Morning Brief

As tensions between the United States and Iran surge over Tehran’s nuclear programme and the brutal crackdown on domestic protests, both sides are locked in a high-stakes standoff that could reshape Middle Eastern geopolitics. Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies at The Australian National University, shares his views on this.

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Immigration enforcement in the United States is under legal strain. In Minnesota, a month-long surge by ICE has involved armed arrests, civilian deaths, and growing court scrutiny, with challenges from state governments and international bodies. So what are the rights of immigrants, are the actions of ICE legal? For a clearer picture, we speak to Eric Sustad, Senior Attorney at Bashyam Global Immigration Law Group.

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India and the European Union announced that they finally concluded a major Free Trade Agreement (FTA) after nearly 20 years of stalled negotiations. We ask Sanjay Mathur, Chief Economist for Southeast Asia and India, ANZ Bank as to the structure of this FTA and which industries stand to benefit.

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Since Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin stepped down as PN chair earlier this month, the question of who leads the coalition has become increasingly contested, with Bersatu and PAS offering different versions. Associate Professor Dr Syaza Shukri, Department Head of Political Science and Madani Studies, International Islamic University Malaysia will shed some light on the turmoil within the coalition, and how the situation will affect them in the coming GE.

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Buy Now Pay Later use is surging in Malaysia. Transactions jumped to 243 million last year, worth more than 21 billion ringgit, with outstanding BNPL borrowing now close to 5 billion ringgit. Young people and lower income households make up a big share of users, even as overdue loans remain relatively low. Wan Amirah Wan Usamah, Research Associate, Khazanah Research Institute explains what this rapid growth really means.

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China’s military leadership is facing fresh upheaval by the purge of two of its most senior generals including Zhang Youxia, one of President Xi Jinping’s closest commanders. The shake up could leave China’s top military body smaller, raising new questions about power loyalty and control in Beijing. We speak to Dr. Yang Zi, Research Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University for insights.

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Malaysia’s anti-corruption efforts are under renewed scrutiny following claims of billions recovered in stolen public funds. Pushpan Murugiah of the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism joins us to discuss whether asset recovery is enough, the case for an Ombudsman, and the effectiveness of oversight over the MACC.

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Singapore’s three biggest banks have turned in a resilient but mixed performance as they closed out 2025. But with global rate cuts taking hold, what is their outlook for 2026 ? Sarah Jane Mahmud, Senior Industry Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence gives us her perspective whilst we also ask if Maybank's ROEs targets for 2030 are achievable.

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Myanmar has concluded its latest general election under heavy restrictions, with major opposition parties banned and large parts of the country unable to vote due to ongoing conflict. Journalist Erin Cook joins us to assess how credible the polls were, what the results mean for Myanmar’s political future, and how regional and international actors are responding.

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Recently, the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that middle powers need to move from being rule-takers to rule-shapers. From a trade and investment perspective, how realistic is that ambition for Asian middle powers? Jayant Menon, Visiting Senior Fellow, ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute tells us his perspective.

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