Morning Brief

2026 sees Chinese New Year falling on the heels of Ramadan. How is Malaysia’s F&B sector gearing up for these back-to-back peak periods? We discuss what’s ahead with Jeremy Lim, Vice-President & Media Liaisons, Persatuan Pemilik Restoran & Bistro.

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The infighting within Bersatu reached a head last Friday, when party President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin expelled his deputy, Dato’ Sri Hamzah Zainuddin and other supporters in a shock move. What does this mean for the future of Bersatu? We get analysis from Ibrahim Suffian, Programme Director of the Merdeka Centre.

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US markets have begun to lag parts of Asia, after outperforming on the back of mega cap tech and the AI trade in 2025.

We ask Rika Naito, Senior Portfolio Manager of the Global Growth Equity Team at Nomura Asset Management Tokyo, if this is the beginning of a trend and what are the investment themes we can adopt for the year.

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Up to 2.8 million vehicles are expected to hit the roads for CNY and the start of Ramadan. What regulations is the government going to enforce to ensure the safety of Malaysians on the road? We speak to Dr. Ng Choy Peng, Associate Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, National Defence University of Malaysia, on the safety measures taken by authorities, as well as road improvements Malaysia might benefit from.

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A recent Court of Appeal ruling held that a single Joint Management Body must oversee the entire developments, even mixed ones, which is a departure from previous practices. What does this mean for developers, parcel owners, and existing mixed-use projects? Questions we pose to Alliff Benjamin Suhaimi, Partner, Thomas Philip.

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Malaysia has inched up three spots in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index, from 57th to 54th. It’s a modest gain against a bold pledge to crack the global top 25 by 2033. Pushpan Murugiah, Chief Executive Officer of Center to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4) tell us what serious reform is needed whilst we discuss share ownership linked to the MACC Chief Commissioner, Tan Sri Azam Baki.

This episode of The First Look was brought to you by Emirates. Fly better, fly Emirates.

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Bangladeshis head to the polls today in what is widely seen as its most consequential election in nearly two decades, coming two years after Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister and now lives in exile in India. Dr Amit Ranjan, from the National University of Singapore's Institute of South Asian Studies, shares his insights into what to expect.

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Malaysia has reported 10 new tuberculosis clusters across seven states within the first month of 2026, with Selangor and Johor in focus. Prof Dr Rafdzah Ahmad Zaki, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at Universiti Malaya, discusses what the latest data reveal and what more needs to be done, because TB remains a persistent public health concern.

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After a stronger-than-expected finish to 2025, the Ministry of Trade and Industry has raised Singapore’s economic growth forecast for 2026 to between 2 and 4 per cent, pointing to a global AI investment boom, resilient trade, and firm performance in sectors like manufacturing and finance. Selena Ling, Chief Economist, OCBC Bank helps us break down and the data and what we can expect from Budget 2026.

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Khazanah Nasional recorded a 5.2% return in 2025 and paid out RM2 billion to the government, despite global volatility. Ng Tzu Hann, CEO of Tradeview Capital, discusses how the fund balances long-term wealth creation with supporting strategic national priorities, the risks of domestic focus versus global diversification, and what Malaysians should expect from Khazanah’s investment strategy going forward.

This episode of The First Look was brought to you by Emirates. Fly better, fly Emirates.

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