More than 200 Trade Association and Chamber (TAC) and industry leaders gathered at the TAC Summit 2026 to strengthen collaboration and identify practical ways to help Singapore businesses stay competitive in a more volatile global environment.
At the Summit the refreshed TAC Alliance 2.0 was launched – an enhanced execution-focused platform to deepen TAC capabilities, strengthen co-ordination across TACs, and drive economy-wide transformation.
From convening to execution
Beyond aggregating voices and organising synergistic initiatives, the TAC Alliance 2.0 will chart the next bound of TAC sector development and drive transformation of the TAC sector. This will be done through three main thrusts:
- Providing insights to shape government-TAC partnerships;
- Fostering inter-TAC collaborations and initiatives; and
- Developing capability building programmes to uplift the TAC sector in alignment with the TAC Measurement Framework.
The TAC Alliance 2.0 will be led by a Steering Committee comprising experienced TAC leaders, which provide strategic direction and ensure effective coordination of initiatives, including with the Government, to drive TAC sector development.
Mr Lee Chuan Teck, Chairman of EnterpriseSG said, “TACs are important partners in driving enterprise and sectoral development. A strong TAC ecosystem provides critical support for businesses to navigate an increasingly complex global environment
“The TAC Alliance 2.0 is an important ground-up initiative by the TACs to collaborate on capability development and growth. EnterpriseSG looks forward to working closely with the Alliance to better support the needs of our enterprises.”
Raising capability and governance across TACs
Two new initiatives were introduced to strengthen TAC capability building and governance:
- TAC Measurement Framework: Developed by Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), this self-assessment tool enables TACs in taking a holistic and structured assessment of their capability across a variety of functions and organisational practices.
- Qualified TAC (QTAC) Director Badge: Developed with the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID), this badge recognises TAC leaders who have completed governance training.
Why this matters now: NBS 2025 – Internationalisation Findings
One focal area for TAC collaboration is internationalisation. SBF’s National Business Survey (NBS) 2025 – Scaled Internationally Supplement show that while Singapore businesses remain highly internationalised at 59%, expansion momentum has moderated from 59% in 2024 to 47% in 2025, amid rising uncertainty.
Key findings include:
- Top Concerns: Uncertainty of demand in overseas markets (43%), rising costs of expansion (34%), and increasingly complex and unpredictable operating environments (31%). These concerns are higher than in 2024 across most markets, reflecting a structurally more volatile environment.
- Markets of interest: ASEAN (especially Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand) continues to be the anchor destination and most preferred market for expansion.
China remains attractive because of its market size and infrastructure, but regulatory changes, intellectual property protection and cybersecurity are concerns.
India’s long-term potential is appealing but regulatory predictability, ease of partnering and access to credit/financing remain barriers. - Skills Gaps: Market understanding (71%), cross-cultural communication (67%), and knowledge of trade regulations and market entry strategies (66%) were identified as key skills needed to support internationalisation
- Desired Support: Financial support (54%), cross-border regulatory and compliance advisory (49%), and business matching services (48%).
The survey also found that a large “stay-local” segment (40%) constrained more by capacity and risk than lack of opportunity – highlighting a clear role for TACs to work together on sector specific market advisories, joint business missions and trade fairs participation.
Mr Kok Ping Soon, CEO of SBF, said, “The NBS 2025 findings show that businesses are operating in a more volatile environment — expansion momentum has moderated, and firms are calling for practical support such as regulatory guidance, business matching and sharper market understanding.
“Beyond the mandate of TAC sector development, TAC Alliance 2.0 responds to this broader reality as part of their objectives to foster cross-sectoral collaborations: it strengthens coordination across TACs so we can move from convening to execution — helping companies build capabilities, unlock partnerships and stay competitive.
“And when businesses are ready to go beyond Singapore, the same coordinated ecosystem can help them navigate overseas complexity and scale with greater confidence.”
The Summit also featured a Solutions Marketplace and Diagnostics Hub, connecting TACs with curated solution providers and advisors in areas across human capital, digitalisation and leadership development.
