Morning Brief

The World Bank has an International Development Association that provides grants and low-interest loans for the 78 poorest countries in the world. The fund which is replenished every 3 years has a target of USD100 billion this year. We ask Clemence Landers, Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for Global Development if rich countries will provide the funding and the consequences if that goal is not achieved.

Image Credit: shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TalentCorp revealed this week that around 620,000 jobs are at risk of convergence or displacement if workers do not reskill in line with trends in A.I. and the green economy. How should A.I. literacy be incorporated into education to meet the demands of the new economy? We discuss this with Dr. Chen ZhiYuan of University of Nottingham Malaysia.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deloitte revealed that the initial public offering or IPO market in Southeast Asia has been rather lacklustre in 2024,

with only 122 listings raising USD 3 billion, a value that is the lowest in nine years. Malaysia however was the stand out with the most number and highest value of IPOs this year. We ask Wong Kar Choon, Audit Partner, Deloitte Malaysia reasons for Malaysia's strong capital market performance and also the outlook for SEA's IPOs in 2025.

Image Credit: shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year's G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was not without its share of drama, with contentions over the joint communique, jostling for Chinese President Xi Jinping's attention while US President Joe Biden delivers his swan song. What do the changing geopolitical dynamics mean for the effectiveness of the group? We discuss this with Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following the announcement by the Health Minister that the government will no longer award pharmaceutical procurement contracts to just one company, we speak to Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO, Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy whether this will be the much needed panacea to our sustained supply of affordable drugs?

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore’s private home prices fell for the first time in five quarters in the July to September period as the private home price index fell 1.1%. Meanwhile, the latest URA data has shown that the office rental index (Central Region) registered a 0.5% quarter-on-quarter decline as vacancy spiked by almost 8%. So is it all doom and gloom for Singapore property and what is the outlook for 2025? Alan Cheong, Executive Director, of Savills Singapore tell us his perspective.

Image Credit: shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The issue of abolishing subsidies for packet cooking oil has been discussed numerous times at the cabinet level with no firm decision on this matter despite it costing the government more than RM800mn. We ask Prof. Dr. Mohd Nazari bin Ismail, Honorary Professor, Department of Management & Marketing, Faculty of Business and Economics at Universiti Malaya for his views on this.

Image Credit: shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the final weeks of his term, US President Joe Biden has given the greenlight for Ukraine to use American-made long-range missiles on Russian targets. How will this impact the trajectory of the war in Ukraine and will a Trump presidency change the dynamics? We discuss the latest developments with Dr. Alexey Muraviev of Curtin University.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Incoming President Donald Trump has been vocal with his intentions to impose 60% tarrifs on Chinese imports and duties of 20% on all other imports. What impact will this have on Malaysia's Semiconductor industry? We discuss this with Dato’ Seri Wong Siew Hai, President of the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association, and Dr. Tay Kheng Chiong, Group Managing Director of D&O Green Technologies Berhad whilst asking if we have the right policies in place to take the sector to the next level.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is mulling a proposal to introduce a code of conduct for athletes, especially regarding social media use to enforce better discipline and balance between training and personal lives. Would this be an effective solution? We discuss the challenges of implementation and broader issues on Malaysian sports' performance with Haresh Deol, Editor with the news portal Twentytwo13.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.