• How does the ringgit’s decline affect citizens, apart from seeing import prices go up?
• What are the reasons for the ringgit's decline? Why has it experienced such a significant drop not only against the US dollar but also against other major currencies?
• Many people are attributing the ringgit’s weakness to the lack of action from Bank Negara Malaysia. What measures could BNM undertake in this situation?
• Raising the OPR by a fair margin in order to “catch up” with other central banks and strengthen the ringgit is definitely something to consider. But wouldn't such OPR hikes further burden citizens, as what we are currently witnessing?
• BNM recently announced its intention to intervene in the currency market to halt the devaluation of the ringgit. How effective is this approach? Is it possible for the ringgit to strengthen and reach the RM4.44 range?

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In this episode, we are back with Hann Liew, the founder of RinggitPlus, and Economist Sani Hamid.

Our conversation focused on the current declining ringgit, which has fallen almost 6% against the US dollar and over 11% against the pound sterling on a year-to-date basis.

Comparisons to our Southeast Asian counterparts show that our ringgit hasn't fared well either. According to a recent report by MIDF, the ringgit stands as the second-worst-performing currency in Asia, trailing only behind the Japanese yen.

The depreciation has undeniably caused significant concern among Malaysians.

This session will address these worries and shed light on the past, present, and future trajectory of the ringgit.

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Hann is a personal finance expert with over a decade of experience in the financial industry. Qualified as a licensed financial planner, he has helped tens of thousands of Malaysians on their path towards financial literacy.

Our other speaker, Mr. Sani Hamid, is a renowned economist and strategist with over 30 years of experience in the financial sector. He is a frequent commentator in the media and is widely respected in the field of economics.

Hann’s socials: https://twitter.com/ooihann

Mr. Sani’s socials: https://twitter.com/sanihamid

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Join our journey towards financial literacy and be a wiser investor today for as little as $1/month:

https://www.patreon.com/TheFuturizts

Find us at:

https://linktr.ee/thefuturizts

~~~~~~~~~~~~

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers.

In our latest episode, we had the privilege of hosting esteemed guests Hann Liew, the founder of RinggitPlus, and Economist Sani Hamid.Our discussion spanned across various significant subjects, encompassing the dire state of EPF savings and potential strategies to enhance the retirement funds of Malaysians.

We also delved into the recent OPR hike by BNM, as well as expert opinions on ASB and ASM.

• Should the retirement age be raised to increase the alarmingly low EPF savings of Malaysians?
• Would raising the mandatory EPF contributions from employers work?
• Why did Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) hike the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) by 25 basis points? Are more rate hikes are expected?
• ASB and ASM – are they still a good form of investment?

Quick facts:

1. The state of EPF savings for Malaysians is alarming. As of December last year, PM Anwar revealed that only 19% of EPF members had reached the basic savings target of RM240,000 to retire by 55. Even this amount wouldn’t be enough to retire in our opinion, as it will only give retirees RM1,000 per month to survive.
2. Bank Negara Malaysia surprised the markets by raising the OPR by 25 basis points on May 3. The increase brought the interest rate back to the pre-pandemic level of 3.0%.
3. Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM) and Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) are unit trust funds managed by Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ANSB). These funds have gained recognition for consistently providing good dividends, averaging 6.92% for ASB and 5.68% for ASM over the past 11 years. However, the dividend rates have recently shown a decline.

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Hann is a personal finance expert with over a decade of experience in the financial industry. Qualified as a licensed financial planner, he has helped tens of thousands of Malaysians on their path towards financial literacy.

Our other speaker, Mr. Sani Hamid, is a renowned economist and strategist with over 30 years of experience in the financial sector. He is a frequent commentator in the media and is widely respected in the field of economics.

Hann’s socials: https://twitter.com/ooihann

Mr. Sani’s socials: https://twitter.com/sanihamid

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Join our journey towards financial literacy and be a wiser investor today for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/TheFuturizts

Find us at: https://linktr.ee/thefuturizts

~~~~~~~~~~~~

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers.

• What do banks actually do with your money? Do they store it safely or use it for other purposes such as lending out or investing?
• How and why did Silicon Valley Bank, the 16th largest bank in the US, collapse in just two days?
• Should Malaysians be concerned about this contagion?
• What are the essential facts we should know about the PIDM insurance for member banks?
• There are widespread rumors of the US dollar hyperinflating - is this a plausible scenario?
• Is it possible for Bitcoin to reach $1 million in the next 90 days, and is it a genuine solution to the banking crisis?

In this episode, we are joined by Hann Liew, the founder of RinggitPlus, and Economist Sani Hamid.

Our latest conversation focuses on the current banking crisis, which has seen three US banks collapse within two weeks. This has understandably left a bitter taste for Malaysians, who concerned about the safety of their deposits.

This session will address these worries and shed light on the fragility of the banking industry.

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Hann is a personal finance expert with over a decade of experience in the financial industry. Qualified as a licensed financial planner, he has helped tens of thousands of Malaysians on their path towards financial literacy.

Our other speaker, Mr. Sani Hamid, is a renowned economist and strategist with over 30 years of experience in the financial sector. He is a frequent commentator in the media and is widely respected in the field of economics.

Hann’s socials: https://twitter.com/ooihann

Mr. Sani’s socials: https://twitter.com/sanihamid

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join our journey towards financial literacy and be a wiser investor today for as little as $1/month: https://www.patreon.com/TheFuturizts

Find us at: https://linktr.ee/thefuturizts

~~~~~~~~~~~~

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers.

In this episode, we are joined by Hann Liew, the founder of RinggitPlus, and Economist Sani Hamid.

Hann is a personal finance expert with over a decade of experience in the financial industry. Qualified as a licensed financial planner, he has helped over a thousand Malaysians on their path towards financial literacy.

Our other speaker, Mr. Sani Hamid, is a renowned economist and strategist with over 30 years of experience in the financial sector. He is a frequent commentator in the media and is widely respected in the field of economics.

Our speakers discussed the implications of the Budget 2023 on the Malaysian economy and the impact of low EPF savings on Malaysians. You will hear from the speakers’ thoughts on using EPF funds to pay of debts, how to deal with bankruptcy, and tips to boost your savings and financial stability.

Hann Liew’s socials: https://twitter.com/ooihann

Mr. Sani’s socials: https://twitter.com/sanihamid

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join our journey towards financial literacy and be a wiser investor today for as little as $1/month:

https://www.patreon.com/TheFuturizts

Find us at:

https://linktr.ee/thefuturizts

~~~~~~~~~~~~

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers.

• What’s the first, most important lesson about money that one must know about?
• Is setting financial goals important? How do we set goals that are realistic and achievable?
• How can I save money in the current era of inflation?
• What are the best investment options for a beginner? Let’s say I am a student with an allowance of RM500 per month.
• What are the most common financial mistakes that people make, and how can we avoid them?

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Join our journey towards financial literacy and be a wiser investor today for as little as $1/month:

https://www.patreon.com/TheFuturizts

Find us at:

https://linktr.ee/thefuturizts

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apart from being the advisor of The Futurizts, Mr. Sani Hamid is currently a Director (Economy & Market Strategy) in Financial Alliance. He also heads the Financial Alliance Islamic Wealth Advisory (FAiWA) division within Financial Alliance.

Sani has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial markets, having worked for companies such as S&P MMS where he led a team of analysts covering Emerging Asian economies; BNP Paribas Peregrine as a senior economist; and S&P Ratings as a Director in the sovereign team overseeing the ratings of countries such as Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Singapore.

Sani is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and has a Certificate in Islamic Banking & Finance from the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Mr. Sani’s socials: https://twitter.com/sanihamid

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DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

• Who is Ab0ogee - An anonymous crypto whale who has helped the web3 community in Malaysia by sponsoring creators and NFT events.

• How do we keep our crypto safe? Is a cold wallet really necessary?

• What happened to the crypto market? How did we get here?

• Ab0ogee's personal thoughts on surviving a bear market.

• The long-term investor's sentiment - what is it?

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Join our journey towards financial literacy and be a wiser investor today for as little as $1/month:

https://www.patreon.com/TheFuturizts

Find us at:

https://linktr.ee/thefuturizts

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ab0ogee is an anonymous Malaysian entity in the web3 space. His team launched 7 DeFi projects over the last 2 years with aggregated deposits over $10 billion.

Fiercely private, with little to no other public appearance, he shared that he focuses his effort in digital marketing, education, community building & DeFi.

When not working on his core, his passion project includes helping artists and creators in the web3 industry find themselves and their true purpose.

Ab0ogee is a frequent buyer of Malaysian NFTs and has sponsored NFT awareness events such as M1Nted Asia, WeArePoP, and others.

Ab0ogee's socials: https://twitter.com/ab0ogee

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed to be financial, legal, or tax advice. The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers.

• Was it surprising for Anwar to be elected?
• Now that we have a new prime minister, what’s next?
• The Bursa market rallied after Anwar’s appointment – where is the next resistance?
• Will the Malaysian ringgit continue to strengthen?
• Why has the US dollar weakened?
• Can Malaysia avoid a recession in 2023?

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Join our journey towards financial literacy and be a wiser investor today:

https://www.patreon.com/TheFuturizts

Find us at:

https://linktr.ee/thefuturizts

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Useful links:

i) The next finance minister has a huge challenge:

https://twitter.com/sanihamid/status/1596425144842743809?s=20&t=CftSpfe0BYxYCsTGxhSEQg

ii) The Malaysian market should re-attach itself to global macro trends:

https://twitter.com/sanihamid/status/1595996595140857858?s=20&t=CftSpfe0BYxYCsTGxhSEQg

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apart from being the advisor of The Futurizts, Mr. Sani Hamid is currently a Director (Economy & Market Strategy) in Financial Alliance. He also heads the Financial Alliance Islamic Wealth Advisory (FAiWA) division within Financial Alliance.

Sani has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial markets, having worked for companies such as S&P MMS where he led a team of analysts covering Emerging Asian economies; BNP Paribas Peregrine as a senior economist; and S&P Ratings as a Director in the sovereign team overseeing the ratings of countries such as Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Singapore.

Sani is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and has a Certificate in Islamic Banking & Finance from the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Mr. Sani’s socials: https://twitter.com/sanihamid

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed to be financial, legal, or tax advice. The opinions of this podcast are solely that of the publisher and speakers.

• The FTX debacle – how the second largest crypto exchange in the world collapsed in 3 days
• What can we learn from CEOs and billionaires? Should we trust them completely?
• How do we as investors avoid a crisis like this?
• Is the contagion over? Has Bitcoin bottomed?
• Where is the safest place to store your crypto? Is storing it in a cold wallet really safe?

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Join our journey towards financial literacy and be a wiser investor today:

https://www.patreon.com/TheFuturizts

Find us at:

https://linktr.ee/thefuturizts

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Faz is CEO of MX Global, a cryptocurrency exchange licensed by the Securities Commission of Malaysia, which is invested in by Binance to bring compliant-first crypto products to the regulated market. With his Venture Capitalist roots and most recent stint as Chief Strategy Officer of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Faz advocates for policies to support the national adoption of blockchain technology and the commercialisation of web3 services.

Faz’s socials: https://twitter.com/dfadzlishah

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Apart from being the advisor of The Futurizts, Mr. Sani Hamid is currently a Director (Economy & Market Strategy) in Financial Alliance. He also heads the Financial Alliance Islamic Wealth Advisory (FAiWA) division within Financial Alliance.

Sani has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial markets, having worked for companies such as S&P MMS where he led a team of analysts covering Emerging Asian economies; BNP Paribas Peregrine as a senior economist; and S&P Ratings as a Director in the sovereign team overseeing the ratings of countries such as Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Singapore.

Sani is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and has a Certificate in Islamic Banking & Finance from the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Mr. Sani’s socials: https://twitter.com/sanihamid

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DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed to be financial, legal, or tax advice. The opinions of this podcast are solely that of the publisher.

• The Malaysian Ringgit – Why is it weakening against the US dollar? Is this trajectory expected to continue?

• Why is the US dollar so strong right now? As Malaysians, should we be worried of our weakening local currency?

• What caused the crash of the sterling pound?

• How do we prepare for a recession? What are the do’s and dont’s?

• Malaysia’s August inflation came out at 4.7% - Why does it feel much higher?

*Skip to (07:31) to get into our main discussion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join our journey towards financial literacy and be a wiser investor today:

https://www.patreon.com/TheFuturizts

Find us at:

https://linktr.ee/thefuturizts

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apart from being the advisor of The Futurizts, Mr. Sani Hamid is currently a Director (Economy & Market Strategy) in Financial Alliance. He also heads the Financial Alliance Islamic Wealth Advisory (FAiWA) division within Financial Alliance.

Sani has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial markets, having worked for companies such as S&P MMS where he led a team of analysts covering Emerging Asian economies; BNP Paribas Peregrine as a senior economist; and S&P Ratings as a Director in the sovereign team overseeing the ratings of countries such as Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Singapore.

Sani is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and also has a Certificate in Islamic Banking & Finance from the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Mr. Sani’s socials: https://twitter.com/sanihamid

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hann is a Fintech Entrepreneur and the Ex-CEO of RinggitPlus, Malaysia's leading financial comparison website. He is also a startup investor and advisor, having invested in 10+ startups including Fintech, SaaS, eCommerce, Media, Logistics, etc. since 2015.

Qualified as a licensed financial planner, Hann has helped over a thousand Malaysians on their path towards financial literacy in the past two years. He was formerly the Council Member of the National Economic Action Council (EAC) in 2019 – 2020 and an investment banker at AVP, Equities and Funds Structured Markets at Barclays Capital (UK) in 2007 to 2010.

Hann is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), having achieved those qualifications in 2012 and 2016 respectively. He is currently the licensed director of CMSRL (Financial Planning) since 2020 and has studied Business Mathematics and Statistics at the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2007.

Hann’s socials: https://twitter.com/ooihann

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Music Credits: Lofi Girl – 3AM Study Session

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed to be financial, legal, or tax advice. The opinions of this podcast are solely that of the publisher.

• Inflation in the US hit 8.3% in August – What does this mean and how it will affect the economy?
• Will the Federal Reserve save the stock market? Can they prevent a recession?
• What should we expect in the upcoming FOMC meetings? Will the Fed be more aggressive?
• Why is Bitcoin becoming more correlated to the stock market? Will we see a decoupling soon?
• The Japanese yen hit a 7 year low against the Malaysian Ringgit – why is this the case?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join our journey towards financial literacy and be a wiser investor today: https://www.patreon.com/TheFuturizts

Find us at:

https://linktr.ee/thefuturizts

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apart from being the advisor of The Futurizts, Mr. Sani Hamid is currently a Director (Economy & Market Strategy) in Financial Alliance. He also heads the Financial Alliance Islamic Wealth Advisory (FAiWA) division within Financial Alliance.

Sani has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial markets, having worked for companies such as S&P MMS where he led a team of analysts covering Emerging Asian economies; BNP Paribas Peregrine as a senior economist; and S&P Ratings as a Director in the sovereign team overseeing the ratings of countries such as Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Singapore.

Sani is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and also has a Certificate in Islamic Banking & Finance from the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Mr. Sani’s socials: https://twitter.com/sanihamid

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Additional sources and reading materials:

i) US inflation hit 8.3%:

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/inflation-august-2022-consumer-prices-of-food-gas-rcna47291

ii) The Japanese yen – what you need to know:

https://twitter.com/TheFuturizts/status/1568094164008734720?s=20&t=FRvHFOcxGJC8CVK0npipCw

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed to be financial, legal, or tax advice. The opinions of this podcast are solely that of the publisher.