Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activities fell to the lowest in a decade in 2023. According to the “Global M&A Report” published by Bain & Co, the total M&A market fell by 15% year on year last year to US$3.2 trillion, the lowest in a decade.

M&A activities hit a low in 2023, pickup expected this year

Charting the VC industry’s course forward

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for 97% of all business establishments in Malaysia and employ around 48% of the country’s workforce. While the pressure to provide sustainability-related disclosures and adopt relevant practices has thus far been on bigger companies, SMEs are increasingly affected as well. A special feature in the recent Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) 2023 annual report, titled “Supporting SMEs transition to greener practices”, highlights the risks, opportunities, steps and toolkits for SMEs in this low-carbon transition.

Helping SMEs cope with climate change

The State of Southeast Asia 2024 survey by ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) reveals that China has edged past the US to become the prevailing choice (50.5%) if Southeast Asian countries were forced to align themselves in the ongoing US-China rivalry. The US as a choice declined from 61.1% last year to 49.5%.

Majority of Southeast Asians would rather align with China than the US

The global offshoring industry is undergoing a significant transformation because of technological advancements. There has been a transition from basic functions in the early days of first-generation outsourcing to specialised services.

Global offshoring a catalyst for office space demand in Malaysia

Banks, irrespective of size or credit strength, are consistently ramping up their cyber spending because of an escalating number of incidents. Events such as the ransomware attack on China’s biggest lender, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), demonstrate how critical cybersecurity can be and the potential damage to bank operations.

Banks raise budgets to fight rise in cyber threats

Since 2000, floods have been the cause of 85% of all natural disasters in Malaysia, with the frequency increasing since 2020. The catastrophic floods of December 2021 highlight the significant impact unabated climate change could have on the Malaysian economy and financial sector.

Building resilience against floods in Malaysia

One of Pakatan Harapan’s biggest priorities when it came to power in November 2022 was to address the revenue leakage the government faced while shrinking the size of the shadow economy of illegal and unrecorded income.

The near-future standard of invoicing

Hydrogen is touted as the next alternative green energy solution. There are several projects and plants being developed in Malaysia as envisioned in the Hydrogen Economy and Technology Roadmap, and even more are under development globally.

Exploring hydrogen as an energy source

It pays — literally — to have skills and expertise in artificial intelligence (AI). Findings from a survey of employers and employees by Amazon Web Services — in collaboration with Access Partnership, a UK-based public policy consultancy focused on technology — show that having AI skills could boost salaries, productivity and career growth for workers. However, there is a lack of skilled talent to harness the full potential of AI.

The AI payoff for employees

In the “Informal Employment in Malaysia: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities for Reform” report by the World Bank in February, a data analysis of the informal employment landscape in Malaysia reveals the vulnerabilities of those in it. Household income surveys conducted between 2009 and 2019 show that women, youth, less educated persons and workers from lower-income households, rural areas and less developed states were more likely to be informally employed. In fact, women across groups were more likely to experience skill-related unemployment, which is defined as the share of those with tertiary education working in mid- or low-skilled jobs in the workforce.

Challenges of women in informal employment

The significant contribution of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia’s pursuit of economic reforms cannot be overstated. However, limited financing poses a substantial hurdle for SMEs to grow and has the potential to jeopardise the development of the entire SME ecosystem. What does the financing landscape for SMEs look like and what are the challenges and opportunities for start-ups, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)  and mid-tier companies (MTCs) when it comes to accessing financing?

Market-based financing for SMEs in Malaysia: Issues, challenges and the way forward

The results of the 2024 Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index signal that global trade is at a crossroads as companies struggle to bolster their supply chains through near-shoring, re-shoring, friend-shoring and other production/sourcing strategies. It is not all bad news, though. As World Trade Organization director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says, “The case for strengthening the trading system is far stronger than the case for walking away from it.” Between October and December 2023, Transport Intelligence, one of the world’s leading providers of logistics and supply chain market research, surveyed 830 logistics industry professionals for their opinions on the prospects and challenges that emerging markets face in the year ahead. The following are the findings of the survey.

Sobering findings of the Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index

As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) continues to evolve, large language models (LLMs) will have increased capabilities, use audio-visual training, transform the workplace and improve conversational AI.

Language of tomorrow

HOUSTON/BENGALURU (April 26): Oil giant Chevron Corp beat estimates for first-quarter profit on Friday, as higher production volumes in the US helped offset a hit from weak natural gas prices and fuel margins.

Chevron posts 1Q profit beat with oil production gains

President Xi Jinping warned America’s top diplomat that the US shouldn’t target or oppose China, as the world’s largest economies wrapped two days of talks spanning thorny disputes on trade and Beijing’s support for Russia’s war machine.

Xi warns Blinken against ‘vicious competition’ between US, China

US inflation rose moderately in March, but that is unlikely to change financial markets' expectations that the Federal Reserve will hold off cutting interest rates until September.

US inflation rises in line with expectations in March

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he will be returning the allowance received as chairman of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, reiterating that he does not draw a salary for the position of prime minister that he has held since November 2022.

Anwar returns Khazanah allowance, reiterates stance on salary waiver

Homeritz Corporation Bhd’s net profit surged by 65.9% in the second quarter ended Feb 29, 2024 (2QFY2024) to RM9.24 million, due to increased sales volume and a stronger US dollar.

Homeritz’s 2Q net profit jumps 66% on increased sales volume, stronger greenback

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has announced that he is in talks with a group of companies which have recently participated in Selangor’s integrated circuit (IC) design park.

Integrated circuit design firms to announce investments in Penang on Saturday, says Chow

Shares in Snap jumped nearly 25% in premarket trading on Friday after targeted ads and new features helped the owner of the photo messaging app beat Wall Street expectations for first-quarter revenue and user growth.

Snapchat parent soars after beating revenue, user growth estimates

The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) on Friday announced that the deadline for taxpayers to submit Form E and CP8D has been extended to May 31.

Deadline to submit Form E, CP8D extended to May 31, says IRB

There are no plans to open or operate any casinos in the state, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said.

He said the news is merely a rumour intended for sabotage, and to maliciously tarnish the image of Forest City and the state of Johor as a whole.

Johor MB says no plan to open casino in Forest City

GDANSK/BRUSSELS (April 26): The boss of Spanish steelmaker Acerinox says the European Union (EU) should do more to curb steel imports from Asia, which are hurting some of the EU's mills, as demand and prices weaken.

EU should do more to curb steel imports from Asia, says Acerinox CEO

Most read this week - Stay up to date with the biggest news and latest trending topics by checking out the top 10 articles of the week. 

Most read this week

The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) on Friday announced that the deadline for taxpayers to submit Form E and CP8D has been extended to May 31.

Berjaya Corp&nbsp;Bhd (BCorp) has denied that its founder Tan Sri&nbsp;Vincent Tan Chee Yioun participated in talks to revive a US$100 billion (RM477.60 billion)&nbsp;Forest City casino resort as reported recently.

Berjaya Corp denies participation in talks to revive Forest City casino resort

Maxis Bhd could work with another consortium partner to lower the cost of deploying the second 5G network, even after the recapitalisation of Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB), said RHB Research in a note on Friday.

Maxis could lead second 5G network roll-out with new consortium partner, says RHB Research

Analysts believe Capital A Bhd's proposed restructuring plan will help the group exit the Practice Note 17 (PN17) status and enhance its competitiveness, as well as provide benefits to AirAsia X Bhd's (AAX) shareholders in terms of free warrants and improved company valuation post restructuring.

Analysts positive restructuring plan will uplift Capital A's PN17 status, benefit AirAsia X shareholders

The corporate exercise to merge the AirAsia airline businesses under AirAsia X Bhd (AAX) is apparently sufficient to offset all of the RM8.7 billion negative equity in Capital A Bhd, according to chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.

Merger of airlines alone enough to reverse all of Capital A's negative equity, says Fernandes

Doctor-turned-businessman Tan Sri Mohan MK Swami and his partner Datuk Seri Dr Shamir Kumar Nandy agreed on Friday to acquire a 58% stake in property management company Turiya Bhd for RM52.86 million from MAA Group Bhd.

Mohan Swami, partner agree to buy 58% of Turiya for RM52.86m from MAA Group

Uday Kotak built his Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd over decades to become Asia’s richest banker. After India’s regulator slapped his firm with a surprise ban, he’s facing one of his biggest tests yet — and a dip in wealth.

Asia’s richest banker loses US$1.2 bil after RBI ban

Shares in ViTrox Corp Bhd fell to their lowest in a month, as first-quarter results disappointed investors, while analysts turned increasingly cautious on the semiconductor company’s near-term prospects.

ViTrox fell as much as 6% before ending the day at RM7.40, its lowest since March 26, 2024. The stock was still down a little under 3% at the closing bell after 5.29 million shares changed hands. In contrast, the country’s benchmark index FBM KLCI was 0.4% higher.

ViTrox slips to one-month low as 1Q disappoints, analysts raise caution

The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has updated its Investor Alert List.

SC adds four entities to Investor Alert List, two being potential clones

Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) has obtained a summary judgement at the High Court here against ACE Credit (M) Sdn Bhd, ACE Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd, and the company directors Datuk Choong Chee Meng and Chang Ai Nee, for defaulting on a RM46.47 million loan given to them by the bank.

Maybank obtains summary judgement against ACE Corporation, three others for RM46m loan default

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Friday suggested all parties mentioned in a recent report&nbsp;alleging that the government is planning to issue&nbsp;a licence for a casino in&nbsp;Forest City, Johor, to take necessary action&nbsp;against the foreign news agency.

Anwar wants action taken against Forest City casino licence news report

The country’s&nbsp;fifth-generation (5G) network&nbsp;adoption rate has reached nearly 36% as of mid-April, while the service coverage rate stood at 80.3% in February.

Fahmi: 5G adoption rate almost 36%, coverage 80.3%, second network unveiling next week

Nestle (Malaysia) Bhd is slated to raise prices for 22 of its products starting July 1, according to the Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants Associations of Malaysia (FSGMAM).

Nestle Malaysia to adjust prices of 22 products starting July 1

KUALA LUMPUR (April 26): Gamuda Land, the property arm of Gamuda Bhd, has unveiled partners for Gardens Square, the latest commercial development at the 810-acre Gamuda Gardens in Sungai Buloh.

Gamuda Land announces retail partners for upcoming commercial development in Gamuda Gardens

The world’s 3,000 billionaires should pay a minimum 2% tax on their fast-growing wealth to raise £250 billion (RM1.28 trillion) a year for the global fight against poverty, inequality and global heating, ministers from four leading economies have suggested.

World’s billionaires should pay minimum 2% wealth tax, say G20 ministers

The battle for consumer attention in China's electric car market is being fought over touches of "tech luxury" that car buyers in other markets have never seen.

China’s upstart electric brands, and even its state-owned, legacy automakers, are racing to pack technology and features once considered premium into electric vehicles (EVs) as cheap as US$20,000 (RM95,525) — less than half the cost of an average new car in the US, now more than US$48,000.

Battle for 'tech luxury' in China as EVs get smarter — and cheaper

MYAirline Sdn Bhd will continue to retain its nominated post holders as well as key personnel, while ensuring that its air operator’s certificate (AOC) documentation remains as current as possible.

MYAirline seeking multiple investors, to retain nominated post holders

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has given businessmen Mirzan Mahathir and Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir a 30-day extension from Friday to declare their assets to the anti-graft body.

Mirzan and Mokhzani given 30-day extension to declare assets

Pavilion Real Estate Investment Trust rose to its highest in more than a month&nbsp;after the release of its first-quarter results, while analysts expect the REIT, which mainly manages shopping malls, to benefit further from higher tourist arrivals.

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