While 2020 has been a tough year for startups all over the world, it has also served as a steep learning curve for businesses as well as a crash course in futureproofing and resiliency. We speak to Dash Dakshinamoorthy from Startup Malaysia about helping businesses navigate these uncertain times. We also touch on Dash’s newest venture, Momentum, an…

Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli is the new CEO of InvestKL, ascending to the role in an unprecedented era of Covid distress and regional competition. How will KL fare in this beauty contest?

Stock splits are squarely on the horizon for US megacap tech companies like Amazon, Alphabet and even Facebook, says Jack Kouzi, Director for Strategy, VFS Group, even as he decries the sense or possibiity of a TikTok sale to a US company.

Do you know how chocolate is made? Your favorite bar of sweetness is the result of a long and winding production chain, and unfortunately, more often than not the cacao farmers are shortchanged in the process. We speak to Wilfred Ng, founder of Benns Ethicoa, about harvesting cacao beans ethically, keeping farmers in the loop, as well as educating …

The Securities Commission has raised the approved gearing limit for Malaysia REITs from 50% to 60% with immediate effect. Loong Kok Wen, Regional Head of Property at RHB Research gives us the rationale why the regulators made such a move and who stands to benefit. She also explains her rationale for the sector call and what her top picks are. Image…

As the US counts down to its November presidential elections, we take stock of President Trump’s foreign policy direction and his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic with US Ambassador Kamala Lakhdir. What is the US’ end game in its increasingly antagonistic relations with China? How committed is the Trump administration to global cooperation in deal…

The Japanese economy is in dire straits with a GDP contraction of 28% but yet the equity market has recovered from the March lows. We ask Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist at US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management on the disconnect and if there are any buying opportunities. He also weighs in on the US elections and what actually will move market…

In the age of Zoom classrooms, virtual graduations, and economic recession, the bridge from student to working professional seems more unstable than ever. Zhi Ee Chan, founder of Monsta, talks about their standing as the “University of Experience” and the goal they have of preparing students for the working world.…

Melvin Ooi left as Head of Alipay in Singapore to join BonusLink Card last year as CEO. We discuss how he's repositioning the company, a pioneer in loyalty rewards, to make it relevant among millennials and whether there are plans to become part of a digital bank license application and its likely partners, or whether it plans to dispose its busine…

Folllowing a huge liquidity infused rally since its March lows, global share markets are now showing signs of lethargy. With US elections looming, investors are now asking whether markets are taking a breather or another rally could be on the cards. Stephen Innes, Asia Pacific Market Strategist, with AxiTrader, discusses. Image Credit: EPA-EFE…

As we build even more complicated games and tasks to challenge AI, should we really be asking them to get the simple stuff right? Like reposing our selfies and helping to prescribe medicines? Science is certainly slick with new smart waterproofing fabrics and bricks that bring Mario to life.

As SMEs scramble to digitalise their businesses, figuring out the logistics of e-fulfilment has become a huge priority. For iStore iSend, their early involvement in bridging the e-commerce gap over a decade ago was a boon for the present day. Tommy Yong, co-founder and chief commercial officer, discusses that and more.…

Thomas Knudsen, CEO of Toll Group, the Australian-based logistics firm owned by Japan Post, has been hired to turn around a business that was already ravaged by losses, high debts and cybercrime before Covid-19. Here is his situation report as to the status of the business currently.

US markets have been on a sustained climb, lifted by technology stocks. But as the bull run continues, investors are starting to question whether the tech frenzy is now overdone? We ask this question of Tim Mulholland, President of TJM Limited, and also get his thoughts on US inflation figures and the trajectory of gold.…

There’s no doubt that cybercriminals are hard at work with the ongoing pandemic as businesses struggle to activate BCP or just not capable of coping with the sudden shifts like remote workforce. In today’s climate of uncertainty, threat actors are ready to take advantage of the widespread desire to be informed. People and businesses who are already…

Founded in 2019, Vircle helps parents raise financially smart and physically healthier kids through its unique parental controlled cashless solution that nurtures good eating and purchase behaviors – leading to healthier, brighter and more responsible kids. Vircle uses technology to help children lead better lives by starting them young on life ski…

As the stock market booms, it's vital to not get caught up in all the excitement and optimism. While it's important to invest, it must be done responsibly, taking your goals and risk profile in mind. On this edition of Ringgit and Sense, Roshan speaks to Dato Hamidah and Raymond Gabriel for their thoughts on investing principles, common investing m…

Palm oil inventory fell by 11% month-on-month to 1.7m metric tonnes in July due to higher export demand from India and EU and lower output. We discuss with Alvin Tai, Soft Commodity Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence on the outlook of CPO prices in view of resurgence of Covid-19, possible record high soybean output and the La Nina. Image Credit: Mohd …

Recent government stimulus packages have thrown a lifeline to a car industry hit hard by the implementation of the Movement Control Order in March. While Total Industry Volumes seem to have recovered since the disastrous 141 total vehilce units sold in April, it's still a long road ahead for many automotive players. So to help us get a sense of wha…

Overnight, US stocks briefly surpassed all-time highs reached before the pandemic, propelled by the tech sector. As we seek out what else we can expect, we turn to Vishnu Varathan, Head of Economics and Strategy at Mizuho Bank for his analysis on movements in US bond yields, the UK economy, and Malaysia's upcoming Q2 GDP numbers. Image Credit: Agne…

Many businesses were heading towards bankruptcy during the MCO. Flour was one of them. With a new outlet set to open just before restrictions were set, founder Yogesh Upadhey had to figure out ways to keep the eatery afloat while planning for a future that was uncertain. We speak to Yogesh about how Flour pulled through, expansion plans, as well as…

Education Malaysia Global Services is a one stop shop created by the government to accelerate the goal of 250,000 foreign students by 2025. But with Covid 19 and no new student visas being issued, is that target realistic? Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin, the newly appointed CEO tells us how he intends to overcome the challenges, his plans for promoting Mal…

With Gold seeing its biggest decline in 7 years and bond yields jumping, we reach out to Jeffrey Halley, Senior Market Analyst at OANDA for his insight into global market performance overnight. We cover some data expected out of the US, Singapore's latest GDP numbers, and the bright spots in the Australian economy. Image Credit: EPA-EFE…

Mattresses aren’t normally bought online. You’d want to feel and test the mattress for comfort before making a decision. But local brand Joey Mattress claims otherwise. With an extensive trial period and ease of delivery, the company is one of the few that have taken mattress shopping online. We speak to Winson Chong and Joey Tan, founders of Joey …

DBE Gurney is now Lagenda Properties, and the firm has moved from poultry being its primary business to property. Roshan speaks to Dato’ Doh Jee Ming about the story and the rationale behind this, as well as their outlook for the year, optimism around affordable housing, and injection of assets into the business.…

The Morning Run speaks to Jack Kouzi on the potential impact to Tencent from the proposed Trump ban on WeChat, Huawei running out of chips, and his long term view on Chinese tech stocks.

In the time of COVID-19, having access to health advice and updates has taken on even more significance and importance. Dato’ Chevy Beh, founder of BookDoc, which is the largest end to end healthcare platform in Malaysia, and the only one endorsed by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, discusses the challenges of ramping up his platfo…

Global usage of semiconductors is set to increase with increased automation and the onset of the internet of things. But with Covid 19, global supply chains have been disrupted while work was curtailed. So we speak to Chew Ne Weng, Managing Director of QES Group a testing company to find out if despite the challenges there will be growth especially…

The Morning Run gets into Apple stock supporting Berkshire Hathaway earnings, Saudi Aramco continuing dividend even as profits fell 73% on-year, as well as thoughts over whether the S&P 500 valuations are justified at this juncture.

Ballooning weight gain. Crisps. And doom scrolling. 2020 has not been kind to MSP’s Matt Armitage. Following the do as I say principle, MSP has been experimenting with some ways to stay physically fit and mentally healthy in these strange times.

Like Quarantine Cupid said, “We may be on lockdown but love is still in the air!” We speak to matchmaking agency Dateworks about how they quickly pivoted their face-to-face business into a comfortable virtual setup during the MCO to connect customers grounded at home, and help Malaysians find love in the age of corona.…

Sabah is in the limelight in a big way. Its state assembly has been dissolved- a move disputed by opposition politicians- even while it remains among the most impoverished and hardest-hit by Covid-19. Add its proximity to the South China Sea, a key beachhead for the mounting US-China standoff, and the possibility that its (caretaker) chief minister…

With the US Dollar losing steam, Carlos Casanova, Chief Asia Economist at Coface tells us which currencies stand to benefit while giving us a view on the Ringgit. He also weighs in on the Philippine economy and how bad their recession will be.

Mohammed Hikmet started his business repairing computers after leaving war-torn Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War. In the many years of struggle, he spotted opportunities in manufacturing electronic road signs which was then followed by the need for autonomous vehicles. Hikmet is also New Zealand’s EY 2019 Entrepreneur of The Year. In this episode, Jef…

Plus Solar and it’s founders have come a long way from buying mixed rice at RM2.50 and having issues simply collecting payment. Now, they provide renewable energy solutions in the form of solar power to clients like IKEA, KLIA, Mah Sing Plastics, Spritzer and Secret Recipe to name a few. To cement claims of growth, they have achieved the RM150 mill…

Bankruptcy. While we've heard the term & probably used it in conversation, what does it really mean in Malaysia? Roshan explores this, as well as the implications and impacts of bankruptcy on an individuals life, and the way out of it. Roshan and Nirmala also discuss the common causes of bankruptcy, what happens to the individual's assets, how it c…

From Star journalist to financial analyst to fund manager, Dato' Seri Cheah Cheng Hye’s career has led him all the way from the Asian Wall Street Journal to co-founding what is now an asset management company with $12 billion in assets under management. We speak to him about how his company, Value Partners, is positioning itself in the wake of a pa…

Tony Nash, CEO Of Complete Intelligence tells us why markets in US are still hitting new highs while giving us his views on the direction of the US dollar and whether it makes a difference who sits in the White House this November. Image credit: EPA-EFE

With the pandemic raging, a new spotlight has been thrown onto health services and equipment, and as everyone has been practicing physical distancing and even quarantine, it hasn’t been easy to check up on our elderly relatives for fear of putting their health at risk - but not checking up on them is just as worrying. Laurent Yew, founder of Preven…

The young may be an important part of the country's future, but jobs, housing and social mobility data shows that Malaysia is doing little for its young, potentially harming its prospects. Listen in as UMNO Deputy Youth chief Shahril Hamdan and Tharma Pillai, Co-Founder, Undi18, discuss how and why this happened and more. Image credit: EPA-EFE…

With scant commercial arguments in favour of a Tik Tok-Microsoft merger, Jack Kouzi, Director of Strategy at VFS Group, fails to see the point of such a transaction, not helped by threadbare US govt authority to engineer such a union. Image Credit: Olivier DOULIERY / AFP

Plant popularity has surged during the pandemic. With more people working from home, the demand for indoor shrubs and stalks to spruce up the environment has spiked exponentially. We speak to Nur Fatyha Farhana (Tya), founder of popular online plant store, Berrykinn, about the ups and downs of this new “green wave”, what business has been like thes…

With 25 years of experience in specialist eye care services, Optimax Holdings is now planning to list on the ACE Market, in a bid to raise RM21 million to fund their expansion. We speak to Sandy Tan, CEO of Optimax Holdings, to find out more about their expansion drive, as well as to talk about the choice to list at this point in their corporate li…

With few signs of the retail mania dissipating from the stock market, smart money is now pivoting towards gold, and the allure of ASEAN as the next growth region. Peter Lundgreen, CEO of Lundgreen's Capital, elaborates.

For businesses that have survived the economic devastation of COVID-19, it’s time to build your foundation to thrive. Jeevan Sahadevan, founder of Leverage Lab, has 21 strategic questions about 3 areas - your customers, products, and competition - to help your company rebuild.

E-commerce transactions for essentials picked up significantly during the MCO. Leo Chow, CEO of Lazada Malaysia and former executive from Taobao discusses plans to maintain Lazada's lead as the biggest e-commerce platform operator ahead of Shopee.

Apple, Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook’s earnings may have justified their eye-watering rally, though concerns about how far behind Main Street remains is still a concern. Stephen Innes, Asia-Pacific Market Strategist, AxiTrader, sheds light. Image Credit: BERTRAND GUAY, ANGELA WEISS, Tobias SCHWARZ, Mark RALSTON / AFP…

Lockdowns around the world have boosted the gaming industry into new levels. While in reality we practice physical distancing, it’s quite the opposite in the gaming world. Jeff Sandhu speaks to Quentin Staes-Polet, the GM for India and SEA for Epic Games, makers of Fortnite and creators of Unreal engine, about how the gaming industry could help pio…

Finding a vending machine that has snacks that are both nutritious and healthy is almost an impossibility. myFITBOX were setup up with this exact problem in mind, how to get the best snack to gym customers without it being a major pain.

This year Bank Negara has cut rates 4 times, taking the OPR from 3% to 1.75%. This is the lowest level since 2004. While the central bank has done this to help stimulate the economy, it’s also punishing savers as Fixed Deposit rates have also fallen. As savers look for the best rates for their cash, one of the options that has come up is Stashway S…