Enterprise Explores

Today on the show, Enterprise explores the realm of VCs after what seemed to be a chaotic year of funding in 2023. While there is plenty of available capital here, we take a look at what strategies should go into venture investing and what we can expect to see in 2024 with Kevin Brockland, Founder & Managing Partner at Indelible Ventures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today Enterprise Explores Thailand's tourism edge and how the biggest tourist destination in the region continues to stand out in an increasing competitive field. We’ll get into how it stacks up against Malaysia and the rest of the region, what we can learn from our neighbour up north to improve our tourism efforts and policies here in Malaysia. We discuss this with travel and tourism analyst Gary...

On 2nd January 2024, Malaysia’ Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim launched the Pangkalan Data Utama or the Centralised Database Hub (PADU), a centralised system that will house comprehensive information of all citizens that can be accessed across all government agencies. Within hours of its launch, users have reported several issues, from a faulty registration process to concerns over cybersecurity flaw...

In November 2023, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department announced that the sales tax on low value goods (LVG) will be effective from 1 January 2024. The sales tax rate of 10% will be applicable on all low value goods, regardless of the Harmonized System (HS) code of the product. The sellers of low value goods need to configure their systems to be able to identify goods which fall within the defin...

Enterprise Explores Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s new cabinet and their key priorities and challenges ahead with former Deputy Minister Dr Ong Kian Ming, Director of the Philosophy Politics & Economics Program at Taylor's University, and business commentator Pankaj Kumar. Among other things, we’ll dive into the key events and policies to keep an eye on this year, what lessons the government should...

2024 promises to be a transformative period for entrepreneurs and startups, particularly with the government announcing key initiatives and focus areas for the ecosystem. According to Startup Genome’s 2023 Global Startup Ecosystem Report, the top three ecosystems have maintained their positions from 2020, with Silicon Valley remaining at the top, followed by New York City and London tied at #2. Fo...

Enterprise Explores the State of Crypto. We review what happened in 2023 and the outlook for 2024 with Zhong Yang Chan, Head of Research with world's largest independent cryptocurrency data aggregator CoinGecko, and Hann Liew, Founder & CEO of Halogen Capital, the first licensed fund manager in Malaysia specialising in digital assets. In 2021, Bitcoin surged to an all-time high of $US69,000 pe...

Enterprise Explores the state of tech and the digital economy and what to expect in 2024 with Ong Chin Seong, Chairman of The National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM), and Amin Ashaari, CEO and Co-founder of SoyaCincau. We look into how the Malaysian Digital Economy performed in 2023, and the outlook for its growth in 2024 with an emphasis on cybersecurity concerns and bridging the digital di...

Enterprise Explores expectations for the Malaysian Economy in 2024 with Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, Chief Economist, Bank Muamalat Malaysia. We review Malaysia’s 2023 economic performance, dive into expectations for economic growth and drivers in 2024, get into which of the various government plans are expected to have a material impact on growth this year, and key global risks that could impa...

Earlier this month, it was reported in the news that Malaysia’s social security organisation (SOCSO) or PERKESO has suffered a data breach involving personal data. A group self-described as ethical hackers posted a forum thread highlighting that the PERKESO’s portal as well as a database of its internal documents have been breached. According to a report by Cybersecurity company Surfshark, Malaysi...

Today on Enterprise Biz Bytes, we explore the transformative power of connectivity in Southeast Asia and how this causes a digital divide in the region. Over the years, connectivity has advanced tremendously but there are still parts of the region that have not benefited from it due to limited access and lack of digital inclusivity. To understand this, EdgePoint, an ASEAN-based independent telecom...

TikTok to invest $1.5 billion in GoTo to get back into online shopping in Indonesia; ZDNET recaps 2023’s AI advances; Google’s Gemini launch; AstraZeneca announced collaboration with US AI biologics firm; Federal Trade Commission scrutinising Microsoft-OpenAI deal; Technology and AI to lead 2024 talent demand drive, says Singapore survey; And Zoom now available on Apple TV. See omnystudio.com/list...

Consultancy firm Deloitte released In mid-November its insights on the IPO market in Southeast Asia for 2023. During the first 10.5 months, the IPO capital markets saw a healthy count of 153 IPOs and IPO market capitalisation. However, despite the healthy number, the IPO amount raised was the lowest in eight years. So, what will 2024 hold - will it be good, bad, or complicated? Today, we explore t...

Exactly one month ago, on 8 November, global advisory firm BDO PLT released the ASEAN Corporate Fraud Landscape 2023 report. This publication provides a detailed analysis of the current fraud landscape in the region. It is based on a survey conducted in the first half of 2023 and includes input from a wide range of respondents across the region. The report focuses on fraud detection, the impact of...

On Monday, 4 December, DE-CIX Malaysia and Digital Penang announced a partnership to establish the Penang Internet Exchange (PIX), aiming to enhance digital capabilities in Penang and position it as a key interconnectivity hub in Southeast Asia. The collaboration is expected to provide faster, more affordable, and more resilient Internet connectivity, enabling data exchange, collaboration, innovat...

Premesh Chandran, Co-Founder of Malaysiakini, and Karamjit Singh, CEO of Digital News Asia, join us in the BFM studio to get into the 3rd edition of The Top In Tech Summit & Innovation Awards which they are organising in January 2024. On top of that, we also explore the current state of tech innovations and its implications to media, including what’s changed in media and journalism, the role o...

For those of us Internet users, we would be familiar with the word “cookies”. They are used to remember your preferences, login information, and other browsing information, as well as to track your activity on the website and to personalise your experience. Three years ago, Google announced that it would eliminate third-party cookies from Chrome by 2022, and later postponed its deadline until 2024...

On the 15th of September, Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib said that Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to unlock an estimated worth of around US$110 billion in productive capacity, and that it has the potential to significantly contribute towards accelerated achievement of the objectives and aspirations of the 12th Malaysia Plan and the New Industrial Master Plan...

With the end of the zero interest-rate policy (ZIRP), what does the venture capital landscape look like ahead? In line with next Wednesday’s Malaysia Venture Forum 2023, on this episode of Enterprise Biz Bytes we explore the goal and purpose of the event, as well as the current opportunities and challenges in the VC landscape here in Malaysia. Helping us with this is Ng Sai Kit, the Chairman of Ma...

Malaysia’s Capital Gains Tax: Wider Scope For Foreign Assets, Impact on Corporate Restructuring, Tax Rate Determination, and More. On the back of the Dewan Rakyat approving the Finance Bill, on this episode of Enterprise BizBytes we break down and clarify the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) component with Thenesh Kannaa, Executive Director at Tratax, a firm of independent tax advisers registered with the...

Everything you need to know about what's going on with OpenAI; AI agents to be the pathway towards 3 days workdays; Google to delete inactive Gmail accounts; QR codes used in phishing attacks; Analog photography makes a comeback; You're able to now know where will you be on the other side of the earth; And X to reintroduce headlines on the platform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

Neurodiversity is a concept that challenges traditional views of neurological differences by recognizing and celebrating the diversity of the human brain. Coined in the late 1990s by Australian sociologist Judy Singer and popularised by the autism community, neurodiversity advocates for the acceptance and inclusion of individuals with neurological variations such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and oth...

Friday November 24th marks exactly a year since Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister. With that in mind, on this episode of Enterprise Biz Bytes we ask — has Anwar Ibrahim’s Madani Government done enough for the business community after a year of being in charge? We'll break down what the business community thinks of this government after 1 year, how much the bus...

What should founders know before, during, and after selling their business? In this episode of Enterprise Biz Bytes, we deep dive into considerations founders should make before, during, and after selling their businesses with Raymond Chou, an entrepreneur that has sold 2 of his businesses in the past. He is Co-founder of Infront Consulting Group and Business Growth Specialist with Owners Circle A...

Hannah Pearson, Founder of Pear Anderson, and Nigel Wong, the President of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), help us explore and dissect the current state and future hopes for the Malaysian travel and tourism industry. Among other things, we explored: - How Malaysian can better compete with regional peers, like Thailand and Singapore. - Tapping into niches (like bird wat...