Running a business built on local craft and grit is a cornerstone of Malaysian culture. But as the nation prepares for the massive influx of Visit Malaysia 2026, "passion" alone may no longer be enough to scale. While MSMEs represent 97% of all registered businesses and contribute 38% of the national GDP, many remain tethered to a cash-heavy past that limits their growth.



In this episode of Open For Business, we sit down with Previn Pillay, Country Manager of Visa Malaysia, to discuss the invisible infrastructure required to move a business from a simple roadside transaction to a total digital transformation.

Running a business built on local craft and grit is a cornerstone of Malaysian culture. But as the nation prepares for the massive influx of Visit Malaysia 2026, "passion" alone may no longer be enough to scale. While MSMEs represent 97% of all registered businesses and contribute 38% of the national GDP, many remain tethered to a cash-heavy past that limits their growth.In this episode of Open For Business, we sit down with Previn Pillay, Country Manager of Visa Malaysia, to discuss the invisible infrastructure required to move a business from a simple roadside transaction to a total digital transformation.

Helping you navigate the ever-changing universe of business, from headlines to the bottom line

Helping you navigate the ever-changing universe of business, from headlines to the bottom line

Enterprise Explores

Are Malaysian MSMEs Ready For Visit Malaysia 2026?

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 pours billions into data centres. We explore what it really takes to manage a workforce that is part human, part algorithm, and why leadership, data readiness, and trust now matter more than the technology itself.

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 pours billions into data centres. We explore what it really takes to manage a workforce that is part human, part algorithm, and why leadership, data readiness, and trust now matter more than the technology itself.

The 5% Hurdle: Why Agentic AI Isn’t Scaling

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. Hj, Mohammad Hazani Hj. Hassan, Group CEO, MTDC about why customised accelerator tracks matter, how companies are diagnosed and validated before entering the market, and what it takes to reduce risk for both founders and investors. From early stage support and sandbox testing to growth funding and international expansion, this conversation explores how the right structure, sequencing, and support can help turn promising ideas into sustainable businesses.

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. Hj, Mohammad Hazani Hj. Hassan, Group CEO, MTDC about why customised accelerator tracks matter, how companies are diagnosed and validated before entering the market, and what it takes to reduce risk for both founders and investors. From early stage support and sandbox testing to growth funding and international expansion, this conversation explores how the right structure, sequencing, and support can help turn promising ideas into sustainable businesses.

From Diagnosis to Scale: Rethinking How Startups Are Supported

For decades, the internet ran on a simple economic contract: creators publish content, search engines organise it, and humans click on it. That click was the currency of the open web.

But in 2025, that contract is unraveling. Nan Hao Maguire of Cloudflare reveals that the internet is shifting from a human utility to a "Machine-to-Machine Economy." With AI crawlers like Google Bot consuming data without sending traffic back, we are seeing a 24-25% "referral deficit" that threatens to bankrupt the creator economy.

We also dive into the dark side of this shift: the rise of Agentic AI and autonomous cyber threats. Cloudflare’s data shows a terrifying escalation in brute force, with the Aisuru botnet hitting peak attack rates of 31.4 terabits per second, a scale that legacy infrastructure simply cannot survive.



We discuss:




The Broken Contract: How AI crawlers are creating a "referral deficit" by scraping answers without providing clicks, forcing creators toward "pay-per-crawl" licensing models.


The Machine Web: Why 31% of all internet traffic is now bot-originated, and how we are moving from "AI as a tool" to "AI as a teammate" (Agentic AI).


The Aisuru Escalation: The massive leap in cyber attack volume from 7.9 Tbps to 31.4 Tbps in just months, and why most providers fail past the 20 Tbps mark.


Malaysia’s Vulnerability: Why "People in Society" (individuals) have become the #1 cyber target in Malaysia, surpassing banks and government agencies.


Autonomous Defense: The shift toward "AI vs. AI" warfare, where autonomous defense systems are the only way to counter agentic attacks.


The Quantum Leap: The silent positive trend of Post-Quantum Encryption, which has jumped from 30% to 52% adoption on Cloudflare’s network.

For decades, the internet ran on a simple economic contract: creators publish content, search engines organise it, and humans click on it. That click was the currency of the open web.But in 2025, that contract is unraveling. Nan Hao Maguire of Cloudflare reveals that the internet is shifting from a human utility to a "Machine-to-Machine Economy." With AI crawlers like Google Bot consuming data without sending traffic back, we are seeing a 24-25% "referral deficit" that threatens to bankrupt the creator economy.We also dive into the dark side of this shift: the rise of Agentic AI and autonomous cyber threats. Cloudflare’s data shows a terrifying escalation in brute force, with the Aisuru botnet hitting peak attack rates of 31.4 terabits per second, a scale that legacy infrastructure simply cannot survive.We discuss:<ul><li>The Broken Contract: How AI crawlers are creating a "referral deficit" by scraping answers without providing clicks, forcing creators toward "pay-per-crawl" licensing models.</li><li>The Machine Web: Why 31% of all internet traffic is now bot-originated, and how we are moving from "AI as a tool" to "AI as a teammate" (Agentic AI).</li><li>The Aisuru Escalation: The massive leap in cyber attack volume from 7.9 Tbps to 31.4 Tbps in just months, and why most providers fail past the 20 Tbps mark.</li><li>Malaysia’s Vulnerability: Why "People in Society" (individuals) have become the #1 cyber target in Malaysia, surpassing banks and government agencies.</li><li>Autonomous Defense: The shift toward "AI vs. AI" warfare, where autonomous defense systems are the only way to counter agentic attacks.</li><li>The Quantum Leap: The silent positive trend of Post-Quantum Encryption, which has jumped from 30% to 52% adoption on Cloudflare’s network.</li></ul>

Are Malaysian MSMEs Ready For Visit Malaysia 2026?

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