The Breakfast Grille

Budget 2026 is the first under the period of the 13th Malaysia Plan that runs until 2030 and which has the lofty goal of redesigning national development. How well does this budget reflect the transformational aims of RMK13? We peel the layers of Budget 2026 with Dato’ Johan Mahmood Merican, the Secretary General of the Treasury.

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Today, all eyes are on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as he tables Budget 2026, the last before GE16. It continues the Ekonomi Madani agenda and sets the stage for the 13th Malaysia Plan. Julia Goh, Senior Economist at UOB, and Soh Lian Seng, Head of Tax at KPMG tells us their expectations against a backdrop of fiscal consolidation.

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As Southeast Asia faces one of its most uncertain economic periods in recent years such as global trade tensions and currency fluctuations, we speak with Tan Sri Nazir Razak, Chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council 2025, to hear his insights on how businesses and economies in the region can navigate deep volatility, and what opportunities may emerge amid these challenges

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The US-China rivalry is commonly framed as one of ideology between capitalism and socialism, or autocratic versus democratic systems. But researcher Dan Wang presents a new spin on the competition as one between engineers and lawyers, which he details in his book. We discuss his thesis and the prognosis for both economies.

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Koichiro Satomi, Deputy Group Managing Director of Asia Pacific Kinokuniya and Managing Director for Kinokuniya Malaysia to talk about what differentiates Kinokuya from other bookstores in the country, why its digital platform appears to be lagging behind its physical counterpart, whether Malaysians still have the habit of reading, and more.

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With over 1000 listed companies on Bursa Malaysia, how does the country rank when it comes to governance and protecting minority shareholders? Our panel consisting of Ng Zhu Hann, CEO & Founder of Tradeview Capital, and Dr Ismet Yusoff, CEO of Minority Shareholders Watch Group (MSWG) gives us their perspective and what improvements can be made.

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The TRX development project was envisioned under the 10th Malaysia Plan to put Kuala Lumpur on the map as a global financial hub. But has it managed to shake off its association with the 1MDB scandal that haunts its origin story? We discuss the progress of TRX and its development ethos with Dato' Azmar Talib, CEO of master developer TRX City Sdn. Bhd.

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Curtin University Malaysia, Curtin’s largest overseas campus, has worked with the Sarawak Government since 1999 and is ranked 183rd in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Prof. Vincent Lee Chieng Chen, Pro Vice-Chancellor and CEO, talks about the university’s vision, growth strategy, and its commitment to combining global excellence with local relevance.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

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Malaysia aims to be among the world’s top 20 AI economies by 2030. Shamsul Izhan Abdul Majid, the CEO of the nine-month-old National AI Office (NAIO), shares the agency's progress and how far the starting RM10 million funding has gotten it to date, while sharing his hopes and dreams for Malaysia's AI future.

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Malaysia aims to move up the high-tech value chain, from electronics to aerospace, green technologies and smart cities. Rushdi Abdul Rahim, President & CEO of MIGHT (the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology), shares how the agency is helping drive these national ambitions.

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