Volatility, AI, and uncertainty are no longer future risks. They are the conditions businesses are operating in right now.


Today, we examine what IBM’s 2026 Business and Technology Trends reveal about how organisations are responding to constant disruption. From decision-making at speed and real-time operations, to the shifting role of employees, AI transparency, and the growing importance of control and trust, this conversation looks past hype and into the choices that will shape competitiveness.


Dickson Woo, Country General Manager and Technology Leader at IBM Malaysia, talks about where leaders are focusing today, what may be underestimated, and which decisions will ultimately separate those who keep up from those who fall behind.

Volatility, AI, and uncertainty are no longer future risks. They are the conditions businesses are operating in right now. Today, we examine what IBM’s 2026 Business and Technology Trends reveal about how organisations are responding to constant disruption. From decision-making at speed and real-time operations, to the shifting role of employees, AI transparency, and the growing importance of control and trust, this conversation looks past hype and into the choices that will shape competitiveness. Dickson Woo, Country General Manager and Technology Leader at IBM Malaysia, talks about where leaders are focusing today, what may be underestimated, and which decisions will ultimately separate those who keep up from those who fall behind.

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

Competing in Uncertainty: Decisions That Matter

Following President Trump’s "Liberation Day" announcement threatening ASEAN with up to 49% tariffs, IDEAS argues that the member states of the 600-million-strong bloc panicked. Vietnam and Cambodia rushed to cut deals immediately, and Malaysia eventually followed suit with the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), albeit after initial attempts to rally the region failed.

We sit down with Dr. Stewart Nixon, author of the report "Divided We Fall," to dissect why ASEAN chose self-preservation over solidarity and the potentially dangerous concessions buried in the fine print.



We discuss:




The "Panic" Discount: How Vietnam and Thailand’s rush to Washington sparked a regional "arms race" of concessions, handing leverage directly to Trump.


Section 5 & Sovereignty: The controversial clause in Malaysia's deal that links trade policy to US national security, effectively forcing Malaysia to police US interests against China within its own borders.


The "Transshipment" Trap: Why vague definitions of "circumvention" in the new deal create a compliance nightmare for manufacturers planning their supply chains.


Convenor vs. Captain: Why the ASEAN Chair failed to rally the troops, in stark contrast to the EU’s unified stand against Washington.


The Illusion of Safety: Dr. Nixon argues that buying "certainty" from Trump is a myth, citing how the USMCA did not protect Canada or Mexico from future tariff threats.

Following President Trump’s "Liberation Day" announcement threatening ASEAN with up to 49% tariffs, IDEAS argues that the member states of the 600-million-strong bloc panicked. Vietnam and Cambodia rushed to cut deals immediately, and Malaysia eventually followed suit with the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), albeit after initial attempts to rally the region failed.We sit down with Dr. Stewart Nixon, author of the report "Divided We Fall," to dissect why ASEAN chose self-preservation over solidarity and the potentially dangerous concessions buried in the fine print.We discuss:<ul><li>The "Panic" Discount: How Vietnam and Thailand’s rush to Washington sparked a regional "arms race" of concessions, handing leverage directly to Trump.</li><li>Section 5 &amp; Sovereignty: The controversial clause in Malaysia's deal that links trade policy to US national security, effectively forcing Malaysia to police US interests against China within its own borders.</li><li>The "Transshipment" Trap: Why vague definitions of "circumvention" in the new deal create a compliance nightmare for manufacturers planning their supply chains.</li><li>Convenor vs. Captain: Why the ASEAN Chair failed to rally the troops, in stark contrast to the EU’s unified stand against Washington.</li><li>The Illusion of Safety: Dr. Nixon argues that buying "certainty" from Trump is a myth, citing how the USMCA did not protect Canada or Mexico from future tariff threats.</li></ul>

Divided We Fall? ASEAN Vs Trump Tariffs

The Ministry of Education’s Education Blueprint 2026-2035 has officially landed with a clear, mandatory mandate: a Grade C floor for English, BM, Mathematics, and History. But as we enter a decade defined by generative AI and automation, is a static grade on a paper certificate still a valid currency for the Malaysian workforce? Or is the national curriculum benchmarking for a world that no longer exists?



We sit down with Edmond Yap, co-founder of Tupai, to deconstruct ‘The Grade C Trap’.

The Ministry of Education’s Education Blueprint 2026-2035 has officially landed with a clear, mandatory mandate: a Grade C floor for English, BM, Mathematics, and History. But as we enter a decade defined by generative AI and automation, is a static grade on a paper certificate still a valid currency for the Malaysian workforce? Or is the national curriculum benchmarking for a world that no longer exists?We sit down with Edmond Yap, co-founder of Tupai, to deconstruct ‘The Grade C Trap’.

The Grade C Trap: Is Malaysia Benchmarking For The Past?

Innovation is risky for banks, and traction is expensive for startups. Launched in May 2025, the PayNet Fintech Hub aims to solve this deadlock by acting as the "bridge" between Corporate Malaysia and innovation.

BFM speaks with Gary Yeoh (PayNet) and Joshua Lim (Buzz) to explore how this ecosystem works. We dive into the success story of Buzz, a startup that pivoted from green-tech to a B2B financial media network, utilising PayNet's resources to secure a pilot with TNG Digital.



We discuss:




The "Bridge" Strategy: How PayNet reduces the risk for incumbents (like banks and e-wallets) to experiment with startups by vetting them and absorbing trial costs via PayNet Credits.


The Buzz Pivot: Joshua shares the grueling journey of pivoting from a B2C recycling business to a B2B fintech solution, utilising the hub's resources to upgrade their API infrastructure.


The "Grocery" Pilot: A deep dive into the Buzz x TNG Digital partnership, a cashback program where users upload offline grocery receipts to the TNG e-wallet for instant rewards.


The 2026 Roadmap: Gary outlines the vision for a "B2B App Store" where banks can seamlessly "pull" verified fintech solutions (loyalty, analytics, engagement) directly from a trusted PayNet platform.

The Opportunity Wall: How corporates can now post problem statements for the fintech community to solve.

Innovation is risky for banks, and traction is expensive for startups. Launched in May 2025, the PayNet Fintech Hub aims to solve this deadlock by acting as the "bridge" between Corporate Malaysia and innovation.BFM speaks with Gary Yeoh (PayNet) and Joshua Lim (Buzz) to explore how this ecosystem works. We dive into the success story of Buzz, a startup that pivoted from green-tech to a B2B financial media network, utilising PayNet's resources to secure a pilot with TNG Digital.We discuss:<ul><li>The "Bridge" Strategy: How PayNet reduces the risk for incumbents (like banks and e-wallets) to experiment with startups by vetting them and absorbing trial costs via PayNet Credits.</li><li>The Buzz Pivot: Joshua shares the grueling journey of pivoting from a B2C recycling business to a B2B fintech solution, utilising the hub's resources to upgrade their API infrastructure.</li><li>The "Grocery" Pilot: A deep dive into the Buzz x TNG Digital partnership, a cashback program where users upload offline grocery receipts to the TNG e-wallet for instant rewards.</li><li>The 2026 Roadmap: Gary outlines the vision for a "B2B App Store" where banks can seamlessly "pull" verified fintech solutions (loyalty, analytics, engagement) directly from a trusted PayNet platform.</li></ul>The Opportunity Wall: How corporates can now post problem statements for the fintech community to solve.

Competing in Uncertainty: Decisions That Matter

In 1 playlist(s)

Enterprise Explores

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips