This week, we’ve got big news for home-hunters—HDB’s just launched the Jul 2025 BTO sales exercise alongside an SBF one, and a fresh scheme could finally let singles snag a spot near mum and dad.
In other news, inflation’s stayed low, COE’s held mostly steady for cars, and your DBS Card could be your key to catching The Witcher in Concert this Nov 2025 at 20% off.
Whether you’re looking to make a move, save a little more, or just stay ahead of the curve, these 5 stories are worth your time. Let’s jump in.
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HDB launches over 10,000 flats in Jul 2025 in BTO and SBF exercises
Looking to buy your first home soon? HDB’s July 2025 BTO and SBF sales bring a bumper crop of 10,209 flats to the market, with more choices than ever—including plenty of options for those eager to move in quickly. Here’s what you need to know:
- Total flats launched: 10,209
- BTO: 5,547 units across 8 projects
- SBF: 4,662 units, islandwide
- Move in sooner:
- 2,171 BTO flats have waiting times of 3 years or less
- Over 1,700 SBF flats are already completed, so you can move in without the long wait
Where are the new flats?
| Classification | Project | Town |
| Standard | Bangkit Breeze | Bukit Panjang |
| Sembawang Beacon | Sembawang | |
| Simei Symphony | Tampines | |
| Woodlands North Grove | Woodlands | |
| Prime | Alexandra Peaks | Bukit Merah |
| Alexandra Vista | Bukit Merah | |
| Clementi Emerald | Clementi | |
| Toa Payoh Ascent | Toa Payoh |
Prime flats come with extra subsidies, but owners will need to return a portion of resale profits to HDB after a 10-year Minimum Occupation Period. This clawback is 11% to 12% for the Jul 2025 BTO launch.
Starting prices for SBF flats:
| Flat type | Starting price |
| Community Care Apartment (CCA) | From $81,000 |
| 2-room Flexi | From $111,000 |
| 3-room | From $163,000 |
| 4-room | From $224,000 |
| 5-room | From $351,000 |
| 3Gen | From $524,000 |
| Executive | From $645,000 |
Jul 2025 BTO: How to apply
- Application period: 23 Jul 2025 to 30 Jul 2025, 1159 pm
- Apply online via HDB Flat Portal
- No need to rush—applications are balloted, not first-come-first-served
Want to dive deeper? Check out our review of the Jul 2025 BTO launch for more insights.
New Family Care Scheme: More two-room BTO flats for singles living near parents
Good news for singles hoping to live closer to Mum and Dad. HDB has launched the Family Care Scheme (FCS), starting with the Jul 2025 BTO exercise. This new initiative gives first-time singles priority for 2-room BTO flats if they’re applying to live with or near their parents, making intergenerational living a little easier.
For first-time singles under FCS (Proximity), up to 30% of two-room flexi BTO flats and up to 2% of SBF flats are reserved if you’re applying to live near parents. Quotas are lower for Prime projects: 20% for BTO flats and 1% for SBF flats.
FCS (Joint Balloting) means parents and children can each get a unit in the same BTO project, for more convenient family support. This will roll out in the Oct 2025 BTO exercise.
| Feature | FCS (Proximity) | FCS (Joint Balloting) |
| Who is eligible? | First-time singles and families | Parents and children (any marital status) |
| What does it offer? | Priority for 2-room BTO/SBF flats if applying to live with/near parents | Joint application for two flats in the same BTO project (if available) |
| When does it start? | Jul 2025 BTO & SBF exercises | Oct 2025 BTO exercise |
| What scheme does it replace? | Married Child & Senior Priority Schemes | Multi-Generation Priority Scheme |
| Key quotas | – Up to 30% of 2-room flexi BTO flats for first-time singles
– Up to 2% of SBF flats – Lower quotas for Prime flats |
N/A (depends on project availability) |
Claim your $600 SG60 vouchers now—spend them islandwide
Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 can now claim their $600 SG60 vouchers (from 22 Jul 2025) for use at over 23,000 hawkers, heartland shops, and eight supermarket chains across 400 outlets.
Each recipient also gets a special SG60 postcard and PM’s message.
- How to claim: Visit go.gov.sg/sg60v with Singpass—no banking info needed.
- Where to use: Half for supermarkets, half for hawkers and neighbourhood merchants.
Over 915,000 seniors have already claimed their $800 vouchers, spending more than $127 million so far.
Find out more about the vouchers in our SG60 vouchers guide.
Singapore’s core inflation steady at 0.6% in June—below forecasts
Singapore’s core inflation stayed unchanged at 0.6% in June, coming in slightly below what economists expected. According to official data released by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), this marks the second month in a row that the figure has held steady.
What you need to know:
- Core inflation (excludes private road transport & accommodation):
- June: 0.6% (same as May)
- Forecast (Reuters poll): 0.7%
- Headline inflation:
- June: 0.8% (unchanged from May, and below 0.9% forecast)
Why the low numbers?
- Higher retail and goods inflation was balanced out by drops in other key areas.
- Transport costs went up, but accommodation inflation dropped.
- Lower global oil and food prices are helping keep imported inflation moderate.
What’s next?
- Government subsidies for essentials like healthcare, preschool, and public transport are keeping services inflation in check.
- MAS and MTI expect unit labour costs to rise slowly, as wage growth cools but productivity improves.
Looking ahead, Singapore’s inflation is forecast to stay in the 0.5%–1.5% range for the rest of 2025, while economic growth is expected to be modest at 0%–2%.
Get 20% off The Witcher in Concert with DBS cards starting this week
Witcher fans, here’s your chance to relive the magic of Geralt’s world—and save big on tickets. For a limited time, DBS cardholders enjoy a whopping 20% off The Witcher in Concert. Coming to Singapore’s Sands Theatre this November, this is the first-ever Asian premiere of The Witcher in Concert.
- Dates: 29 and 30 Nov 2025
- Venue: Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands
- Live music: Full orchestra and Polish folk band Percival Schuttenbach
- Visuals: Stunning cinematics and gameplay from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Ticket deals (23 Jul – 31 Aug):
| Offer | Discount | Where to book |
| DBS cardholders | 20% | Klook, SISTIC, MBS |
| Singtel customers | 15% | SISTIC, MBS |
| Public | 10% | SISTIC, MBS |
After the initial promotion period, you can get 15% off tickets with DBS and 12% off with Singtel from 1 Sep 2025, 12 am.
Standard ticket prices (before discount):
| Category | Price ($) |
| Premium | $172 |
| A Reserve Centre | $142 |
| B Reserve | $112 |
| VIP Box (4) | $688 |
Get your tickets now via MBS, SISTIC, or Klook.
COE premiums for cars mostly steady; prices rise for commercial vehicles and motorcycles
COE premiums in Singapore were largely unchanged for cars in Singapore in the latest bidding round, while prices for commercial vehicles and motorcycles inched higher.
A total of 4,480 bids were received, with 3,059 COEs available this round. The current COE quota for May–July is 18,232, up 6% from the last quarter and 21% higher year-on-year.
Key results from the 23 Jul 2025 bidding:
| Category | Latest premium | Previous premium | Change |
| Cat A (smaller cars) | $101,102 | $101,102 | No change |
| Cat B (larger cars) | $119,101 | $119,600 | ↓ $499 |
| Cat C (commercial) | $68,600 | $66,689 | ↑ $1,911 |
| Cat D (motorcycles) | $9,511 | $9,389 | ↑ $122 |
| Cat E (open) | $120,000 | $118,500 | ↑ $1,500 |
What does this mean for drivers? While car buyers are seeing steady prices, but those shopping for a van, bus, or bike will need to budget a bit more. The increased quota should help keep price spikes in check for the next few months.
That’s it for this week! Stay tuned for next week’s What’s Happening This Week to keep up with the latest in finance, business, and beyond.
This article was first drafted with the help of AI and later reviewed and refined by the author.
About the author
Vanessa Nah likes her finance articles the way she likes her sitcoms—light-hearted, entertaining, and leaving people knowing a little more about life. She believes money—like life—should be made simple. Outside of work, you’ll find Vanessa attending dance classes, fingerpicking a guitar, and fulfilling her life mission to make her one-eyed cat the most spoiled kitty in the world.
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