Morning Brief

The once warm relationship between India and the U.S. now appears frosty, following hefty 50% tariffs imposed on Indian exports to America, the world’s largest economy. Priyanka Kishore, Director and Principal Economist at Asia Decoded, weighs in on the sectors most impacted by these tariffs and explores the potential for India to strengthen ties with China and Russia amid this shifting dynamic.

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U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Alaska this Friday to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine. What can we expect from this summit, especially with the conspicuous absence of Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky? Dr. Julia Roknifard, Senior Lecturer at the School of Law and Governance at Taylor’s University weighs in.

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Persistent vacancies in top public sector leadership positions across Malaysia raise questions about the effectiveness and credibility of the country’s governance framework. Shannon Teoh, Malaysia Bureau Chief at The Straits Times, discusses the possible causes and the long-term implications of these gaps.

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The Ministry of Home Affairs recently revealed a surge in the number of Malaysians renouncing their citizenship for Singapore, reviving concerns about the brain drain to other countries. We speak to Dr. Lee Hwok Aun of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute about the push and pull factors that result in skilled labour leaving Malaysia and whether reframing the narrative would help.

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Gaza’s future looks increasingly bleak as Israel’s security cabinet agrees to assert military control over Gaza City. Dr. Ferooze Ali, Senior Fellow at the Asia Middle East Center for Research & Dialogue, examines possible outcomes amid growing condemnation from both Israelis and EU nations.

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Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) schemes have seen explosive growth in Malaysia, a 30% jump from a year earlier. Dr Liew Chee Yoong, Associate Professor, Department of Accounting and Finance, UCSI University tells us if the Consumer Credit Act 2025 and the Consumer Credit Commission, or CCC are the right steps to regulate the industry.

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Overlapping functions within government-linked companies or GLCs have sparked calls for a major overhaul. Could merging or restructuring these entities unlock new opportunities for Malaysia’s economy? To explore this, we speak with Lee Chean Chung, MP for Petaling Jaya.

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The Singapore Exchange (SGX) reported its highest revenue and net profit since listing. However, the group recorded only six new equity listings during the financial year, down from seven in FY2024. We ask Ng Yao Loong, Head of Equities, SGX as to the reasons for the good results, how do they intend to compete with the regional bourses who also want a share of listings and market volumes.

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Danial Abdul Rahman, CEO of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI), underscores both the promising initiatives and persistent gaps in the 13th Malaysia Plan’s education reforms, which span from preschool to tertiary levels.

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Singapore celebrates its diamond jubilee, commemorating 60 years of nationhood, on Aug 9, with this year’s theme : Building Our Singapore Together. Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, Senior International Affairs Analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore, reflects on what it means to be Singaporean and what the island nation may have to navigate as it faces an uncertain geopolitical future.

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