Ravi Chandran
CapitaLand’s Bridge+ will be taking up 56,000 square feet of space in the Group’s upcoming Grade A office development 79 Robinson Road. This will be its first location in Singapore’s Central Business District (CBD) after establishing its flagship coworking centre in Ascent building at Singapore Science Park, and its ninth in the region. Scheduled to open in 3Q 2020, Bridge+ 79 Robinson Road will play host to a financial-technology (FinTech) ecosystem, including international organisations, financial institutions, professional services, venture capital firms as well as FinTech companies and startups.
Bridge+ 79 Robinson Road will span three floors, offering a mix of workspace solutions comprising flexi desks, dedicated fixed desks and private suites for various team sizes. Complemented by bespoke meeting and event spaces, Bridge+ 79 Robinson Road will curate unique community-driven programmes to foster connections and interactions among its members and tenants.
Developed by CapitaLand in partnership with Mitsui & Co., Ltd and Tokyo Tatemono Co., Ltd, 79 Robinson Road is a 29-storey Grade A office development with excellent connectivity. It is in close proximity to Tanjong Pagar MRT Station and the upcoming Shenton Way MRT Station. On track for completion in 2020, 79 Robinson Road has a total office net lettable area of more than 500,000 square feet.
Mr Manohar Khiatani, Senior Executive Director, CapitaLand Group, said: “We are delighted to bring Bridge+ into Singapore’s CBD at 79 Robinson Road, building on our network across Singapore, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Dalian, Chongqing and Bangalore. ”
“We also look forward to anchoring Singapore’s growing FinTech community in Bridge+ 79 Robinson Road, and fostering further exchange with the Blockchain, Sustainability and Corporate Innovation tribes hosted at Bridge+ Ascent.”
“Through a series of partnerships, we aim to create a vibrant FinTech ecosystem driving innovation through knowledge sharing, cross-fertilisation of ideas and multi-disciplinary collaborations. Bridge+ at 79 Robinson Road will be the ninth coworking space in the Bridge+ network in Asia, offering our members another thriving coworking environment to create and innovate together.”
Supporting the growth of the FinTech community, Bridge+ has inked Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with key players in Singapore, including the ASEAN Financial Innovation Network (AFIN), FinTech Consortium, LongHash, Singapore FinTech Association, Collaboratory and United Overseas Bank (UOB). EY and Tribe Accelerator have also pledged their support for the FinTech Hub initiative at Bridge+ 79 Robinson Road. (AFIN is an initiative of International Finance Corporation, ASEAN Bankers Association and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.)
“As Singapore FinTech Association (SFA) scales up in terms of memberships and partnerships, our audience and participation rates have increased correspondingly as well. Hence, we are looking at the next phase of engagement, including holding larger forums of above 450 persons for SFA members and partners in Singapore. This new partnership with Bridge+ by CapitaLand is forward-looking and helps extend our influence in the Fintech Ecosystem in the Asia Pacific region particularly in mega markets like China and India where CapitaLand has a strong presence. Our members will definitely benefit from the increased exposure and opportunities.” – Lim Ngee Hua, Secretary & Executive Committee Member, Singapore FinTech Association
In addition to providing a conducive workspace, Bridge+ 79 Robinson Road will facilitate collaborations through knowledge sharing events and networking activities to actively support the growth of FinTech players and enliven the community. The international FinTech community can also tap on the Bridge+ network as a platform to connect and collaborate with local partners through seminars, hackathons, lab crawls, industry gatherings and exhibitions.
“At UOB, we have been helping FinTech firms seize opportunities across ASEAN through our established and integrated network and deep understanding of the region. As these FinTech firms expand into new markets, coworking spaces offer the advantage of being able to connect with local partners that have the experience, insights and business connections required to help accelerate the firm’s growth. Our collaboration with Bridge+ will enable us to support more FinTech firms as they realise their regional growth ambitions right in the heart of Singapore’s financial district.” – Janet Young, Head, Group Channels and Digitalisation, UOB
The Bridge+ community expands beyond its coworking members to include the wider community of corporates in CapitaLand’s commercial offices and business parks located alongside the Bridge+ network, as well as partners from government bodies, universities and trade associations. In Singapore, enterprises that have made their home in Bridge+ at Singapore Science Park include AXA REV, Dyson and Johnson & Johnson.
“Bridge+ has innovation focused real estate solutions and a strong community that empowers real business innovations. We’re excited to work with Bridge+ to further grow our global ecosystem, as we continue to connect the leading startups with relevant solutions to some of the world’s leading corporates that are backing us on this journey.” – Ng Yi Ming, Managing Partner, Tribe Accelerator. Tribe Accelerator is a blockchain accelerator driving the collaboration and growth of the blockchain ecosystem. Tribe Accelerator provides starts ups with a neutral and hyperconnected platform to facilitate the mass adoption of blockchain technology.
In September 2019, Bridge+ signed a MoU with AFIN to support the multi-faceted needs and development of the FinTech community. The partnership aims to provide FinTech firms on the API Exchange online community with resources to support their rapid expansion in Asia.
“We are excited by the Bridge+ initiative to launch a dedicated FinTech hub in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District. It is timely and opportune as the organic growth of the Singapore Fintech ecosystem has been tremendous. All participants and stakeholders of the FinTech community will highly benefit from the world class, physical infrastructure and shared services that Bridge+ 79 Robinson Road offers. We look forward to a successful launch and development of the FinTech hub in the years to come.” – Gerben Visser, Founder, FinTech Consortium
