ACRA and SID partner to strengthen director capability and governance standards in Singapore

© WongPartnership LLP

DISCLAIMER: This update is intended for your general information only. It is not intended to be, nor should it be, regarded as or relied upon as legal advice. Court decisions referred to herein may be subject to further appeal at the time of publication, and subsequent developments in the law, including new legislation, amendments, court decisions or practice directions, may affect the accuracy or relevance of the matters discussed. We are under no duty to update this publication to reflect any such changes in the law. You should consult a qualified legal professional before taking any action or omitting to take action in relation to matters discussed herein.

WongPartnership LLP (UEN: T08LL0003B) is a limited liability law partnership registered in Singapore under the Limited Liability

Partnerships Act 2005.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE &

COMPLIANCE

SEPTEMBER 2026

ACRA and SID Partner to Strengthen Director

Capability and Governance Standards in Singapore

On 28 August 2026, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) and the Singapore

Institute of Directors (SID) issued a press release announcing the entry into a Memorandum of

Understanding to jointly develop the Company Director Fundamentals (CDF) training programme that seeks to equip current and aspiring directors with practical knowledge of the legal, fiduciary and governance responsibilities of directors of Singapore companies. While this is not the first time that ACRA has rolled out director training materials and programmes, the refreshed offering aims to provide practical governance knowledge and strengthen governance standards across Singapore’s corporate community.

The new programme was announced by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for

Finance and National Development, Ms Indranee Rajah at the recent SID Directors Conference 2026.

Her full speech is available here.

As Singapore’s national institute for directors, SID will deliver the CDF programme. Registration is targeted to open in October 2026, and access to modules will follow later.

Key features are as follows:

(a)

Two-phase structure: The CDF programme is structured around two phases. Each module is designed to be bite-sized, and should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete. All modules are conducted online.1

(b)

CDF 101: CDF 101 comprises six complimentary modules, which provide directors with a practical foundation in core legal, fiduciary and governance responsibilities:



Directors’ Fundamental Duties;



Directors’ Statutory and Fiduciary Duties;



Ethics and Governance;



Handling Conflicts of Interest;



Financial Literacy; and



Corporate Tax Compliance.

1

Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, “Today, Second Minister for Finance Ms Indranee Rajah announced the

Company Director Fundamentals (CDF) Programme at the SID Directors Conference 2026 …” (LinkedIn post, 28 August 2026), https://www.linkedin.com/posts/accounting-and-corporate-regulatory-authority-acra-_today-second-minister-for-finance-ms-indranee-activity-7499014412507312128-08hB (accessed 2 September 2026).

Company Directors

© WongPartnership LLP

DISCLAIMER: This update is intended for your general information only. It is not intended to be, nor should it be, regarded as or relied upon as legal advice. Court decisions referred to herein may be subject to further appeal at the time of publication, and subsequent developments in the law, including new legislation, amendments, court decisions or practice directions, may affect the accuracy or relevance of the matters discussed. We are under no duty to update this publication to reflect any such changes in the law. You should consult a qualified legal professional before taking any action or omitting to take action in relation to matters discussed herein.

WongPartnership LLP (UEN: T08LL0003B) is a limited liability law partnership registered in Singapore under the Limited Liability

Partnerships Act 2005.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE &

COMPLIANCE

SEPTEMBER 2026

(c)

CDF 201: CDF 201 comprises four additional paid modules that seek to deepen directors’

capabilities in areas that are increasingly critical to effective board stewardship, organisational resilience and long-term business performance:



Board and Shareholder Decision-Making;



Corporate Actions;



ESG Case for Business; and



Enhancing Business Performance.

Participants who complete CDF 101 and/or CDP 201 modules will receive Certificate(s) of

Completion.

(a)

Periodic review: A multi-agency working group comprising the Central Provident Fund (CPF)

Board, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) and the Workplace Safety and

Health Council will support the programme’s development and periodic review, ensuring it remains relevant to directors operating in Singapore’s evolving regulatory and business environment.

The new CDF programme promises to provide good baseline training for new and aspiring directors.

Individuals who are considering board appointments, or those already assuming subsidiary board roles within their organisations, should certainly consider taking a look at the CDF programme when it is available, to understand more about what a Singapore directorship fundamentally entails.

Further details should be available on SID’s website.

If you would like information and/or assistance on the above or any other area of law, you may wish to contact the Partner at WongPartnership whom you normally work with or any of the following Partners:

Jayne LEE

Partner – Corporate Governance

& Compliance and Mergers & Acquisitions

Valerie LIM

Partner – Corporate Governance &

Compliance and Mergers & Acquisitions

Kevin HO

Co-Head – Corporate Governance

& Compliance

Partner – Mergers & Acquisitions

Vivien YUI

Co-Head – Employment

Partner – Corporate Governance &

Compliance and Mergers & Acquisitions

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