Morning Brief

F&B players in the country continue to grapple with rising cost of living and evolving consumer preferences. Over the last few weeks we have seen boycotts of several international franchises due to affiliation with Israel. Jeremy Lim, Vice-President & Media Liaisons, Persatuan Pemilik Restoran & Bistro shares with us how the industry is doing.

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Asian economies sailed through a volatile year in 2023 with plenty of challenges abound. Will we see an economic bounceback amid lacklustre growth and geopolitical uncertainties? We discuss the regional outlook with Lavanya Venkateswaran of OCBC Bank. 

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A prospective legislative change is on the horizon in Malaysia, as the government mulls over the introduction of a law to regulate the size of companies resulting from mergers. It will be the third important aspect of competition laws in the country. We examine the goals and possible outcomes of this potential policy alongside Kwan Will Sen, Partner of Lim Chee Wee Partnership.

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Jimmy Lai, founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, has pleaded not guilty to all charges in a national security trial. He has been incarcerated since December 2020 for alleged fraud and involvement in a vigil to mark the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Elaine Pearson, Asia Director of Human Rights Watch shares with us concerns about how the fundamental rights of Hong Kongers are slowly but surely eroding.

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This year could be a good year for SMEs - Budget 2024 saw RM44 billion ringgit allocated for these businesses which remain the backbone of the Malaysian economy. Dato’ William Ng, Chairman of the Small and Medium Enterprises' Association talks about the challenges expected amid rising input costs from wages and raw materials, among others.

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The Central Database Hub or PADU has gone live, with several security flaws discovered in the hours after its rollout. Former MP Ong Kian Ming shares his experience registering for the account, as well as his concerns about the security issues and the overall system's effectiveness in ensuring subsidies do indeed reach the targeted segments of society.

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The fintech industry continues to see strong growth with the total number of companies increasing to over 300, according to the Malaysia Fintech Report 2023. Vincent Fong, Chief Editor, Fintech News Malaysia tells us which segments we should pay attention to, how challenging it is to turn profitable and what are some of the trends to observe in 2024.

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Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim officially launched the long-awaited Central Database System, or PADU. This marks a pivotal move towards establishing a centralised database for 32 million citizens and an essential avenue for eligible Malaysians to access targeted subsidies. Dr. Nur Ain Shahrier, Senior Lecturer of Economics & Finance at Sunway University, shares her insights on this system.

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Streaming and media companies have faced a tough year in 2023, with the biggest Hollywood Strike stopping productions for months. For 2024, impatience is setting in with investors as their attention turns to profitability. Geetha Ranganathan, Senior Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence shares with us the outlook, if more M&As could be in sight and whether cable TV is dead. 

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Going into 2024, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim aims to boost the economy by emphasising good governance, streamlining business processes, and a reduction in bureaucracy to attract both domestic and foreign investments. Julia Goh, Senior Economist at UOB shares her outlook for the Malaysian economy with these pledges amid ongoing geopolitical challenges.

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