Digital Nomads have recently boomed due to the after-effects of the pandemic and there’s no denying that more people are looking into adapting to a more travel-centric work environment. We took this opportunity to talk to MDEC’s Arifah Sharifuddin about Malaysia's DE Rantau visa for those in the IT sector who will be able to capitalise on this current trend and help rebuild the nation's travel sector.

With the recent MGCC Annual Industry Outlook in the hydrogen industry, many of us are left wanting to know more about the future of the industry in the nation.

With that, we invited the head of Clean Hydrogen for the APAC region in Linde, Qian Wen-Bin, to join us in this episode of Malaysian Business Guide to help further elaborate on hydrogen's role, security concerns as well as why it is described as the fuel of the future.

The sudden sweep of the COVID-19 pandemic has left tourism in shambles across the globe, and no hotel was spared from this devastation. After two years and a slow recovery, we see many hotels returning to life including one of Penang's oldest hotels, the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, with its 137-year history.
 
 In this episode, we speak to E&O's General Manager, Alison Fraser, who also happens to be the hotel's first-ever female general manager throughout its history. Get to know more about the hotel and how it slowly recovered from the pandemic and continues to serve guests around the globe to this day.

CREAM! Cash Rules Everything Around Me. This chorus from a famous 90s Rap song still holds some truth 30 years later. One of our member companies, where for many of their employees cash is literally all around them, is our member Giesecke+Devrient or G+D. Why you may ask? Giesecke+Devrient, or G+D, is a German-based technology company and among other businesses leading in printing banknotes. And here in Shah Alam Malaysia G+D is printing the Malaysian Ringgit notes for already 20 years. 

So, today’s episode is all about money and we talk with Reinhard Plaschka Head of Global Banknote Production from G+D in Germany and Johan Nilsson Managing Director from G+D here in Malaysia about this highly interesting topic. 

#AHK #banknotes #Cash #Money #Malaysia #G+D

In many parts of the world, it appears that the pandemic is over and that things are normalizing again. But working from home is still a thing, and many businesses are reconsidering their work model since office space is a significant cost factor. SAP is one of Germany’s largest companies, and also one of the world’s leading software providers. As such, it is not only reimagining internally its future work model but also externally as a business case. To discuss the future of work from SAP’s point of view, I have the pleasure of talking to KC Hong, the Managing Director of SAP Malaysia.

#SAP #WFH #AHK #Malaysia #Futureofwork

Here are the questions in the Podcast with time code: 

1. Can you tell us about SAP and what your mission here is in Malaysia? 01:36
2. SAP has been in Malaysia for 30 years now. What has been SAP’s approach in terms of conducting business in Malaysia? 02:48
3. Can you elaborate on how SAP can help to further develop the country and improve the lives of many Malaysians? 05:49
4. Has the local business environment changed a lot post-Covid-19? And what are some noticeable changes? 07:38
5. On the future of work, what are the trends that you see happening? 10:22
6. From SAP’s business point of view as a software solution provider. Does work from home or the classic office work make a difference to your bottom line? 11:59
7. What is SAP’s view on Diversity & Inclusion and its role in the future of work? 12:53
8. In Germany SAP is also known for your Co-founder Dietmar Hopp and your sponsorship of the Bundesliga Club Hoffenheim. Is Mr Hopp sometimes coming to Malaysia and is there a chance we see Hoffenheim playing a friendly here in Malaysia?  14:04

German Chambers of Commerce & Industry abroad are being called AHK but in Germany, the AHKs are being called IHKs. Although similar in many regards they also differ. The IHK Dortmund is located in the industrial heartland of Germany the Rhein Ruhr Region. Known for steel and mining in the past the region has transformed into one of Europe's most innovative Startup hubs. The IHK Dortmund is at the forefront with its  Start.up! Germany Tour which brings Startups from all over the world to the German State of North-Rhine Westphalia.  
Two of the main organizers of the Start.up! Germany Tour Dominik Stute and Nick Neidl joined today’s podcast sessions to give you insights into this exciting program. This podcast session is for everyone who is interested to hear more about the Rhein Ruhr Region and the   Start.up! Germany Tour. 
#Startup #NRW #Tech #IHK #Malaysia #AHK

Here are the questions in the Podcast with time code: 

1. Most international listeners probably only know Dortmund from your football club Borussia Dortmund. In Germany, every company needs to be a member of their local IHK. So are they your member? 01:36
2. For many people outside of Europe, Rhein Ruhr doesn’t mean much because there is no single big city you can associate it with but please explain what Rhein Ruhr is? 02:48
3. What would you say are the main differences between an AHK and an IHK? 05:49
4. What is the Start-up Germany Tour? 07:38
5. Why should a Start-up participate in the Start-up Tour? 10:22
6. Can you go more in to the details of the three verticals? 11:59
7. So, the Pre-program starts this June with 9 Webinars and they are open to everyone free of charge and what can they learn from the webinars? 12:53
8. The first Tour was in 2017. Who came up with the Start-up Germany Tour? 14:04
9. And since the Startup Germany Tour has been around for a few years now, I’m sure you also have one or two success stories you can share? 15:54
10. What are the most advantages of Rhein Ruhr today? 17:32

Starting a business isn't always a walk in the park, anything can happen anytime with or without warning. In this episode of the Shortcast, we reached out to some staff and members of MGCC to share their business horror stories and what they had to experience when working with businesses across and even abroad.

 Für viele Deutsche Unternehmen ist Malaysia noch immer ein unbekannter Geheimtipp im Fernen Osten. Anders als in vielen Nachbarländern macht Malaysia eine Unternehmensgründung für Ausländer jedoch relativ einfach. Neben der AHK Malaysia hilft u. a. auch die Malaysian Investment Development Agency MIDA deutschen Unternehmen bei der Ansiedlung in Malaysia und das mit zwei eigenen Büros in Frankfurt und München. Daher sprechen wir heute mit Herrn Nils Wolters, Investment Officer von MIDA in Frankfurt über die jeweiligen Schritte, die ein Unternehmen gehen muss bei der Gründung in Malaysia. 

Wenn Sie weitere Fragen zu Malaysia haben bzw. Interesse haben, in Malaysia zu investieren, schicken Sie bitte an Nils Wolters von MIDA [email protected] oder an Sebastian Kirsch von der AHK Malaysia [email protected] eine E-Mail. 

#Malaysia #AHK #MIDA #ASEAN #GründunginAsien  
   
 Here are the questions in the Podcast with time code: 

1.  Was ist ein Investment Officer und wie kommst du dazu für die Malaysische Regierung zu arbeiten? 01:31
2.  Wo liegen die Aufgaben MIDAs? 02:48
3. Als deutsches Unternehmen, das überlegt in Malaysia zu investieren, an wen kann ich mich wenden, um gute, zuverlässige und konkrete Informationen zu erhalten? 06:10
4.  Kluge Unternehmen schaue nach Incentives. Viele Länder bieten Anreize, um Unternehmen in ihr Land zu holen. Bietet Malaysia die auch und wo kann ich herausfinden, ob ich dafür in Frage komme? 08:04
5. Ok, ich habe meine Entscheidung getroffen. Ich möchte in den malaysischen Markt eintreten, bin mir aber nicht sicher, ob ich sofort ein Unternehmen gründen möchte, da dies eine monatliche Buchführung, Steuern und eine jährliche Prüfung erfordern würde. Welche Möglichkeiten habe ich? 10:30
6.  Welche Rechtsformen gibt es in Malaysia, für welche Branchen / Unternehmen sind die geeignet und ganz wichtig – Kann ich die als Ausländer zu 100% besitzen? 12:47
7.  Jetzt habe ich in Malaysia die Firma gegründet, aber für meine Tätigkeit benötige ich eine Geschäftslizenz. Was ist das für eine Lizenz und wie läuft das Verfahren ab? 14:28
8.  Je nach meinem Geschäft brauch ich Fabrikgelände, Lagerhäuser und Büros. Sind diese reichlich vorhanden und kann ich als ausländisches Unternehmen Land besitzen? Wie sind hier die Kosten? 15:38
9.  In welchen Regionen Malaysias investieren ausländische Investoren bevorzugt in Malaysia und warum? 17:55
10.  Wie lange dauert es, alle Genehmigungen zu erhalten, wenn ich eine Fabrik von Grund auf neu bauen möchte? 19:25
11.  Ok. Ich habe jetzt alle Lizenzen und meine Fabrik oder mein Büro wird bald fertig sein. Ich brauche Personal. Aber ich brauche einige ausländische Experten oder Manager oder auch Ingenieure. Wie schwierig ist es, eine Arbeitserlaubnis für diese zu bekommen? Wo kann MIDA Unterstützung leisten? 20:18
12. Wie sieht es mit malaysischen Personal aus? Ich habe gehört, dass es heutzutage vor allem in Penang im Norden schwierig ist, aufgrund der hohen Nachfrage  qualifizierte Arbeitskräfte zu finden. Wie hoch ist das durchschnittliche Niveau der Fachkräfte in Malaysia, und kann ich trotzdem problemlos ausländische Arbeitskräfte einstellen, wenn ich nicht genügend einheimische Talente finde? 22:12
13.  Ein Thema was in Asien leider ein Thema ist, ist Korruption. Kann ich Geschäfte machen, Ausschreibungen gewinnen oder mich an Verträgen beteiligen, ohne inoffizielle Zusatzgebühren zahlen zu müssen? 24:53
14.  Und zu guter Letzt. Welche vier Tipps hat MIDA für ausländische Investoren in Malaysia? 25:53

The war in Ukraine has caused sanctions on Russia which have a great impact not only on the Russian economy but the whole world. Although geographically thousands of kilometres away, these impacts are also felt in Malaysia. Chambers of commerce monitor these impacts and in today's episode, we talk with MGCC's Executive Director Daniel Benbeck about these economic consequences here in Malaysia.  

#Ukraine #Malaysia #Palmoil #Russiatrade

To support Ukraine, our colleagues from the AHK Ukraine ask for donations to:

Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e.V.,
BIC: BFSWDE33XXX
IBAN: DE94 3702 0500 0433 0433 00
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
Refference: SupportUkraine

More information here: https://www.johanniter.de/spenden-stiften/ukraine/?utm_campaign=ukraine&utm_content=auslandshilfe&utm_medium=redirect&utm_source=other

Follow the link to also listen to the German ambassador to Malaysia talking about the Ukraine conflict on BFM Radio.
 https://www.bfm.my/podcast/evening-edition/evening-edition/france-and-germanys-response-to-ukraine-russia-conflict  

Here are the questions in the Podcast with time code:

Germany along with many other western countries has imposed sanctions on Russia for their invasion of Ukraine. Can you summarise some of the most important ones? 01:55

1.  So far this is a European conflict but did Malaysia and other ASEAN countries also impose sanctions on Russia? 05:07
2.  From Malaysia, Russia is far away. At first glance, there is not much that comes to mind that Russia might export to Malaysia. How are the Russian-Malaysian trade relations? 07:15
3.  As a result of the sanctions, Oil and Gas prices are soaring. Malaysia itself is an oil and gas producing nation. Is the Malaysian Oil and Gas industry now profiting from the sanctions? 10:42
4.  Russia, Ukraine and Malaysia are all exporters of certain commodities. Have you noticed any changes here? 14:03
5.  Rising inflation has been a major topic in the US, Germany and other countries even before the war. How is the situation in Malaysia? 19:08
6.  It is likely that the sanction on Russia will last long which will cause German investment to leave Russia. Is Southeast Asia an alternative for those investments? 21:03
7.  Are there any other economic effects you’ve noticed in Malaysia so far since the war in Ukraine started? 23:56
8. MGCC is part of the global AHK network of German chambers of commerce abroad. There are also German chambers of commerce in the Ukraine and Russia. Have you been in touch with your colleagues there? 26:01

MGCC is not only supporting German companies coming to Malaysia but also offers services for companies that are already established in the country. With its extensive memberbase and associates, MGCC provides a huge network beneficial to all its members. In this podcast episode, we discuss how the chamber life looks like. And who better to talk to than the Head of MGCC's Communications & Membership Services Department Sabine Franze.

 #AHK #malaysia #PartnerInMalaysia #asia #asean #ChamberofCommerce

If you are interested in a particular question please find here the questions with their time code for you to jump directly. 

1.  In Germany, most people have rudimentary knowledge about what chambers of commerce do since every business needs to be a member of a local chamber of commerce or crafts. But here in Malaysia, it’s a bit different. How would you briefly describe what a chamber of commerce is? 01:36
2. There are two dimensions on how MGCC supports companies. One is that we support German and other foreign companies who are interested in the Malaysian market to do business here and the other dimension is that we provide a network for companies who are already in Malaysia. Can you go in into detail on what that looks like? 02:45 
3.  One benefit we offer is the opportunity of networking via our events. But not everyone fully understands the value of networking because sometimes it is hard to relate this to direct sales. But networking is a powerful business skill, right?  04:32
4. Without mentioning names, can you name an example where our members did business together?  06:23
5. What are the most common requests made from MGCC members? 07:12
6. What events does MGCC offer? 08:43
7.  In all of your almost 8 years at MGCC what are your most memorable events? 11:12 
8. We also corporate with other bilateral chambers from time to time. Do you have some examples? 13:50
9. There is also our Members4Members programme. What is this all about? 14:58
10. Will we be able to help members who need advice on industries outside of Malaysia and Germany? 16:43
11. Are there any other benefits you would like to emphasise? 17:26 
12.  From your perspective. Are there any additional services provided to members that most of the current members are not fully utilising? 18:25