Morning Brief

Malaysia has been rocked by high-profile corruption scandals, from the Sabah mining to the FAM naturalisation of players - all this under the current Madani government. Pushpan Murugiah, CEO of the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), breaks down what these scandals reveal about the rule of law, the independence of the bfmMACC, and the urgent reforms needed to restore public trust.

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Last week's high-rise fire in Hong Kong which has claimed more than 140 lives has prompted difficult questions about the safety of densely populated urban living, which applies to Malaysia as well. Edison Beh, a registered fire safety engineer from Safety Services and Logistics, shares insights into fire safety preparedness and how we can improve.

Check out also : https://www.bfm.my/content/podcast/we-need-to-take-fire-safety-seriously

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

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Asian currencies have had a mixed year with low-yielders like the Taiwan dollar, Korean won and Singapore dollar holding up relatively well, while several high-yielders such as the rupee, rupiah and peso have struggled.  Stephen Chiu, Chief Asia FX and Rates Strategist, Bloomberg Intelligence explains why whilst giving us an outlook for Asia FX for 2026 and if talk of the dedollarisation is premature. 

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With just twenty four hours to go before polling begins for the 17th Sabah state elections, all the major political parties have been out in force to win over the hearts of nearly 1.8mn registered voters. But what are the main campaign issues and who might emerge victorious? James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania gives us his perspective.

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The Deputy Works Minister has revealed that twelve out of thirty-three highway concessions recorded losses in 2024, spanning both newer expressways and some long-established routes. We speak to independent business writer, P. Gunasegaran as to whether the BOT model that Malaysia employs is flawed and what we can do to prevent loss making highways.

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Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled her first full UK Budget, presenting a £26 billion package aimed at balancing fiscal responsibility with support for households and businesses. How will it affect the UK’s economy, as well as citizens on the ground? We find out from Andy Williams, Managing Director of Corporate Affairs, Penta Group.

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The government will introduce next-generation MyKad equipped with security upgrades to curb forgery and misuse. This upgrade includes a QR code to verify their authenticity. Given MyKad’s integration with aid initiatives and Malaysia’s anxiety with data security, we discussed the safety and necessity of this upgrade with Amin Ashaari, CEO & Co-founder of SoyaCincau.

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On a year to date basis, the FBMKLCI is still in negative territory yet the outlook for 2026 still remains positive. We ask Munirah Khairuddin, CEO Principal Asset Management Berhad what investment strategy to adopt globally and in Malaysia in light of this cautious optimism.

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Regular users of e-hailing services have been noticing fewer cars on the road and higher charges, as drivers themselves experience rising insurance premiums, mounting costs, and platform pressures. Jose Rizal from the Malaysia E-Hailing Coalition shares insights about what’s happening on the ground and why drivers are struggling today.

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The 2026 Sarawak Budget that was just tabled is focused on development spending, rural uplift, and human capital,

while also marking a shift toward new forms of revenue generation as the state positions itself for a lower-carbon future. We ask Zafri Zulkeffeli, Deputy Chief Economist of BIMB Securities as to what this means for growth and fiscal position.

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

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