Singapore’s Billionaire Class Unsettled by Moves to Narrow Wealth Gap

The city-state’s popularity as a base for the super rich leaves the ruling party with a delicate balancing act

Singapore’s Sentosa Island is a popular place for the wealthy to live.

Photographer: Catherine He/Getty Images
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In September 2023, Singapore’s then prime minister-in-waiting, Lawrence Wong, told a meeting of investors that they shouldn’t engage in ostentatious displays of wealth if they want to set up in the city-state.

“If you would like to be here, please follow our norms, follow our rules,” Wong said at an event organized by former junk-bond king Michael Milken’s institute. “If you think they are not for you, that is okay. You can take your money elsewhere.”