Haidilao founder, Secretlab boss, Want Want family buy into coveted Singapore GCBs
[SINGAPORE] Singapore's top-end real estate is becoming a must-have for billionaires and multi-millionaires seeking a safe haven amid a tanking US dollar and dark clouds over global markets.
The buying is not likely to ease anytime soon as more ultra-rich and family offices locate here, in line with the Republic's push to be a wealth hub. Realstar Premier's managing director Julian Yip said more buyers are also emerging from the crypto sector, likely driven by the industry's recent performance.
When money is no object, Singapore's Good Class Bungalows (GCBs) – of which there are only about 2,700 – seem to be the most coveted.
Steve Tay, executive director of Steve Tay Real Estate, said that buyers see this rarefied segment as a long-term wealth preservation hedge against short-term volatility.
Here are some notable Singapore property purchases snapped up by the super-wealthy in recent years:
Haidilao tycoon buys Cluny Hill GCB (2022)
Sean Shi, a co-founder of Haidilao International, China's largest hotpot chain, bought a Cluny Hill GCB from the late Dr Lee Wei Ling – the daughter of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and sister of Senior Minister and former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong – in 2022.
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Haidilao International co-founder Sean Shi bought a Cluny Hill GCB. PHOTO: BT FILE
Shi paid S$50 million for the freehold property, according to a Straits Times report.
The price worked out to S$2,740 per square foot (psf) on the 18,255 sq ft land area. At the time, this was less than that for similar properties in the area, as market watchers said property in the Cluny Hill GCB area could fetch around S$3,000 to S$4,000 psf.
The property is located in the vicinity of Haidilao chairman and co-founder Zhang Yong's Gallop Road GCB. Both properties are within walking distance of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Jack Ma's wife buys 3 shophouses in Tanjong Pagar (2024)
Three adjoining shophouses in Tanjong Pagar were bought by Zhang Ying, wife of Alibaba Group co-founder Jack Ma.
Zhang Ying, wife of Alibaba Group co-founder Jack Ma, paid S$45 million to S$50 million for 70, 71 and 72 Duxton Road. PHOTO: GOOGLE MAPS
Zhang, a Singaporean, paid S$45 million to S$50 million for 70, 71 and 72 Duxton Road.
The three properties stand on commercial-zoned sites and have 99-year leasehold tenures starting from September 1988, with a balance of around 63.5 years. They each have three floors and an attic, with a combined plot of 3,239 sq ft.
Zhang is believed to have also bought a GCB in the Astrid Park area via a trust for more than S$80 million in 2023. Previous media reports indicated that an entity linked to Ma was developing a two-storey bungalow with a basement and swimming pool in the Victoria Park GCB area. A two-decade old bungalow that used to be on the site was sold for S$40 million in 2017.
Wife of Sea's Forrest Li bags couple's second bungalow (2024)
Ma Liqian, wife of Forrest Li, who owns New York-listed Sea, was in 2024 said to be buying an old GCB next to one that her tech billionaire husband acquired years earlier and nearly finished redeveloping.
The property was sold by the children of the late kidney doctor Gordon Ku, who founded the Kidney Dialysis Foundation. PHOTO: BT FILE
Ma's purchase of the S$42.5 million bungalow is the couple's second GCB on Gallop Road near the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Both properties are part of the Gallop Road/Woollerton Park GCB Area.
The property was sold by the children of the late kidney doctor Gordon Ku, who founded the Kidney Dialysis Foundation. The couple are Singapore citizens, though Li hails from Tianjin.
Wee family scion scoops up multi-million dollar mansion from ex-Keppel CEO (2024)
Grant Wee (formerly known as Grace Wee), the grandchild of the late UOB patriarch and banking veteran Wee Cho Yaw, was said to be buying a S$39.5 million GCB in Ford Avenue, off Holland Road, in 2024.
The co-owner of the 19,500 sq ft mansion being sold was Choo Chiau Beng, the former CEO of the company now called Keppel and Singapore's non-resident envoy to Brazil. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Wee is the youngest child of UOB chief executive Wee Ee Cheong, the late Wee's eldest son. The co-owner of the 19,500 sq ft mansion being sold was Choo Chiau Beng, the former CEO of the company now called Keppel and Singapore's non-resident envoy to Brazil.
Subsequently in 2024, Wee Boo Tee, a nephew of the late Wee Cho Yaw bought a S$23 million old two-story bungalow with a land area of 15,121 sq ft.
First Resources family buys four Nassim Road bungalows (2023)
The family behind Singapore-listed palm oil group First Resources scooped up four Nassim Road bungalows in the span of a few months in 2023.
Singaporean members of the Indonesian Fangiono family bought a trio of GCBs from Cuscaden Peak Investments for S$206.7 million. PHOTO: BT FILE
Singaporean members of the Indonesian Fangiono family bought a trio of GCBs from Cuscaden Peak Investments for S$206.7 million. Cuscaden Peak Investments was formerly known as Singapore Press Holdings before its May 2022 privatisation.
Separately, another Singaporean member of the family bought a fourth bungalow on the same street from a low-profile property investor, at S$88 million. The combined cost of all four properties neared S$295 million.
Failed crypto fund co-founder Zhu Su bags Yarwood GCB (2022)
The co-founder of disgraced crypto fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC), Zhu Su, bought a S$48.8 million GCB at Yarwood Avenue in March 2022.
The Yarwood Avenue GCB was used as an urban farm managed by a company co-founded by Zhu Su's wife Evelyn Tao. PHOTO: BT FILE
When 3AC – once one of the world's largest crypto native funds – imploded in mid-2022 amid a larger crypto rout, speculation of the property's potential sale surfaced. The bungalow was used as an urban farm managed by a company co-founded by Zhu's wife Evelyn Tao, who conducted guided tours and private dining sessions at the site from early 2023.
In 2020, Tao purchased a GCB at Dalvey Road, near the Singapore Botanic Gardens, for S$28.5 million. She sold it for S$51 million in 2024, despite a court-imposed freeze on some of the couple's assets.
Kelly Chen, the wife of 3AC co-founder Kyle Davies, bought a bungalow in Ridout Park area in 2021 which was last reported to be in the process of being sold for S$37 million.
Nanofilm founder's wife buys GCB from Sinar Mas co-founder (2021)
Jin Xiao Qun, the wife of Singapore-listed Nanofilm Technologies International's founder Shi Xu, purchased a Nassim Road GCB for S$128.8 million.
Jin Xiao Qun, the wife of Singapore-listed Nanofilm Technologies International's founder Shi Xu, purchased a Nassim Road GCB for S$128.8 million.
The seller in the deal was Sukmawati Widjaja, a member of the Widjaja family who co-founded the family-controlled Sinar Mas Group with her late father Eka Tjipta Widjaja.
E-commerce platform Stamped.io founder picks up GCB (2021)
The founder of Singapore-based e-commerce marketing platform Stamped.io, Tommy Ong, reportedly splashed S$63.7 million on a GCB at 2 Cluny Hill in 2021.
Ong's purchase of the property at S$4,291 psf for 14,844 sq ft of land area marked a landmark deal for 2021 – a year that recorded two GCB sales at more than S$4,000 psf.
It surpassed a previous record GCB psf price set by Jin when she bought the Nassim Road GCB.
Hedge fund founder picks up Chinatown shophouses at S$25m (2021)
Ray Dalio, founder of prominent hedge fund firm Bridgewater Associates, snapped up two shophouses along Club Street in the historic Chinatown area in 2021.
The Dalio Family Office paid S$25.5 million for 44 and 46 Club Street.
Dalio announced the opening of a Singapore family office in 2020 to run his investments and philanthropy in the region.
With wealthy investors returning and shophouse sales in Singapore gaining traction, he joins the ranks of ultra-wealthy investors scooping up such historic buildings.
Taiwanese family behind Want Want buys Orchard condo tower (2021)
All 20 units at a freehold luxury condominium development in the Orchard area were snapped up by the Tsai family of Want Want cracker fame.
Two members of the Taiwanese family behind snack food giant Want Want China Holdings paid S$293 million for the entire Eden Tower of the development at 2 Draycott Park.
Two members of the Taiwanese family behind snack food giant Want Want China Holdings paid S$293 million for the entire Eden Tower of the development at 2 Draycott Park. The company is known for its rice crackers.
Secretlab CEO bags GCB and penthouse (2021)
Gaming chair company Secretlab co-founder Ian Ang bought two luxury properties for S$51 million in the span of just one week.
In 2021, the Secretlab CEO reportedly acquired a S$36 million GCB at 27 Olive Road in the Caldecott Hill Estate. That same week, he bought a S$15 million triplex penthouse at Leedon Residence near the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Wilmar chairman's nephew snags Astrid Hill GCB (2024)
In 2024, Glenn Kuok, a nephew of Wilmar International chairman and chief executive officer Kuok Khoon Hong, bought a S$49 million bungalow in Astrid Hill with his mother, Lee Yong Lah.
The slightly more than 10-year-old bungalow has a land area of 21,116 sq ft, two storeys, a basement, six bedrooms, a swimming pool, a gym and an entertainment room. PHOTO: GOOGLE MAPS
Glenn Kuok and Lee are the son and wife, respectively, of Kuok Koon Seng, the brother of Kuok Khoon Hong and former chief executive of SCMP.com.
The slightly more than 10-year-old bungalow has a land area of 21,116 sq ft, two storeys, a basement, six bedrooms, a swimming pool, a gym and an entertainment room.
Koufu founder's sons snaps up Caldecott Hill GCB (2025)
In May 2025, food and beverage company Koufu Group husband-and-wife founders Pang Lim and Ng Hoon Tien's two sons were in a deal to buy a Caldecott Hill GCB site for S$58 million.
The GCB has a freehold land area of 39,276 sq ft containing two bungalows separated by a low wall.
One bungalow has two storeys and a garden, with the other has two storeys, an attic an a swimming pool.
The property was formerly owned and bought in the 1960s by Chan Kok Kwan, a famous diamond merchant and has housed three generations of his family.
Public Bank founder's daughter breaks a record deal for Tanglin GCB (2025)
Diona Teh, daughter of the late Public Bank founder Teh Hong Piow signed a S$93.9 million deal for a Tanglin Hill GCB in 2025.
The new GCB spans 2,756 square metres, with two storeys, and has a 25 m pool with a tanning deck, walk-in wine chiller and an 18-seater theatre.
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