Morning Brief

Mark Carney, former central banker, has been elected leader of the Liberal Party and will become Canada’s 24th Prime Minister, securing 86% of the vote. Dr. Cristine de Clercy, Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership at Trent University shares her insights on how his leadership may shape Canada’s political landscape. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

The Trump Administration has imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, while granting a temporary reprieve to the auto industry. The one-month pause under the USMCA trade agreement offers short-term relief, but rising costs and supply chain disruptions are forcing automakers to reassess production, innovation, and investment strategies. As companies navigate tighter margins and shifting...

Last week, the Dewan Rakyat passed a bill making EPF contributions mandatory for non-citizen workers. Set to be implemented in the fourth quarter of 2025, the policy will require employers and workers to contribute 2% each to the retirement fund. Adrian Pereira, Executive Director of the North-South Initiative, will join us to discuss the importance of this move and what else is required to improv...

Environmental crimes are on the rise in Malaysia and to counter this, the police will be granted enforcement authority under the Environmental Quality Act 1974. But is this enough to crack down on illegal activities, including e-waste smuggling? We discuss the government's strategy on this with Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability. Image Credit:...

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dato' Sri Azalina Othman recently affirmed in Parliament that the Prisons Act 1995 already allows for home arrest sentences. Is a standalone Home Detention Bill then required? We unpack the law with criminal lawyer Goh Cia Yee. Image Credits: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Women, Family & Community Development Ministry recently reported that cases of domestic violence have hit a three-year high, with over 7,000 cases in 2024. It is also important to note that violence against women and girls can be perpetrated physically or online. Jayamalar Samuel, Capacity Building Director, at the All Women's Action Society (AWAM), shares her thoughts on what needs to be...

In Malaysia, only 20% of enterprises are women-owned, despite government programmes designed to help kickstart women-led businesses. Andal Krishnan from the NGO, NAWEM (National Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia) helps us understand the reasons behind this and what could be done to improve the situation. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Bank Negara Malaysia has maintained the overnight policy rate (OPR) at 3% after its most recent Monetary Policy Committee meeting, while signalling that inflation remains under control despite uncertainties from major economies and geopolitical developments. Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, the chief economist at Bank Muamalat, shares his assessment. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.co...

Black gold has taken a tumble, dropping to a 3 year low. We ask Vandana Hari, Founder & CEO, Vanda Insights for the reasons for this dip and what is the outlook for the rest of 2025. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Consumer Credit Bill 2025 was tabled for the first reading in Parliament, with the intention of forming a Consumer Credit Commission (CCC) as the new authority regulating conventional and shariah non-bank credit providers and credit service providers. Jonathan Lim, Secretary of Fintech Association of Malaysia (FAOM) & Partner at Zaid Ibrahim & Co helps us understand how this bill helps...

Malaysians have embraced the electric vehicle revolution, but this comes with new challenges. It is estimated that nearly 900,000 EV batteries will need recycling by 2050 - does Malaysia have the right infrastructure and ecosystem in place to handle this waste? We discuss this with Amin Ashaari, CEO & Co-founder SoyaCincau.com. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Bitcoin rebounded to $94,000 after US President Donald Trump proposed a 'Crypto Strategic Reserve' including other major cryptocurrencies. This recovery came after Bitcoin experienced a nearly 18% decline in February. Andy Baehr, Managing Director and Head of Product at CoinDesk Indices, shares his insights on the market’s outlook. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

All eyes are on the National People's Congress that kicked off this week for signs on Beijing's priorities in 2025. Can China revive its lagging economy on the back of an escalating trade war with the US? We discuss the policy expectations and outlook with Harry Murphy Cruise, Head of China and Australia Economics at Moody’s Analytics. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin has urged the government to consider banning private hospitals from listing on Bursa Malaysia as part of efforts to curb profit-driven healthcare. Sim also suggested that listed private hospitals be nationalised and fully government-owned to help lower medical costs. We’ll be speaking with Dr. Khor Swee Kheng, CEO of Angsana Health & Specialist in Public Policiesto d...

Succession planning of family-owned businesses is in the spotlight, with a conflict between a prominent patriarch and his heir in Singapore. This has highlighted the ongoing challenges within family-owned businesses. We examine the possible factors driving tension within these enterprises and how they can be resolved with Deepa George, Managing Consultant of MYHRC Services. Image Credit: Shutterst...

The Evidence of Child Witness (Amendment) Act 2024, came into force on March 3 and enhances legal safeguards for children testifying in court. We speak with Ajeet Kaur, Child Advocate & Co-Chairperson of Child Rights Innovation and Betterment (CRIB) Foundation to understand the impact of these changes and what they mean for the justice system. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio...

US President Donald Trump has hit the ground running since returning to the White House in January as he has ordered a series of widely criticized executive actions, as well as sparking a trade war with Canada, Mexico, and China. Joining us for a discussion on how these moves have affected the US economy is Olu Sonola, Head of US Economic Research, Fitch Ratings. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See...

The earnings season for Malaysian and Singapore banks has just concluded with most reporting results that either beat or were in line with expectations. We ask Sarah Jane Mahmud, Senior Industry Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence what is the outlook for 2025 and which banks will have the strongest earnings profile despite the headwinds of tariffs and increasing geopolitical tensions. Image Credit: Sh...

The Parliamentary Services Bill 2025, set to be tabled for a second reading today, aims to re-establish the administrative autonomy of Malaysia's Parliament, a status that was altered when the original Act was repealed in 1992. Prof Wong Chin Huat, Deputy Head of Strategy at the Asia Headquarters of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, shares his perspective. Image Credit: Shutterstoc...

A government study, has revealed that about half of the bags marked as imported white rice had been mixed with local grains as unscrupulous parties seek to make profits from this. We speak to Professor Datin Paduka Dr Fatimah Mohamed Arshad, Food Security Chair at the Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security of UPM about what reforms are needed to prevent this and ensure food security....

The first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire has ended and discussions for a second phase have stalled. Dr James Dorsey, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, helps us unpack what the way forward might be like and the continued acrimony between both sides and as the Trump Administration appears to add fuel to fire. Image Credit : Shutterstock.com See omnystudi...

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was caught in a heated exchange with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance. With Trump accusing Zelenskyy of gambling with millions of lives by refusing to agree to a controversial deal with the U.S. to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Joining us to discuss the implications of the meeting is Dr. Julia Roknifard, Senio...

The EPF has declared a dividend rate of 6.3% for both conventional and shariah savings for the 2024 financial year, as its investment assets grew 10% to MYR1.3 trillion. P Gunasegaram, an independent business writer and founding editor of Kinibiz shares some perspectives into this performance, EPF's investment strategies as well as how Malaysia can improve its approach to retirement savings. Image...

The rapid spread of H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu, in the United States is raising serious public health concerns and significantly raising the prices of eggs. Infections have been detected in humans, farm animals, and now domestic pets, highlighting the growing risk of transmission across species. To understand the implications of this outbreak and its impact on public health, we speak to&nbs...

As part of the government’s efforts to mitigate the impact of AI and technological disruption on Malaysia’s labour market, the Human Resources Ministry is set to organise the National Training Week (NTW) 2025 mid this year. This edition is set to be the largest yet, aiming to train one million people in a week. Joining us to discuss the effectiveness of such an initiative and the importance of ups...