’t sweep or take out garbage

All your spring cleaning should be done before the first day of CNY. It’s believed that if you sweep the floors, it is akin to sweeping your wealth away. Taking the trash out would mean throwing your fortune away from the house. So just endure some messiness on the first day of CNY.

Don’t wash hair

Hair in Chinese has a similar pronunciation as ‘gaining wealth’. So it’s believed that you shouldn’t be washing your wealth away at the start of New Year.

Avoid needlework

Using knives, scissors, or needles is seen as bad luck, because any accidents arising from that could lead to a loss in wealth. Use this as your excuse to order food in over CNY.

Avoid borrowing money

And make sure your debts are fully paid before CNY. Otherwise you risk being unlucky throughout the year.

Make sure you have a full rice jar

Rice has a huge significance in Chinese culture. If the rice jar isn’t full, it’s signifies that you don’t have enough food during CNY, and that’s a bad omen.

Chinese New Year is a time for family, celebration, eating – and reading one too many Zodiac predictions in shopping malls.

Whether you believe it or not, it’s still fun to get some insights of the future.

So we’ve put together our own 2021 Zodiac financial outlook, as adapted from thechinesezodiac.org.

Of course, take this with a pinch of salt – basic financial sense should still apply.

RAT

This year is a prosperous year! Although they rarely do so, Rat might take a few risks this year that could lead to profits from unexpected places.

The Rat needs to be careful in their social network this year as their actions might be misunderstood, leading to enemies or stressful situations that could diminish their achievements.

2021 is an auspicious year for the Ox. Their patience and consistent hard work has paid off, and they can expect to be rewarded with the fruits of their labour.

They may also get public recognition for their achievements this year. Nice.

TIGER

Although you will have new projects on hand, you’ll also be challenged with a lack of ideas and inspiration on your next steps.

June to November is an opportune time to use your skills to recover any financial losses from the previous year. From May to October, you will be forced to review your long-term financial plans.

RABBIT

The Rabbit will be ambitious in 2021, taking on more roles in the spotlight! Though you might face some career problems because of your perfectionist nature, the eventual balance for 2021 will be positive.

Take note of your capabilities and just focus on doing your best.

DRAGON

Career prospects are looking up for the Dragon! They will be able to make full use of their analytical skills to complete their projects in 2021 – and the next 12 months seem to be smooth sailing with your intelligence and skills. Sounds good.

Business will be flourishing as well. But do take note of your budgeting and accounting.

SNAKE

March to June are lucky months for the Snakes! This is a time where money flows in whenever you’re in need.

This year is not the best time to change jobs. You’ll need to work extra hard if you are looking to enter a new field in 2021.

HORSE

The year will kick off with an abundance of success and achievements. Continue working hard and don’t let the successes go to waste.

You’ll receive many perks at work, and business travel could be on the cards too – well, let us know if that happens cos we can’t wait for travel restrictions to be lifted too.

GOAT

In 2021, the Goats seem a little disorganized, and business isn’t doing it’s best. Instead, you should focus on using your artistic skills as you will do well in those jobs.

You might face some challenges at the end of the year, and possibly some financial losses as well. But that seems to be mitigated with your lucky stars shining in your Zodiac sign. Phew.

MONKEY

Great news! This is a year with plenty of opportunities – and you’ll get your time to show your skills, dreams, passion and abilities!

Career is smooth sailing in 2021. You are protected by the Sun, and that spells much financial success. Nice.

ROOSTER

With some sacrifices, the Rooster will be able to overcome their limitations and achieve what they want.

Though you might be thinking of a career change, it’s important to put others first in 2021 before you make any big decisions. You’ll be rewarded for that.

DOG

Make sure that you plan your projects and finances carefully in 2021. There is a risk of losing money and falling into debt.

Remember not to spend excessively or indulge in gambling or speculations this year.

PIG

It’s a favourable year for the Pigs. Expect to see some positive developments from the start of 2021.

This is a year of progress. The Pigs should put their two qualities to good use – entrepreneurial spirit and a knack for making money.

All the best everyone for 2021. Have a great Chinese New Year!