Enterprise Explores

Malaysian SMEs are being hit hard from multiple angles, now made worse by the fuel crisis and supply shock. But not all of them are facing this crisis equally. Datuk William Ng, National President of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association (SAMENTA) discusses what SMEs are experiencing on the ground, whether current support measures go far enough, and what businesses may need to navigate a mo...

Palm oil is already up about 11% this year. But with a US-Iran conflict reshaping energy economics, Indonesia redirecting supply into biofuels, and an 82% chance of El Niño on the horizon, where do prices go from here?  Tune in to find out:  The worst-case price scenario : What is behind the RM5,300 per tonne forecast and the specific conditions that would trigger it. El Niño risk quanti...

The RAM Business Confidence Index fell by a sizable amount in the first quarter of 2026. What does that tell us about where the Malaysian economy is heading, and when will sentiment translate to real economic pain?  We discuss: Reading the Index : How is it measured, and what does a broad-based decline across all five indicators mean? The Buffer: Why government subsidies and business inventor...

For the first time, Brand China has overtaken Brand America in global perception. What does that mean for businesses and consumers? We discuss: The Research: How consumers across 30 countries are reassessing their trust in major world powers and what two major global studies reveal about the speed of that shift. The Fall of Brand America: Why positive perception of the US has hit one of its lowest...

Malaysia's tax collection hit a record RM204 billion in 2025, but what does that mean for businesses navigating an increasingly watchful compliance environment? TraTax's Thenesh Kannaa looks at what is driving the surge in tax revenue, from e-invoicing and digitalisation to the stamp duty voluntary disclosure programme. He also breaks down the tax areas that businesses and individuals need to pay...

Energy policies have shifted worldwide. Reliability and security are now the primary drivers of investment decisions, replacing long-term climate goals as the defining factors for what gets built and funded. We discuss:  The Policy Pivot: How the global focus has shifted from climate goals to securing reliable, scalable energy sources.  Malaysia's Energy Advantage: How Malaysia is levera...

Is modern corporate law rigged to reward the “bad guy” in business? While we often blame greed, the real culprit might be a 150 year old legal straightjacket that forces leaders to prioritise short term returns over long term stability. According to Jason Piper of ACCA, these  19th century rules created a legal ceiling that rewards firms for externalising costs while penalising those that bui...

Middle managers are often called the "heart" of the organisation, but in reality, they have become the ultimate corporate shock absorbers. As executives demand hyper-efficiency and employees demand empathy, mid-level leaders are being pushed to the breaking point.  With AI threatening to flatten corporate hierarchies and younger workers flat out refusing promotions, Michelle Ann Iking of Clar...

Malaysia is facing a growing water crisis that extends far beyond dry taps and household rationing. For businesses, water insecurity is emerging as a serious operational, financial and economic risk. According to the World Bank, climate change could shave up to 8.3% off Malaysia’s GDP by 2050 in a worst-case scenario, highlighting how water security is evolving into a significant operational, busi...

The effects of the US-Iran conflict are felt around the world. Businesses are absorbing higher input costs while consumers face a higher cost of living. But even if a permanent peace agreement is secured, we may be looking at a higher-for-longer oil price situation.  Cedric Chehab, Chief Economist at BMI, a Fitch Solutions company, breaks down the macroeconomics of the current oil shock, from...

After 25 years in Malaysia, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Malaysia programme is no longer just a prestigious award. It's a strategic advantage and defining opportunity for every nominee, not just the winners. We discuss: EY's globally standardised framework, which measures what actually matters, gives founders a rare, rigorous outside view of where their business truly stands. The "Short MBA" E...

Southeast Asia’s regional E-commerce GMV has hit USD$157 billion, but the market has reached a point where three platforms control most of it. Weihan Chen of Momentum Works joins the show to reveal why the record numbers hide a "growth without equilibrium". Tune In To Find Out: The AI Myth: Why artificial intelligence is reinforcing platform monopolies rather than democratising the marketplac...

Hiring your first, or even your 50th, employee isn't just about growth; it comes with legal obligations that many businesses underestimate. When those obligations are ignored, the consequences are both punitive and costly. Sara Lau of law firm Skrine joins the show to discuss where employers go wrong, accidentally or maliciously, including why a simple notice clause cannot protect you from an unfa...

With global shocks and competitive pricing squeezing profit margins, many SMEs are under immense pressure. Azfar Asa'ad of CPA Australia joins the show to share insights from their latest survey of over 4,000 small businesses, as well as why cutting costs alone is a trap and the critical danger of remaining in "pilot purgatory" with AI. Tune in to find out:  The Cost-Cutting Trap: Why slashin...

77% of Malaysians rely on private cars, significantly higher than the 54% global average, and our appetite for future car-related tech is massive. Thomas Tan of Ipsos Malaysia joins the show to unpack why 61% of Malaysians would feel safer in a self-driving car and how "first-mile/last-mile" friction is keeping public transport usage at a stagnant 14%. We also explore the shift from "nationality b...

Is your app growth real or is it just a vanity metric? As user journeys stretch across devices and platforms, businesses are struggling to track what actually drives value. Mathew Raju, Senior Customer Success Manager at Adjust, joins us to break down why installs no longer tell the full story, and what it takes to build a single source of truth in a fragmented, AI-driven landscape. We discuss: Th...

Since January 2025, the "voluntary" era of ESG has ended for Malaysia's largest firms. Under the new IFRS mandatory standards, sustainability is no longer a PR exercise, it’s a financial reporting requirement. PwC Malaysia’s Director of Sustainability and Climate Change Farhana Jabir joins the show to break down the current readiness of Malaysia’s top 50 firms.  We explore why a massive 96% g...

Malaysia just recorded its highest-ever Q1 trade figure at RM789.85 billion, yet the ground-level reality is far more complex. While the E&E boom and AI demand supercharge exports, a public standoff with EV giant BYD over investment conditions is testing the limits of our National Automotive Policy (NAP). Professor Dr Ong Kian Ming, Adjunct Professor at Taylor's University and former Deputy Mi...

Is Malaysia one bad harvest away from a food crisis it can't import its way out of? It's sowing season, but the conditions couldn't be worse, diesel costs are climbing, fertiliser prices have shot up, and a third of Kedah's crops were left unharvested. Dr Sarena Omar, CEO at PNB Research Institute and a subject matter expert on agriculture and food security, joins Enterprise Explores to map exactl...

Is your organisation actually ready for WFH or just reacting and hoping for the best? Hundreds of thousands of civil servants started working from home last week, and the cracks showed up on day one. Hourly check-ins. Broken tracking apps. Officers driving back to the office just to protect their attendance records. So, in 2026, with a new energy-driven WFH mandate reshaping Malaysian workplaces,...

Is Malaysia’s tourism push being quietly derailed by rising fuel costs? Nigel Wong of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents joins us as diesel prices surge, ferry trips are cut, and operators absorb mounting losses. As Visit Malaysia Year 2026 unfolds, we examine whether the industry can hold together and what this reveals about deeper structural cracks, from illegal operators to a l...

The Southeast Asian market is often pitched to investors as a unified market of 650 million people, but for those actually building across these borders, that narrative is a "potentially dangerous oversimplification." Airwallex’s Andrew Chim joins the show to explore the hidden frictions of regional growth, from the "innovator’s dilemma" in local regulation to why a successful Singaporean clinic m...

Recent allegations of "corporate mafias" using enforcement agencies to pressure business owners into forced takeovers have sent a chill through the Malaysian business landscape. But has this fear bled into the startup and SME scene? Bikesh Lakhmichand of 1337 Ventures isn't hitting the panic button just yet, but he argues that the real danger is complacency, specifically, the lack of basic governa...

Oil won’t go below $90, higher fuel prices are here to stay, and your electricity bill is about to go up.  While Malaysia is an oil-producing nation, we now buy more oil than we consume, a reality brought into sharp focus as 40% of our fuel supply depends on the now-paralyzed Strait of Hormuz. So, what does that mean for us on the ground? UOB Senior Economist Julia Goh joins the show to unpac...

When fuel prices rise, where does the impact really show up in F&B businesses? Nazri Adam, Co-Founder of Sausage Sizzle, joins us to unpack how cost shocks actually move through the F&B system, and why the real impact may not have fully hit yet.  We discuss: The Delayed Shock: Why fuel price increases don’t hit immediately, and how “old inventory” is masking the real cost wave still t...