Southeast Asia’s regional E-commerce GMV has hit USD$157 billion, but the market has reached a point where three platforms control most of it. Weihan Chen of Momentum Works joins the show to reveal why the record numbers hide a "growth without equilibrium".

Tune In To Find Out:


The AI Myth: Why artificial intelligence is reinforcing platform monopolies rather than democratising the marketplace for small-scale sellers.


The Take-Rate Gap: Why "official" 13.5% platform fees don’t reflect other costs that push the real burden on brands above 30%.


Moats vs. Commodities: Why physical delivery is now just a baseline requirement and the specific strategic value of "Orchestration" in the quick commerce war.


Content as the Storefront: How video and live streaming transitioned from marketing tools to core sales channels, now accounting for 32% of total GMV.


Renting vs. Owning: The defensive necessity of the Brand.com strategy and why established brands must stop "renting" customers from platforms that can change algorithms overnight.

Southeast Asia’s regional E-commerce GMV has hit&nbsp;USD$157 billion, but the market has reached a point where three platforms control most of it. Weihan Chen of Momentum Works joins the show to reveal why the record numbers hide a "growth without equilibrium".Tune In To Find Out:<ul><li>The AI Myth: Why artificial intelligence is reinforcing platform monopolies rather than democratising the marketplace for small-scale sellers.</li><li>The Take-Rate Gap: Why "official" 13.5% platform fees don’t reflect other costs that push the real burden on brands above 30%.</li><li>Moats vs. Commodities: Why physical delivery is now just a baseline requirement and the specific strategic value of "Orchestration" in the quick commerce war.</li><li>Content as the Storefront: How video and live streaming transitioned from marketing tools to core sales channels, now accounting for 32% of total GMV.</li><li>Renting vs. Owning: The defensive necessity of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://Brand.com">Brand.com</a> strategy and why established brands must stop "renting" customers from platforms that can change algorithms overnight.</li></ul>

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

SEA’s $157B E-commerce Market: Unequal Growth?

Half the world's top CEOs say their jobs depend on getting AI right. What separates the leaders pulling ahead from those quietly falling behind?

IBM Malaysia's Dickson Woo joins us to discuss IBM's 2026 CEO Study and what it means for businesses here in Malaysia.

Discussion Points:


The Delegation Trap: Over-relying on AI for decisions threatens leadership quality, and humans must always make the final decisions.


The Chief AI Officer: 73% of organisations expect to have one this year, yet simply creating the role isn't enough.


Size Doesn't Have to Matter: SMEs can compete with multinationals by leveraging cloud and pay-per-use models to leverage AI.

Half the world's top CEOs say their jobs depend on getting AI right. What separates the leaders pulling ahead from those quietly falling behind?IBM Malaysia's Dickson Woo joins us to discuss IBM's 2026 CEO Study and what it means for businesses here in Malaysia.Discussion Points:<ul><li>The Delegation Trap: Over-relying on AI for decisions threatens leadership quality, and humans must always make the final decisions.</li><li>The Chief AI Officer: 73% of organisations expect to have one this year, yet simply creating the role isn't enough.</li><li>Size Doesn't Have to Matter: SMEs can compete with multinationals by leveraging cloud and pay-per-use models to leverage AI.</li></ul>

What CEOs Are Doing with AI in 2026

Instead of tweaking tax rates, why not simplify? While LHDN's recent record-breaking tax revenue for 2025 is a win for public finances, it inevitably raises critical questions about national fiscal strategy.

Dr. Veerinderjeet Singh, Senior Advisor on Tax Policy at KPMG Malaysia, and Dr. Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center for Market Education, joins Enterprise Explores to dissect the state of Malaysia's fiscal architecture.

We examine why a highly compressed local wage structure limits direct household taxation, the systemic complexities of navigating the current multi-rate Sales Tax and Service Tax (SST) framework, and the operational compliance friction facing businesses.

The panel unpacks radical proposals for structural tax simplification: from tying corporate tax liabilities directly to audited financial statements to introducing flat-rate personal reliefs and enacting presumptive turnover taxes to formalise the shadow economy.

Finally, we look at why reaching a sustainable 15% tax-to-GDP ratio depends heavily on fixing public sector leakages, cutting government-linked intervention, and restoring taxpayer trust.

Instead of tweaking tax rates, why not simplify? While LHDN's recent record-breaking tax revenue for 2025 is a win for public finances, it inevitably raises critical questions about national fiscal strategy.Dr. Veerinderjeet Singh, Senior Advisor on Tax Policy at KPMG Malaysia, and Dr. Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center for Market Education, joins Enterprise Explores to dissect the state of Malaysia's fiscal architecture.We examine why a highly compressed local wage structure limits direct household taxation, the systemic complexities of navigating the current multi-rate Sales Tax and Service Tax (SST) framework, and the operational compliance friction facing businesses.The panel unpacks radical proposals for structural tax simplification: from tying corporate tax liabilities directly to audited financial statements to introducing flat-rate personal reliefs and enacting presumptive turnover taxes to formalise the shadow economy.Finally, we look at why reaching a sustainable 15% tax-to-GDP ratio depends heavily on fixing public sector leakages, cutting government-linked intervention, and restoring taxpayer trust.

Should We Tax Revenue Instead of Profit?

The 2026 World Cup is officially here, but for Malaysian food and beverage operators, the celebration comes with an operational headache: awkward kickoff times scheduled for 3:00 a.m., 6:00 a.m., and 9:00 a.m. local time. Compounding the problem, this commercial milestone arrives just as the sector battles a brutal stretch of rising operating costs, war-induced inflation, talent shortages, and shrinking consumer wallets.

Brian Choo from the Soul Society Group and Jeremy Lim from the Bistro Association of Malaysia (and founder of Blackbyrd KL) join Enterprise Explores to break down what the World Cup actually means for Malaysian F&B operators.

We also discuss the "delusional insanity" required to navigate the industry's steep churn rate and unpack their aggressive tactical pivots, from transforming alcohol-led bistros into 6:00 a.m. hotel-style breakfast buffet spots to combatting free home-streaming options.

Also discussed:


The Discord Threat & The Demographic Cliff: How younger "digital native" consumers have traded face-to-face bistro gatherings for home streaming and virtual hangouts, and why F&B brands face a financial cliff as their core millennial customer base ages out.


Selling Experiences, Not Just Screens: Why simply showing a live match on a television is no longer enough to attract customers, requiring score-prediction games, physical activities, and interactive social elements.


Discipline Over Passion: A look at why long-term survival in the brutal F&B landscape requires rigid personal routines, strict operational frameworks, and business acumen over mere culinary creativity.

The 2026 World Cup is officially here, but for Malaysian food and beverage operators, the celebration comes with an operational headache: awkward kickoff times scheduled for 3:00 a.m., 6:00 a.m., and 9:00 a.m. local time. Compounding the problem, this commercial milestone arrives just as the sector battles a brutal stretch of rising operating costs, war-induced inflation, talent shortages, and shrinking consumer wallets.Brian Choo from the Soul Society Group and Jeremy Lim from the Bistro Association of Malaysia (and founder of Blackbyrd KL) join Enterprise Explores to break down what the World Cup actually means for Malaysian F&amp;B operators.We also discuss the "delusional insanity" required to navigate the industry's steep churn rate and unpack their aggressive tactical pivots, from transforming alcohol-led bistros into 6:00 a.m. hotel-style breakfast buffet spots to combatting free home-streaming options.Also discussed:<ul><li>The Discord Threat &amp; The Demographic Cliff: How younger "digital native" consumers have traded face-to-face bistro gatherings for home streaming and virtual hangouts, and why F&amp;B brands face a financial cliff as their core millennial customer base ages out.</li><li>Selling Experiences, Not Just Screens: Why simply showing a live match on a television is no longer enough to attract customers, requiring score-prediction games, physical activities, and interactive social elements.</li><li>Discipline Over Passion: A look at why long-term survival in the brutal F&amp;B landscape requires rigid personal routines, strict operational frameworks, and business acumen over mere culinary creativity.</li></ul>

SEA’s $157B E-commerce Market: Unequal Growth?

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