Essays
Articles
Essays and commentary by David Chong on family offices, wealth structuring, geopolitics and the shifting centre of gravity in Asian finance.
3 articles · RSS
Malaysia's Trust Law is 77 Years Old. It Shows.
The perpetuity period in Malaysia is not 80 years — it is the unmodified common-law rule, under a Trustee Act unchanged since 1949. David Chong sets out six limbs of reform to bring the trust work home to Malaysia.
Mackinder Reimagined: The Economic Heartland Shifts from London to Singapore-Malaysia
Mackinder’s Heartland Theory revisited: the world is pivoting to Asia, the family office business is following it to Singapore, and cost has pushed the back office on to Kuala Lumpur and Johor.
Will Pulau 1 (Forest City, Johor) be the New Labuan?
Pulau 1 — the island connected to Forest City, Johor — is set to be duty-free like Labuan. David Chong sets out the nine ingredients of an international business & financial centre, and why the island right next door to Singapore has them.