☀️ Bright Spot #2
Australia’s Consumers Open Wallets | Singapore’s Wala Wala Lives On | Debby Lim Wins IWIRC Asia Award | Smitha Menon Joins SIAC Panel
Over the past few days, we’ve had a cornucopia of bad news from the region, particularly Indonesia (violent protests), Thailand (political turmoil) and Singapore (retail closures).
So I’ve published Bright Spot #2, a curated pick of positive stories in a sea of negative headlines.
In this edition, Australian consumers lift the economy down under, Singapore’s beloved bar Wala Wala was resurrected, and two prominent ladies made a splash in their fields.
🦘 Australian Consumers Open Wallets
Australia’s economy grew at the fastest annual pace in almost two years in the second quarter, as consumers started spending after a long fallow.
🍻 Singapore’s Wala Wala Lives On
Wala Wala Café Bar – which has been around for over three decades – is now staying put at its Holland Village home instead of bowing out. The popular nightlife spot was set to close before the end of 2025, but thanks to a tweak in lease policy by its landlord and an outpouring of support from its loyal customers, Wala Wala will continue to welcome guests.
🏅 Debby Lim Wins IWIRC Asia Award
Debby Lim, Senior Partner at Dentons Rodyk, won the IWIRC Woman of the Year in Restructuring (Asia) Award for 2025. IWIRC is the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation.
⚖️ Smitha Menon Joins SIAC Panel
Smitha Menon, WongPartnership’s Head of Restructuring & Insolvency and International Arbitration Practice partner, was appointed to the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)’s specialist panel of arbitrators for restructuring and insolvency disputes.