Enterprise Explores

In our continuing coverage of Budget 2024 and key areas relevant to businesses, SMEs and startups, on this episode of Biz Bytes we discuss the various initiatives that businesses and SMEs can potentially tap on to grow, as well as concerns and gaps from the Budget, such as the SST increase.Joining us for this conversation were Sofia Leong Abdullah, Council Member, Director of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations Bureau, Federation of Malaysian Business Associations, and Chin Chee Seong, National Secretary General, SME Association of Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s national Budget 2024 was unveiled on Friday, 13 October 2023, by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim with a total allocation of RM393.8 billion. Today, in our continuing coverage of the Budget 2024 announcements, we take a deep dive into what the budget has in store for digitalisation initiatives with a focus on tools and fundings that may support SMEs and businesses with Dr Juita Mohamad, Director of Research & Director of Economics and Business Unit at Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) and Harvindar Singh, Council Member at Chartered Tax Institute of Malaysia, and Partner at Harvey & Associates.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s national Budget 2024 was unveiled on Friday, 13 October 2023, by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim with a total allocation of RM393.8 billion. For businesses, some notable points include a Capital gains tax on the disposal of non-listed local companies’ shares at a rate of 10%, SST to be increased from 6% to 8%, tax incentives to attract investments in the form of tiered investment tax allowances of either 70% or 100%, and more.Today on BizBytes we explore key points and themes relevant to businesses from Budget 2024 with Fung Mei Lin, Tax Partner and Entrepreneurial & Private Business Leader from PwC Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of the tabling of Budget 2024, we explore what SMEs want to see in the upcoming budget. We hear from Datuk William Ng, National President of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association Malaysia (SAMENTA), on tax cuts, moving away from grants to low-cost financing, ESG and digitalisation support initiatives, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looking ahead to Budget 2024’s tabling in parliament, on this edition of Biz Bytes, you will learn about what the government can do to further support and stimulate Malaysia’s Soonicorns with Dr. Sivapalan Vivekarajah, Senior Partner & Co-Founder at ScaleUp Malaysia Accelerator.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss Elon Musk's decision to alter X's content landscape and how Meta's Threads may benefit, Spotify's latest Supremium features, and the urgent concerns voice actors have with AI voice cloning. Plus, we explore the innovative uses of iPhone 15 Pro's action button by Tesla owners, Huawei's potential game-changer in smartphone microscopy, and breakthroughs in earthquake prediction with AI. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last month, Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) [KWAP], unveiled Dana Perintis, an initiative that will see RM500 million invested into Malaysia's venture and startup ecosystem.This will be done over the next 18 to 24 months and encompasses two strategic pillars; investments into selected Malaysia-focused Venture Capital (VC) funds and direct investments into early-stage companies, each receiving an allocation of RM250 million.The hope is that KWAP's initiative will accelerate growth within Malaysia's entrepreneurial and startup landscape. In addition to supporting local startups through financial capital, KWAP is also offering expertise and resources with the aim to help propel Malaysian startups onto the global stage.We speak to Saifulbahri Hassan, the Director of Private Equity at KWAP, to learn more about Dana Perintis’s KPI, both commercially and as an ecosystem builder, why they’re employing a 2 pronged indirect and direct investing strategy, how many companies they expect to onboard, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Late last month, DeliveryHero confirmed to Bloomberg that they’re considering selling part of its Southeast Asian operations, including the Foodpanda brand.Bloomberg noted that the deal would include the food delivery platform’s operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and the Philippines. However, if the sale were to take place, the remaining Foodpanda markets of Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Pakistan and Taiwan would apparently remain with Delivery Hero for the time being. This comes as Delivery Hero has been focusing on reaching profitability while maintaining growth as investor confidence in the company started to wane after a pandemic-driven boost.For some context, according to Momentum Works’ Food Delivery Platforms in Southeast Asia 2023 report, whilst Foodpanda was the second largest platform in the region by GMV, in all its four major markets it is trailing behind Grab.Today on Enterprise Biz Bytes, we’ll try to shed some light into this potential sale, the rationale for it, and the possible implications. We’ll also touch on the viability of food delivery as a standalone business and how Foodpanda is navigating the tougher business environment and reduced workforce.With that in mind, we’re joined today by Simon Huang, Chief Analyst at Tech In Asia and Jianggan Li, Founder & CEO of MomentumWorksSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Who was your first leader?” With a sudden question like that, you might find it difficult to answer that instantly. It might be your parents, an older sibling, a friend, your Scoutmaster? How about your fellow student or your teacher?In a vibrant school environment, students can stand as beacons of inspiration and promise. They are the youthful torchbearers of change, the voices of innovation, and the architects of a brighter future. But who would mentor them if not great teachers?Today, as we commemorate World Teacher’s Day – an annual observance first mooted by UNESCO and celebrated since 1994 to celebrate and recognise the contributions and importance of teachers worldwide – we take this opportunity to acknowledge the significant role teachers play as leaders in shaping the lives of students. Joining us today is Cheryl Ann Fernando, the CEO of Pemimpin Global School Leaders (Pemimpin GSL), on ways to empower and nurture the next generation of school leaders in Malaysia and worldwide.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2023, we have seen a few key foreign players investing in or entering Malaysia, whether it's Amazon, Tesla, or payments unicorn Xendit. Now while we often hear about the need to attract foreign companies and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the name of the country’s development, there’s an argument that not all FDI is created equal, with plenty of criticism lobbied at companies simply exploiting government incentives.The influx of Foreign Direct Investment, or FDI, raises crucial questions about trickle down effects, domestic control, and the actual benefits to our local ecosystem. Today, we aim to explore the opportunities, challenges, and criticisms of bringing these global players into our home turf.We speak to Prof.Dr. Ong Kian Ming, Director of the Philosophy Politics & Economics (PPE) Program at Taylor's University about the opportunities, challenges, and criticisms of bringing these global tech players onto our home turf.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.