IT has been a long and deep trough for the oil and gas industry, but could the end finally be in sight as crude oil prices move higher?

Last week, Brent crude shot up to US$59.02 a barrel — the highest in nearly 27 months. And already, reports have begun to herald the end of low oil pri...

Uncertainty pushes crude oil higher, but can it stay up?

KUALA LUMPUR: More than three years in the making, KNM Group Bhd may finally be able to get its 18mw waste-to-energy power plant in Peterborough, the UK, off the ground.

KNM is expected to announce a joint venture with a China-based counterpart later today to finance the project. If so,...

KNM to partner with China-based firm for UK power plant

BLOCKCHAIN-based cryptocurrency is often described as a solution looking for a problem to solve.

And any at-length discussion about the potential applications of the distributed ledger technology underlying all cryptocurrencies winds up at the door of central banks and fiat currencies.<...

Cover Story: Pondering a central bank cryptocurrency

ONE of the problems with cryptocurrency is how does one value it.

Makoto Shibata, principal analyst and head of the global innovation team under The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd’s digital transformation division, is part of a team at MUFG that has been tinkering with a prototype coi...

Cover Story: What about the underlying value?

THE father of the mass-consumer automobile, Henry Ford, once said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

In today’s fast-paced world however, there is no shortage of enterprising people looking for the next proverbial automobile that will revoluti...

Cover Story: The cryptocurrency conundrum

Every week, writers like myself have to process the top stories and write a Coffee Break about it. It has to be edgy enough to captivate readers, but not too much or I might get a spanking.

I have not been caned in public since high school and I’d like to keep it that way.

So,...

Coffee Break: Headline headache

STANDING on the stage of a shiny new theatre in Cupertino, California, Tim Cook lingers for awhile and the iconic words of his predecessor flash on the screen.

“One more thing,” says the Apple Inc CEO before unveiling the iPhone X.

To call it Cook’s magnum opus would be a stre...

Lukewarm response to iPhone X casts doubt on semiconductor boom 

THE cost of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s trip to the US would have been slightly cheaper as the ringgit strengthened sharply against the greenback over the past couple of weeks.

At the time of writing, the ringgit had broken past the 4.20 level against the US dollar, touching...

The State of the Nation: Ringgit strengthens on US dollar weakness but remains undervalued

IF there was one word that summarises the Malaysian venture capital (VC) scene,  it might be “Grab”.

Asean’s answer to Uber may have been born and bred in Malaysia. But when it comes to funding, the company is registered in Singapore where it raised a whopping US$2.5 billion in its...

Tech: Revitalising the Malaysian VC scene

A thunderous round of applause for our mighty athletes!

At the time of writing, we have bagged a staggering 55 gold medals, 42 silver medals and 33 bronze medals. In short, Malaysia is dominating the 29th SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

We even managed to give Singapore a schooling...

Coffee Break: All that glitters IS gold

Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB), the operator of Malaysia’s 5G telecommunications assets, said the process in relation to the subscription of its shares by five mobile network operators (MNOs) in this country is ongoing.

DNB says process relating to subscription of its shares by five mobile network operators ongoing

Approved road transport logistics companies will obtain “fleet cards” from select fuel retailers to purchase subsidised fuel under the diesel subsidy rationalisation programme, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said.

Approved logistics players to get diesel fleet cards amid subsidy rationalisation

PKR Information chief Fahmi Fadzil said no specific names were discussed regarding the leadership of the Sabah PKR State Leadership Council (MPN) at a special meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday.

No specific names discussed for Sabah PKR State Leadership Council head, says Fahmi

Efforts to reform the Bretton Woods institutions – the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank – are progressing, albeit slowly. In December, the IMF Board of Governors approved a 50% increase in member quotas, which will reduce its reliance on borrowed resources, and the World Bank has re...

The Frontiers Of Growth : How to Govern the Bretton Woods Institutions Better

A highly anticipated Bitcoin software update called the “halving” has been completed, dealing a potential blow to the companies that make money by ensuring that the digital currency functions smoothly and securely.

Bitcoin ‘halving’ cuts supply of new tokens in threat to miners

A Philippine freight railway project may be built with the support of the US and Japan, an official in charge of it said, as Manila seeks alternative financing deals after dropping funding talks with China.

Philippines wants US, Japan to take over rail deal eyed by China

The World Bank on Friday said that 11 countries have pledged to contribute over US$11 billion (RM52.62 billion) to new hybrid capital and portfolio guarantee instruments designed to expand the bank's financing capacity by US$70 billion over a decade to tackle climate change, pandemics and other global challenges.

World Bank wins US$11b in pledges to boost lending for climate, global crises

Shareholders of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed this week on the importance of addressing challenges faced by low-income countries, many of which are facing unsustainable debt burdens, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday.

IMF concerned about debt, fiscal challenges facing low-income countries

The ringgit is likely to trade in the same range of around 4.78 against the US dollar next week, as the situation in the Middle East will continue to be under scrutiny by investors, said an analyst.

Ringgit likely to trade around 4.78 versus greenback next week

Attention this week will be on the March inflation rate, with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) slated to put out Consumer Price Index (CPI) — the key gauge for inflation — data on Thursday.

Inflation edged up by a higher-than-expected 1.8% i...

The Week Ahead: Eyes on March inflation, US 1Q GDP and tech earnings

Former inspector general of police Tun Mohammed Hanif Omar died at 2.15am on Saturday. He was 85.

Former IGP Tun Hanif Omar passes away

The long-awaited Energy Exchange Malaysia (Enegem) has finally been introduced, along with guidelines on cross-border electricity sales announced by the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (Petra) last Monday for exports of green electricity from Malaysia to Singapore and Thailand.

Enegem: Malaysia edges closer to RE exports

Attention this week will be on the March inflation rate, with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) slated to put out Consumer Price Index (CPI) — the key gauge for inflation — data on Thursday.

Inflation edged up by a higher-than-expected 1.8% i...