Morning Brief

COP30 is taking place in Belem, Brazil this year with the notable absence of many world leaders. We ask Dr Renato Lima de Oliveira, Faculty Director of the Center for Technology, Strategy & Sustainability, Asia School of Business if this means that this UN Climate Change Conference is still relevant and do the commitments of  1.5-degree target still matter.

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As expected, Bank Negara Malaysia kept the overnight policy rate at 2.75%. We ask Lavanya Venkateswaran, Senior ASEAN Economist, OCBC for her views on this decision and what could be gleaned from their statement as to the broader economy.

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The US government shutdown now in its second month, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration to consider cutting flights at major airports by up to 10%. Could these disruptions ripple through Asia’s aviation sector? We discuss the implications with Shukor Yusof, Founder and Primary Analyst, Endau Analytics.

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Cliff Lim, Director of Risk & Compliance for Southeast Asia at Dow Jones, explains how transnational scam networks and money laundering operations exploit gaps in cross-border regulations. His insights underscore the urgent need for stronger government-to-government (G2G) cooperation and greater regulatory harmonisation to keep pace with kingpins and scammers who increasingly take advantage of digital finance systems.

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Polly Cunanan, Communications Manager for Asia Pacific at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), says that despite the ceasefire, the situation in Gaza remains dire, with almost no functioning medical facilities and far less humanitarian aid entering than what was agreed upon with Israel. She adds that conditions in Sudan are equally alarming, with large numbers of people still unaccounted for since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of El Fasher on October 26.

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Hong Kong’s economy grew 3.8% in the third quarter, outpacing expectations and keeping the city on track to meet its annual growth target of 2–3%. What does this mean for equity markets and who are the  winners?   Peter Lewis, Director, Peter Lewis Consulting Limited tells us whilst telling us what could be some of the speedbumps ahead.

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States can help ease the burden of rising healthcare costs currently shouldered by the federal government, says Dr. Kelvin Yii, Member of Parliament for Bandar Kuching. In the near term, this support could come in the form of covering housing and allowances for healthcare professionals, while in the longer term, states could co-fund the development of hospitals and medical infrastructure.

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Malaysia’s new Agreement on Reciprocal Trade with the US promises deeper economic ties and supply chain resilience, but critics have warned that it could compromise sovereignty and tilt in favour of Washington. Liew Chin Tong, the Deputy Investment, Trade & Industry Minister, joins us to unpack what the deal really entails and why it matters for local industries.

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Polls are happening in New York City (for its mayor) and the states of Virginia and New Jersey (for their governors), and Democrats appear to be regaining some momentum. Wendy Schiller, a professor of political science at Brown University, breaks down what these potential results might say about America’s political mood and maybe an assessment of the current Trump administration.

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A recent landmark court ruling has awarded RM760,000 in compensation to 93 migrant workers stranded in Malaysia after falling victim to a worker quota fraud. This comes as Malaysia signed a new trade agreement with the US that includes stronger labour protection standards aligned with the ILO. Adrian Pereira, Executive Director of the North-South Initiative, explains what all this could mean for migrant justice.

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