Enterprise Explores

Today Enterprise Explores 5 Ideas to shakeup the Start-Up and funding here in Malaysia and Southeast Asia with Dr Sivapalan Vivekarajah, Senior Partner & Co-Founder, ScaleUp Malaysia Accelerator. Post-pandemic, startups now find themselves navigating through an uncertain environment courtesy of the higher interest rate environment, funding winter, lower valuations, and even down rounds. On top...

Recently, in a Reddit post three days ago, and articles on AsiaOne and the New Straits Times, exposed that an eatery (ramen chain) in Kuala Lumpur had allegedly deducted salaries of staff who take medical leave and toilet breaks. Based on a photo of its rules and regulations for employees posted on Facebook (Feb 18) by a netizen, the fines ranged from RM30 to RM500 for various so-called “offences”...

Enterprise Explores the world of tokenisation and token crowdfunding. As the digital landscape evolves, so does the way that businesses can raise capital, but what exactly is tokenisation and token crowdfunding? And how does it differ from the equity crowdfunding or from Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) that got quite a lot of buzz a few years back? To break down these concepts and explore the value...

Enterprise Explores the fiduciary duties of board members and the critical roles that they play with Tay Kay Luan, CEO of FIDE Forum. Among other things, we explore what the role of board members really entails and looks like, common misconceptions about the responsibilities and capabilities of board members, and what is fair or unfair to expect of them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Today we explore the rise of a new e-commerce juggernaut - social media giant Tik Tok - a platform once known primarily for its viral dance and lip-sync videos. They’re taking the fight to Amazon, Shopee, Temu, and others, through its e-commerce arm TikTok Shop. With this, TikTok is no longer just a social media platform; it's a burgeoning marketplace where interaction directly translates into tra...

What do Malaysian startups Kiddocare, du-it, Senang Insurance, and Qwork have in common? Aside from being on BFM’s Open For Business, they all have Artem Ventures as an investor. After 1 year of funding startups in Malaysia, the venture capital firm has invested in 12 local companies, including the 4 mentioned earlier, and it looks like they’ve got more aggressive plans ahead with the stated aim o...

Today Enterprise Explores the on-going shift towards a non-cash economy and how payment systems have evolved over the last few years with Arun Menon, Managing Director at Ipsos Malaysia, a market research firm. Back in January, Ipsos released their latest case study on Non-Cash Economy & Payment Evolutions which found that there has been a slight decrease in the usage of non-cash payment metho...

Tech, Oil & Gas, and Human Resources & Legal, will be key in managing the supply and demand in the job market this year, and for employees and jobseekers, it looks like flexibility and ‘Work From Home’ continue to be key demands, while having a sense for career and salary progression is vital for retention. All this and more as Enterprise Explores the 2024 outlook for the jobs and salaries...

Happy Valentine’s Day! The 14th of February is a day dedicated to expressing love and affection towards partners, family members, and friends. Originating from ancient Roman traditions, Valentine’s Day has evolved into a global celebration of love, characterised by the exchange of gifts such as flowers, chocolates, and greeting cards. In today’s contemporary society, Valentine's Day serves not onl...

Today we're celebrating World Radio Day 2024 with a special edition focused on the enduring impact of radio. This year's theme, "Radio: A Century Informing, Entertaining, and Educating," offers a moment to reflect on the transformative journey of radio, a medium that continues to adapt and thrive in the digital era. Our guest today is Chris Hibert, a seasoned professional whose career in radio has...

Neurodiversity refers to the recognition and acceptance of neurological differences in individuals. These differences can include conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and other cognitive variations. In Malaysia, it is estimated that between 30% to 40% of the population falls under the category of neurodiverse, while the remai...

In a month’s time, the domestic component of the Capital Gains Tax announced in Budget 2024 comes into effect. Enterprise Explores Malaysia's incoming Capital Gains Tax (CGT) and what it means for businesses with Soh Lian Seng, Head of Tax at KPMG. We get into who the CGT will impact, how broad its reach and implications are, and exemptions to the CGT. We also explore what we’ve learnt from the re...

2023 saw fintech funding in Southeast Asia hit a 5-year low as fintech firms in the region raised just US$2 billion in 2023, down 65% from 2022 and 77% lower than 2021, while the number of deals fell 50% — just 142 in 2023 compared to 288 in 2022, as per the Tracxn Geo Annual Report: SEA FinTech 2023. With this in mind, Enterprise Explores the dynamic and rapidly evolving fintech sector in Malaysi...

Smart city developments here in Malaysia have been rapidly expanding since the pandemic as we can notably see with fast-growing cities like Cyberjaya, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor just to name a few. According to Statista, the revenue from smart city developments is aimed to experience a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.53% between 2024 and 2028, reaching a market volume of US$ 1 billion by 202...

We look into Malaysia's evolving electric vehicle (EV) landscape amid recent news of the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) reconsidering the ambitious target of establishing 10,000 EV charging stations by 2025. Joining us are two key figures in the Malaysian EV scene: Daniel Fernandez, the mind behind DSF.my , and Sharol Halmi, President of the Malaysian Electric Vehicle Owners Clu...

Today Enterprise Explores 8 major trends that will define the future of business with Shazrul Asari, Managing Partner at Bain & Company Malaysia. We get into their latest report, "Present Shock and Future Sensing," which offers a glimpse into the strategies businesses need to thrive in this era of unpredictability. Over the course of this conversation, you will learn about the 8 major trends i...

Today, 26 January, marks the first commemoration of the International Day of Clean Energy. This day is dedicated to raising awareness and promoting the adoption of clean energy sources worldwide. The key theme of this day revolves around highlighting the importance of transitioning from traditional fossil fuels to renewable and sustainable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal...

Why is publicly listed TDCX potentially going private again after 2 years on the NYSE? Today Enterprise Explores the proposed privatisation of NYSE-listed Singapore-based business process outsourcing (BPO) firm TDCX with Simon Huang, Chief Analyst at Tech In Asia. We get into potential reasons behind the proposal, comparable examples from the past such as Razer’s privatisation and not-so comparabl...

“It's like 1995, start of the internet, but it's not like 1999, in terms of the bubble” Daniel Ives, Managing Director of Wedbush Securities. As reported in the New York Times, since the S&P 500 index hit its latest low in October 2022, Big Tech’s Magnificent 7 have collectively risen nearly 117%, far outpacing the performance of the overall index which is up around 35% in the same period. Wit...

“This Is The Window To Shape BNPL In Malaysia”. Today Enterprise Explores Buy Now, Pay Later in Malaysia. We take a look at the BNPL industry here in Malaysia, feedback about the current regulatory environment and the kind of regulations needed in order to protect consumers but also allow the industry to grow, as well as opportunities and challenges ahead for the industry. Helping us with this con...

Cautious but positive, that’s the outlook for Malaysia’s consumer spending this year, at least according to research firm BMI, a Fitch Solutions company, who expects the economic recovery to support stronger real consumer spending growth in 2024. In the short term, BMI said that based on high-frequency data they expect consumer confidence and retail sales to continue to be sluggish, but in the med...

Following the recent regulatory approvals for AEON Bank and Boost Bank to commence operations, Enterprise Explores the digital banking landscape here in Malaysia and how it compares to key markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong with Vincent Fong, Chief Editor at Fintech News Malaysia, and Ravi Kittane, Partner at EY. We get into digital banking in a regional and global context, explore how Malays...

In January 2019, the Malaysian government launched the Professional Training and Education for Growing Entrepreneurs (PROTÉGÉ) programme, an initiative under the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry (KUSKOP) that’s dedicated to providing professional training and education for growing entrepreneurs. In the span of a year, the participation in the Protege program witnessed an increase...

Malaysia was ranked 33rd globally and the ninth in the APAC region in the International Institute for Management Development’s recently announced World Digital Competitiveness Ranking (WDCR). Enterprise explores the system and methodology behind the rankings, the importance of digital competitiveness, and how Malaysia can improve its digital competitiveness with Professor Arturo Bris, Director of...

Enterprise Explores 2023’s lagging IPO performance globally and factors business leaders should keep in mind when planning their IPO strategies this year with Kevin Chew, Senior Executive Director with the Strategy and Transactions team at Ernst & Young (EY). We dive into the details and insights in EY’s recent Global IPO Trends 2023 report, including primary reasons behind the slower year for...