Enterprise Explores

Malaysia's franchise industry is worth RM46 billion today, with the government targeting RM100 billion in franchise sales by 2030. But the industry faces real problems limiting that growth, from cost pressures to what it actually takes for a franchise to succeed at all.  Claudia Ng, franchise strategist and founder and CEO of MYFranchiseGuide, and Ng Wei Nie, a Subway franchisee, join us to t...

Malaysia's franchise industry is worth RM46 billion today, with the government targeting RM100 billion in franchise sales by 2030. But the industry faces real problems limiting that growth, from cost pressures to what it actually takes for a franchise to succeed at all.  Claudia Ng, franchise strategist and founder and CEO of MYFranchiseGuide, and Ng Wei Nie, a Subway franchisee, join us to t...

Budget 2027 sets out to make Malaysia an AI Nation by 2030. But is there enough focus on SMEs and MSMES ?  We discuss: The strategy: What she sees as the core intent of Budget 2027. How it differs from Budget 2026, what she likes most, and what she would have liked to see. SMEs and skills: What roughly RM7,500 per business can do, what the Budget offers micro businesses like hawkers and home-...

Malaysia’s Budget 2027 comes with a familiar challenge: how to invest in the technologies that will shape the economy while making sure businesses and the rakyat benefit. The government has outlined measures to accelerate AI adoption, support local businesses, and strengthen Malaysia’s position in high-value industries, alongside a wider push to attract investment and build the infrastructure need...

Budget 2027gives some money back to SMEs and the rakyat through tax cuts and targeted sector incentives. Government revenue is projected at RM380.8 billion in 2027, the deficit target is 3.3%, the minimum wage rises from RM1,700 to RM2,000 from June 2027, and Global Services Hub companies get a 5% tax rate. We get into: The big picture: What the government is signalling as the 2027 budget gives mo...

SMEs have long struggled with rising operating costs, regulatory requirements and access to financing. Now they also face growing competition from suppliers in China. Beyond the usual calls for grants, tax relief and incentives, are government policies actually tackling the root causes? What should Budget 2027 prioritise to help businesses move past survival and start growing? We get into: The rea...

Malaysia's tech sector is heading into Budget 2027 with strong investment and export numbers. But how much of that growth is reaching Malaysian businesses, and what has actually been delivered a year after Budget 2026? Alex Liew, Chairman of PIKOM, joins us ahead of the Budget to discuss: The current picture: How much of the data centre and semiconductor investment is flowing to local firms, jobs,...

Higher fuel subsidies and a growing debt-servicing bill are eating into the country’s finances, while the possibility of an early general election makes fiscal consolidation harder to keep on track. Firdaos Rosli, chief economist at AmBank Group, tells us: What to expect from Budget 2027, including tax deductions and measures to ease the cost of living and the cost of doing business, and how...

SMEs get most of the attention when we talk about Malaysia's economy, but sitting above them is a group of companies that often gets overlooked: mid-tier firms. These companies contribute to economic growth and are often pushing into new markets, but without the grants and incentives given to SMEs, and without the scale of the big conglomerates. With the government looking to reduce the country's...

Budget 2027 will be tabled in Parliament on October 9, with the government has already highlighted the need to build more competitive home-grown businesses, with a focus on financing, technology, talent, and helping Malaysian companies enter regional and global markets. We get into: The startup and SME Budget 2027 wish list: What should be in the budget to address the data centre buildup and boost...

Malaysia's Parliament has put a number on the country's mental health crisis: RM25.3 billion in projected economic burden by 2030 without interventions. Yet unlike physical safety at work, mental health in Malaysian workplaces is still governed almost entirely by voluntary guidelines. Anita Abu Bakar, President and Founder of MIASA Malaysia, and Azran Osman-Rani, CEO and Co-founder of Naluri, disc...

Across corporate Malaysia, board effectiveness is increasingly being linked to company valuation. Investors are paying attention to the capabilities and competencies of board members, including whether they have the skills the company will need in the future. We get into: Why boards now affect valuation: Why investors are moving beyond compliance and oversight to judge boards on their actual contr...

After 20 years, Malaysia's Deposit Insurance Corporation, PIDM, has gone beyond simply reimbursing depositors if a financial institution fails. It is now also responsible for preparing for that failure, making sure essential banking services can continue, and working with other parts of the financial system to manage a crisis should one occur. Afiza Abdullah, newly appointed Chief Executive Office...

Shoppers are turning to e-commerce platforms for almost everything, from groceries and clothes to furniture and car parts. But is it easy for local merchants to do business on them? Are the platforms helping sellers find customers and fulfil orders, or are sellers being squeezed for every sen? With Chinese platforms now entering the market, what's at stake for local merchants? Dr Sunny Ooi, Founde...

How does a business coach add value to a leader that a mentor doesn't? Every CEO is told at some point in their career to find a mentor. But some business leaders choose something different, a professional coach, with a different set of mechanics, expectations, and accountability. Adrian Ung, Chair and Business Coach at Vistage, and Jess Au, CEO of TPO Kitchen, who designs commercial kitchens for...

The haze is back, and it's a reminder of the real cost of climate risk. The World Bank says Malaysia could lose up to 8.3% of GDP by 2050 in a worst-case climate scenario, with roughly half of that impact already showing up in the data today. Malaysia is also estimated to need about RM3.5 trillion for climate adaptation and resilience financing to avoid that scenario. Jimmy Tee, Partner, Sustainab...

Brent crude oil prices have swung sharply this year. They spiked past $110 in March, fell back to around $70 by July on US-Iran peace-talk optimism, then surged again past $100 through August and September as fighting between the US and Iran resumed. In Malaysia, unsubsidised RON97 and RON95 petrol prices are rising by 20 sen per litre, and unsubsidised diesel by 15 sen, from mid-September. With t...

In the US, DEI programmes are being dismantled. But what if walking away from inclusion means walking away from your next big customer segment? Sudesh Thevasenabathy, Head of Inclusion for Asia and Global Lead of Inclusive Business at Manulife, makes the business case for designing around the customers everyone else overlooks. We get into why unintentional exclusion is hard to spot in the business...

European rail holidays are on the rise, with demand also coming from Southeast Asia, where more travellers are booking multi-country European rail itineraries than before. Frank Marini, from Railbookers Group, joins us to unpack what's driving this trend, what appeals to travellers, and the business behind delivering a complete multi-country rail holiday. We get into: Why rail travel is booming am...

Indigenous communities make up roughly 5% of the world's population, but they hold generations of knowledge about the plants around them. Historically, very little of that value has made its way back to the communities the knowledge actually came from. Chef James Won, a French-knighted chef and founder of Serumpun Sarawak, a UNESCO-endorsed conservation movement working with the Sarawak state gove...

The US 10-year Treasury yield breached the psychologically significant 5% mark in mid-September, and it could keep climbing. Is the sell-off of US bonds the start of a longer trend, or a storm that will soon pass? And what does it mean for Malaysia's own borrowing costs and bond market? We get into: What's driving the spike: Inflation risk, foreign selling, and fiscal concerns behind the surge in...

If you're an SME owner, here's a number to pay attention to: RM3 million. That's the new e-Invoicing exemption threshold that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced during his Merdeka address at the end of August, the second time this threshold has moved in under a year. Soh Lian Seng, Head of Tax at KPMG Malaysia, talks about what this shifting compliance landscape means for SMEs, and what busine...

As we mark Malaysia Day on September 16, we look at how businesses are growing across East Malaysia. Malaysian SMEs are often discussed as one broad group, but what does it actually take to build and scale a business in Sabah and Sarawak, and how different is that experience from Peninsular Malaysia? Theophilus Wong, Sarawak State Chairman and National Deputy Treasurer of SAMENTA, describes the SM...

Melvin Chee, Co-Founder and CEO of RPG Commerce, and Deepak Sharma, retail executive and mentor at Endeavor, talk about a tension entrepreneurs rarely talk about openly: how to tell good advice from bad, and when to trust your own conviction over someone else's experience. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia has held the top spot on the Global Islamic Economy Indicator for 12 straight years, and other countries are now racing to build sectors of their own. MATRADE’s S. Jai Shankar joins us to talk about how Malaysia built its lead through platforms like MIHAS, and what it will take to maintain the country's position as competition grows. MIHAS 2026 runs from September 23 to 26, with a RM5 bil...