Enterprise Explores

Businesses are feeling the squeeze from higher SST, rising electricity bills, foreign worker levies, and tougher financing. This panel will explore how companies are managing these pressures through smarter cost control, efficiency, and government support to stay competitive.This event was presented by Maybank. Future-proofing your business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite ongoing privacy changes and rising costs, the global mobile app economy experienced a stable growth this year and this trend is expected to be carried forward with lots of room for growth in 2026. This is a finding from a recent report released by measurement and analytics company, Adjust, titled The Mobile App Growth Report: 2025 Edition that suggests APAC leads all regions in the mobile apps economy through a combination of scale, cost efficiency, and strong user engagement, significantly outpacing the global average.To get a better understanding on how marketers and developers are navigating through this competitive app landscape, where the growth opportunities are coming from and what’s in store for the app economy in 2026, we speak with Mathew Raju, Senior Customer Success Manager at Adjust.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s tourism sector has crossed a major threshold, recording more than RM210 billion in revenue. It is being hailed as evidence of a full recovery and a sign that Malaysia’s tourism economy is back on a strong footing. But behind the headline number lie deeper questions about sustainability, visitor expectations, and our readiness for Visit Malaysia 2026.Are we building a genuinely high-value, experience-driven tourism economy, or are we simply benefiting from short-term demand? And what does this milestone tell us about where the sector needs to go next?Joining the conversation today is Rohizam Yusoff, Champion of the Tourism Productivity Nexus, an industry-led platform under the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC), designed to boost the productivity, innovation, and competitiveness of the tourism sector. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s economic fundamentals have been strengthening, the ringgit is holding steady, inflation is cooling, and business sentiment is gradually improving. On paper, things look stable.But on the ground, SMEs are telling a very different story: hiring has never been harder, wage expectations continue to rise, workers are demanding flexibility, and younger employees are increasingly pushing back against low pay, rigid structures, unclear progression, and burnout-inducing cultures.This tension, between macroeconomic optimism and micro-level labour friction, is shaping a new workplace reality. Today, we explore what’s driving this shift, why employees feel more empowered, and what Malaysian SMEs need to rethink if they want to attract and retain talent in 2025 and beyond.Joining this conversation is someone who follows Malaysia’s labour market closely: Dr Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center for Market Education.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia throws away vast amounts of edible and reusable food every day, but initiatives like MPAJ’s waste-diversion programme, which saved over RM100,000 by rerouting 2,400 tonnes of scraps, show there’s real economic value waiting to be unlocked. We speak with Anis Hanani Suffian, Co-Founder & CEO of ReMeal, to take a look at why food waste remains stubbornly high, what it would take to treat it as a business opportunity rather than an environmental headache, and how councils, SMEs, F&B operators, and households could all play a part in building a viable food-waste economy in Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CEOs in Malaysia are embracing AI but balancing courage with caution as they push for productivity, innovation, and measurable ROI.Dickson Woo, Country General Manager and Technology Leader at IBM Malaysia, discusses the key takeaways from the IBM 2025 CEO Study and what they reveal about how Malaysian leaders are rethinking the future of work.From calculated risk-taking to building AI-ready teams and bridging skills gaps, we explore how courage, data, and collaboration can help Malaysia’s workplaces turn technology into true performance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Corporate gifts and entertainment are essential for building goodwill, but they're also a notorious tax "grey area." Where does a non-taxable gift end and taxable income begin? And how can your business ensure its entertainment expenses are 100% deductible?Tax expert SM Thanneermalai of Thannees Tax Consulting Services joins us to navigate these "grey areas." He explains the critical difference between a personal gift and a taxable business transaction, the rules for 50% vs. 100% deductions, and why meticulous documentation is your best defense in an audit.We discuss:When a "gift" is (and is not) taxable income for the recipient.The "50% vs. 100%" rule for deducting entertainment expenses.How to claim a 100% deduction (e.g. staff entertainment, promotional items with logos).The tax implications of "grey areas" like large monetary gifts and nominees.The critical documentation businesses must keep to justify their claims.For business owners and finance teams, this is an essential exploration into navigating the tax rules of gifts and entertainment, especially as tax authorities become more sophisticated.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia's recently passed Gig Workers Bill aims to formalise the industry and provide social protections. But for platform operators, its "one-size-fits-all" approach, heavily based on e-hailing, poses a critical threat to the 70% of gig workers who are part-time and work in diverse sectors like care and logistics.GoGet's Franchesca Chia and Kiddocare's Rahman Hussin join us to unpack the serious, on-the-ground flaws in the bill.  A critical look at the unintended consequences of well-meaning regulation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve all Googled our way to an answer — searching, comparing, and digging through sources to learn something new. But that process is changing fast. AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity can now summarise topics, provide instant insights, and even teach you new skills — all without leaving a chat window.XP Ng, CEO of the Academy of Artificial Intelligence, talks about how AI-driven learning is reshaping the way we find and process information. They unpack what we gain — and lose — when algorithms think for us, how this shift could disrupt traditional search engines, and what it means for the future of curiosity, critical thinking, and digital literacy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Education has recently announced plans to introduce a co-teaching model by 2027, pairing two teachers in every classroom and weaving moral education into the weekly curriculum. The goal: more engaging lessons, stronger values, and future-ready graduates.But can this approach deliver real change or will it strain an already stretched system?Janice Chong, Co-Founder and Programme Director of Edvolution, shares what it will take for the co-teaching model to work: retraining teachers, preparing schools, and ensuring graduates emerge ready for the modern workplace.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.