For the last two years, corporate AI strategy has largely revolved around "Assistants", chatbots that wait for a human prompt, but could that phase be already coming to an end?

Nicholas Eayrs of Databricks argues we are now entering the era of the Agentic Enterprise.

In this new paradigm, AI stops waiting for instructions and starts interacting with other systems autonomously. Imagine a "Procurement Agent" negotiating with a "Finance Agent" to optimise supply chains in real-time, without human intervention.

We explore how this shift from "chatting" to "doing" is already happening, and much more, including: 

• The Death of the Prompt: Why the future isn't about better prompt engineering, but about architecting autonomous flows where humans act as supervisors, not operators.

• The "Multi-Agent" Swarm: How specialised, smaller models (rather than one giant LLM) will collaborate to handle complex tasks like finance and logistics.

• Bridging the Data Gap: The role of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) in allowing AI agents to "talk" to legacy systems of record (like CRMs and ERPs).

• Solving "Black Box" Anxiety: Why a bad chatbot answer is annoying, but a bad agentic decision is expensive, and how Evaluation Frameworks and strict data lineage provide the necessary governance.

The Human in the Loop: Why the modern workforce must pivot from "users" of software to "Systems Architects" who define the constraints and outcomes for autonomous agents.

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When business leaders talk about the talent crunch, the focus is usually on skills, communication, and job readiness. But Malaysia’s newly launched National Education Plan 2026–2035 introduces a more fundamental shift: time.

With education pathways accelerating, students may enter university younger and reach the workforce sooner. While this may look efficient on paper, it raises a harder question for employers. Are we mistaking learning speed for workforce readiness?

We speak with Professor Hazel Melanie Ramos, Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning at University of Nottingham Malaysia, to examine what accelerated education timelines really mean for universities, businesses, and Malaysia’s future workforce.

We discuss:

• How the National Education Plan 2026–2035 reshapes the talent pipeline through faster education pathways.

• What earlier university entry means for student maturity, resilience, and readiness for work.

• Whether universities can deliver deeper learning in shorter timeframes.

• The risks employers may face if graduates arrive sooner but less prepared.

• What shared responsibility between universities and businesses is needed for workforce development.

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Volatility, AI, and uncertainty are no longer future risks. They are the conditions businesses are operating in right now.

Today, we examine what IBM’s 2026 Business and Technology Trends reveal about how organisations are responding to constant disruption. From decision-making at speed and real-time operations, to the shifting role of employees, AI transparency, and the growing importance of control and trust, this conversation looks past hype and into the choices that will shape competitiveness.

Dickson Woo, Country General Manager and Technology Leader at IBM Malaysia, talks about where leaders are focusing today, what may be underestimated, and which decisions will ultimately separate those who keep up from those who fall behind.

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Following President Trump’s "Liberation Day" announcement threatening ASEAN with up to 49% tariffs, IDEAS argues that the member states of the 600-million-strong bloc panicked. Vietnam and Cambodia rushed to cut deals immediately, and Malaysia eventually followed suit with the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), albeit after initial attempts to rally the region failed.

We sit down with Dr. Stewart Nixon, author of the report "Divided We Fall," to dissect why ASEAN chose self-preservation over solidarity and the potentially dangerous concessions buried in the fine print.

We discuss:

• The "Panic" Discount: How Vietnam and Thailand’s rush to Washington sparked a regional "arms race" of concessions, handing leverage directly to Trump.

• Section 5 & Sovereignty: The controversial clause in Malaysia's deal that links trade policy to US national security, effectively forcing Malaysia to police US interests against China within its own borders.

• The "Transshipment" Trap: Why vague definitions of "circumvention" in the new deal create a compliance nightmare for manufacturers planning their supply chains.

• Convenor vs. Captain: Why the ASEAN Chair failed to rally the troops, in stark contrast to the EU’s unified stand against Washington.

• The Illusion of Safety: Dr. Nixon argues that buying "certainty" from Trump is a myth, citing how the USMCA did not protect Canada or Mexico from future tariff threats.

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The Ministry of Education’s Education Blueprint 2026-2035 has officially landed with a clear, mandatory mandate: a Grade C floor for English, BM, Mathematics, and History. But as we enter a decade defined by generative AI and automation, is a static grade on a paper certificate still a valid currency for the Malaysian workforce? Or is the national curriculum benchmarking for a world that no longer exists?

We sit down with Edmond Yap, co-founder of Tupai, to deconstruct ‘The Grade C Trap’.

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Innovation is risky for banks, and traction is expensive for startups. Launched in May 2025, the PayNet Fintech Hub aims to solve this deadlock by acting as the "bridge" between Corporate Malaysia and innovation.

BFM speaks with Gary Yeoh (PayNet) and Joshua Lim (Buzz) to explore how this ecosystem works. We dive into the success story of Buzz, a startup that pivoted from green-tech to a B2B financial media network, utilising PayNet's resources to secure a pilot with TNG Digital.

We discuss:

• The "Bridge" Strategy: How PayNet reduces the risk for incumbents (like banks and e-wallets) to experiment with startups by vetting them and absorbing trial costs via PayNet Credits.

• The Buzz Pivot: Joshua shares the grueling journey of pivoting from a B2C recycling business to a B2B fintech solution, utilising the hub's resources to upgrade their API infrastructure.

• The "Grocery" Pilot: A deep dive into the Buzz x TNG Digital partnership, a cashback program where users upload offline grocery receipts to the TNG e-wallet for instant rewards.

• The 2026 Roadmap: Gary outlines the vision for a "B2B App Store" where banks can seamlessly "pull" verified fintech solutions (loyalty, analytics, engagement) directly from a trusted PayNet platform.

The Opportunity Wall: How corporates can now post problem statements for the fintech community to solve.

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The timing couldn't have been more scripted. Just as the Online Safety Act (ONSA) 2025 came into force on January 1st, the AI chatbot Grok sparked a controversy by generating inappropriate content, prompting action from Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

Lawyers Ong Johnson and Lo Khai Yi dissect this new regulatory landscape. We explore whether ONSA is a necessary shield against digital harm or a potential "political tool" for censorship, and what the RM10 million penalty cap means for tech giants operating in Malaysia.

We discuss:

• The "Grok" Precedent: How the recent AI chatbot controversy served as the first real test case for MCMC's new powers under ONSA.

• Who is Targeted? A breakdown of the three key entities regulated by the act: ASPs (Social Media like X/Facebook), CASPs (Content providers like Netflix/Infotainment), and NSPs (Telcos).

• The "Teeth" of the Law: Analysing the severe penalties, up to RM10 million for serious non-compliance, and whether this is enough to compel Big Tech to change their platform design.

• Reporting Mechanisms: The two distinct routes users now have to report harmful content (Direct to Platform vs. Direct to MCMC).

• The "Proactive" Shift: Why companies must move from reacting to reports to proactively moderating content before the MCMC’s upcoming Code of Practice makes it mandatory.

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It’s a new year, and optimism is starting to creep back in.

On this episode of Enterprise Explores, we examine Ipsos Malaysia’s 2026 Predictions report to understand how Malaysians are feeling about the year ahead and what that means for businesses.

From confidence in the economy and attitudes towards AI and jobs, to the growing importance of wellbeing and the commercial impact of the 2026 World Cup, the data points to cautious but resilient optimism.

Joining us is Arun Menon, Managing Director of Ipsos Malaysia, to help separate sentiment from reality and explain how businesses should respond to shifting expectations, spending behaviour, and emerging risks in a year shaped by hope.

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2026 presents a landscape of mixed signals for Asia-Pacific: US tariffs are at their highest levels since the 1930s (effective rate of 13.6%), and China’s growth is projected to slow to 4.1%. Yet, Fitch Ratings has maintained a Neutral outlook for the sector.

Thomas Rookmaaker, Head of APAC Sovereigns at Fitch Ratings, joins BFM to break down the region's "two-speed recovery", where AI-driven economies surge while traditional exporters lag, and warns that fiscal buffers are slowly eroding as government debt climbs.

We discuss:.

• The "Neutral" Verdict: Why Fitch maintains a stable sector outlook despite geopolitical headwinds, citing strong FX reserves and credit buffers in developed markets.

• The "Two-Speed" Recovery: How the AI boom is shielding tech-heavy nations while non-tech exporters face dampened demand from the US and China.

• The China Slowdown: The impact of China’s downgrade to 'A' and the property slump on the broader region, with spillover effects hitting commodity prices and consumption.

• Fiscal Erosions & Social Unrest: With median government debt-to-GDP rising to 50.1%, we discuss why fiscal consolidation is stalling and how social unrest (e.g., Nepal, Indonesia) is forcing governments to spend more.

• Country Watchlist:

  • Malaysia: Rated 'BBB+' (Stable) supported by political stability and 4% growth, though debt reduction remains gradual.

  • Thailand: The outlier with a Negative outlook due to delayed tourism recovery and high household debt.

  • The Danger Zone: Why the Maldives ('CC') faces a critical test with a $500m Sukuk repayment in April.

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In late November, Costco filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the “Liberation Day tariffs", and the White House remained surprisingly silent.

BFM speaks with Bryan DeAngelis of Penta Group to decode this "quiet rebellion." Corporate America is finally "unbending the knee," but they are doing it with a new playbook: filing lawsuits based strictly on business logic while avoiding the public shaming that bruises the President's ego.

We discuss:

• The Costco Strategy: Why the retailer’s decision to sue quietly after Thanksgiving, relying on "brand math" rather than PR stunts, possibly saved them from a Truth Social firestorm.

• The "Business Lane": How companies are learning to push back against policies like tariffs by framing them strictly as shareholder protection rather than political opposition.

• Political Volatility & Populism: With the President's poll numbers sinking, Bryan explains why the administration is leaning harder into populist rhetoric (like the attack on institutional housing investors) to regain momentum.

• The 2026 Midterm Outlook: Why "razor-thin" margins in Congress mean Democrats could flip the House even before November, and how this gridlock will force the President to rule almost exclusively through Executive Orders.

The Erosion of Authority: From GOP resignations to state-level defiance on redistricting, we analyse whether the White House is losing its grip on its own party.

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