International Business Times (Singapore)
Singapore-based, center
Background
The International Business Times was launched in 2005, with IBT Media formally co-founded around 2006 by Etienne Uzac and Johnathan Davis, both followers of South Korean pastor David Jang, who leads a Christian sect known informally as 'the Community.' IBT Media expanded into multiple global editions — U.S., U.K., India, Australia, and Singapore — funded through programmatic digital advertising. The Singapore edition operates under IBT Media Pte. Ltd., registered in Singapore and headquartered at Raffles Quay in the central business district. IBT Media previously co-owned Newsweek but spun it out in 2018 amid mounting legal and financial pressure. That same year, Manhattan prosecutors indicted IBT Media, its CEO Uzac, and Olivet University — an institution linked to Jang — in an alleged $35 million scheme to fraudulently obtain loans and divert the proceeds. In 2020, Uzac pleaded guilty to money laundering and fraud and received probation without jail time; IBT Media itself also pleaded guilty to fraud charges. The outlet's close organizational ties to Jang's religious network have prompted recurring scrutiny over editorial independence, though no formal findings of editorial interference specific to the Singapore edition have been published. Media bias assessors, including Media Bias/Fact Check and AllSides, rate the broader IBTimes brand as center to left-center with mostly factual reporting.
Sources
- International Business Times — Wikipedia
- IBT Media — Wikipedia
- David Jang's Christian University Charged in $35 Million Fraud Scheme — Christianity Today
- Former IBT Media Head Pleads Guilty In Fraud Case — Newsweek
- International Business Times — Bias and Credibility, Media Bias/Fact Check
- International Business Times — AllSides
- International Business Times, Singapore Edition — About
- IBT Media Pte. Ltd. — Singapore Company Registry
Profile compiled 2026-07-05; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.