The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will start evaluating eligible fund managers and strategies in the next few months for the Equity Market Development Programme (EQDP). Deputy Chairman of the MAS Chee Hong Tat, who said this in parliament on Friday (Feb 28), pointed out that the EQDP will invest in a range of funds with a focus on Singapore stocks, including non-index component stocks. These funds will be managed by fund managers with strong investment track record and capabilities in Singapore, he added. Mr Chee said MAS has experience in running programmes with both investment and market development objectives, and this is an extension of its approach in developing fund management capabilities in Singapore. Mr Chee also said the government and Singapore Exchange (SGX) will continue to encourage companies to list in Singapore and have introduced tax incentives for this. He said listing decisions will be made by the companies, based on their commercial objectives. The government should not impose requirements for the companies to list on SGX as it is more important to preserve Singapore’s overall economic competitiveness, he added.