Enterprise Explores

When 41 government-linked companies control 55% of all assets on Bursa Malaysia, is the state still "building" the nation or suffocating the private sector? What began as a strategic tool for wealth redistribution has ballooned into a commercial behemoth competing in banks, plantations, and retail. Dr Tricia Yeoh, Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, unpacks the economic c...

The world is changing, but are we measuring success with the right tools? We explore this with Vincent Chin, Global Vice Chair of BCG’s Public Sector Practice, to discuss why Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the "gold standard" of economics, is failing to capture true prosperity, distribution, and sustainability. Learn more about:  The Four Capitals: The broader, holistic metrics (Economic, Huma...

Is the rise of the "AI-powered super-productive team" a genuine technological shift, or a convenient PR mask for pandemic-era overhiring? As global giants like Block and Oracle slash thousands of jobs while setting aggressive profit targets of $2 million per employee, the corporate world is entering a radical "Lean AI" reset. XP Ng, CEO of the Academy of Artificial Intelligence, joins BFM to break...

When taking on outside capital, founders often misunderstand who truly holds the power. Owning the majority of your shares doesn't guarantee control, in fact, the board of directors ultimately holds the authority to fire a founder CEO. David Lim, Founding Partner at TSF Law, joins Enterprise Explores to unpack the hard legal realities of founder-investor relationships. He reveals how shareholder a...

The paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz is a geopolitical iceberg threatening global manufacturing, with ripple effects crippling supply chains now and in the longer term. Prof. Shardul Phadnis, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at the Asia School of Business unpacks the implications, risks and why boards must treat supply chain resilience as a capital asset. Learn More About: The...

Is the return of GST really the silver bullet for Malaysia's fiscal deficit and cascading business costs? Dr. Veerinderjeet Singh, Senior Advisor on Tax Policy at KPMG in Malaysia, debunks GST & SST myths. Learn More About: The RM50+ Billion Math: Why reintroducing GST at a low 3% or 4% rate is "suicide" for the fiscal deficit, and how the expanded SST is already outperforming historical GST r...

Is the EPF's 6.15% dividend good enough? While the recent payout drew mixed reactions, the real crisis isn't the percentage, it's the dangerous over-reliance on a single pillar to fund decades of post-work life. For generations, Malaysians have leaned heavily on the EPF as their primary retirement strategy. But as the ringgit fluctuates against the US dollar and global markets shift, generating ou...

Is Southeast Asia's venture capital slowdown a crisis, or a necessary calibration? Kevin Brockland, Managing Partner at Indelible Ventures, joins us to unpack the desperately needed reset across the LP, VC, and startup funding chain. We discuss the region's historic lack of cash returns, the truth behind the "AI hype bubble," and why vertical integration is the true key to building defensible tech...

Geopolitical risk has spiked further. Following unprecedented military action, the Strait of Hormuz, a critical choke point handling 20% of the world's daily oil and LNG, is effectively paralysed. With the geopolitical risk premium on oil already sitting between $20 and $30 per barrel, fears are mounting that a prolonged disruption could push prices past $100. This threatens to trigger a new wave...

Malaysia’s café and beverage market is booming, but it’s also becoming one of the most competitive consumer sectors in the country. With over 5,000 cafés nationwide, rising coffee consumption, and aggressive expansion from regional and Chinese brands, café operators are navigating tighter margins, higher expectations, and a more tech-driven customer base. Gen Z demand is accelerating growth, home...

Tariffs don’t actually protect an economy, they slowly suffocate innovation. Economies need "Creative Destruction”. Dr. Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center For Market Education, joins BFM Enterprise to unpack the macroeconomic consequences of building economic walls. Looking through the lens of Joseph Schumpeter’s theory of "creative destruction," Dr. Ferlito argues that tariffs distort entrepreneu...

Global headlines have once again put powerful individuals under scrutiny, raising broader questions about accountability at the very top. In this episode, we explore CEO misconduct in Malaysia, from legal duties and fiduciary responsibilities to the operational and cultural impact on organisations. Are chief executives overly shielded by their status? Do public listed companies face stricter overs...

If a cyber breach can happen in 25 minutes but it takes days to contain, are organisations already too late? New cloud security findings from Palo Alto Networks point to a stark reality: attackers are now operating at machine speed, fuelled by AI. Nearly every organisation surveyed reported at least one attack on its AI systems in the past year. APIs are becoming key entry points. Identity weaknes...

Are organisations becoming more efficient, but more fragile? As companies mandate return-to-office, flatten structures and automate roles, leadership depth, trust and internal mobility may be quietly eroding. Anthony Raja Devadoss, Country Managing Director of Korn Ferry Malaysia, examines how return-to-office is reshaping the employee deal, the unintended risks of removing middle managers, and wh...

Prime time once dictated how we watched entertainment. Today, algorithms and endless feeds have replaced schedules, and audiences are consuming more content than ever, yet often feeling more fatigued by choice. As studios consolidate their content and short-form platforms reshape attention spans, what does this shift mean for the future of storytelling and the business of media? We explore the mov...

On TikTok Shop, if your content doesn’t convert, you don’t exist. TikTok Shop in the U.S. jumped from $9 billion in GMV in 2024 to $15.1 billion in 2025. But this growth didn’t come from charismatic live hosts or viral "Shoppertainment." It was powered by the static, boring "Shop Tab", good old search-based shopping. Teng Ian Wong, Insights Manager at Momentum Works, joins BFM to dive into why Ame...

Is Kwai Chai Hong preserving heritage, or curating it for a modern audience? As Visit Malaysia Year 2026 gathers pace, cultural spaces are becoming tourism assets and brand platforms. So, where does authenticity sit when heritage intersects with sponsorship, spectacle and commercial realities? Zeen Chang, Co-Founder of Kwai Chai Hong, discusses the fine line between community and commodity. We exa...

As traffic congestion worsens across the Klang Valley and e-hailing fares surge to eye-watering levels during peak hours, mobility in Malaysia is no longer just about getting from point A to B. It is becoming a question of fairness, affordability, productivity, and long-term planning. With commuters losing hours on the road, costs rising, and public frustration mounting, the cracks in our transpor...

In the last four years, Southeast Asia’s electricity demand has surged by 24%. Yet, despite the falling cost of renewables, nearly 80% of that new demand was met by coal and gas. The problem isn't the technology, it's a "locked-in" market structure that indirectly blocks the green transition Alexandre Salesse , Partner at BCG , explains how the "Single Buyer" model and "Take or Pay" contracts have...

What does it really take to turn innovation into consistent delivery? In this episode, the focus shifts from capital and programmes to the people behind the progress. Because while funding can accelerate ideas, it is talent, skills, and experience that determine whether companies can execute, compete, and grow. We speak to Ts. Hj. Mohammad Hazani Hj. Hassan, Group CEO, MTDC, about why talent devel...

In 2025, Malaysia had 59 IPOs raising US$1.4 billion, the highest volume in the region, but when we look at the money, Singapore raised US$2 billion with just 13 deals. So Malaysia won on volume, but Singapore won on value. Wong Kar Choon from Deloitte Malaysia joins BFM Enterprise Explores to unpack the structural differences driving this divide. While Bursa Malaysia has become the region's engin...

For 11 months of the year, the digital economy follows a predictable rhythm: traffic climbs in the morning, peaks at lunch, and winds down at night. But during Ramadan, that rhythm is turned upside down. Welcome to the "Sahur Spike" , a pre-dawn prime time where online activity surges across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Luthfi Anshari from AppsFlyer breaks down the data behind this shift, i...

For centuries, "nation" and "state" were inseparable. You needed physical territory to have a nation. But what if that is no longer true? Nirbhay Handa, CEO of Multipolitan, argues that we are witnessing the "unbundling" of sovereignty. He draws a critical distinction between a Nation State (defined by borders and politics) and a Nation (defined by shared values and community). Through the "Nation...

Agentic AI promises systems that do not just generate responses, but execute real business tasks. Yet new data shows that only around 5 per cent of enterprise AI agent projects have made it into production, with most stuck in prolonged pilot phases due to poor data, siloed organisations, and unclear governance. We examine why the gap between AI ambition and execution is widening, even as Malaysia...

What does it really take to move a company from early promise to real growth? In this episode, we shift the focus from funding alone to the structured journey founders must go through to build, validate, and scale. Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all programmes, the emphasis is on tailored pathways that help companies navigate each stage of development with clarity and purpose. We speak to Ts...