IDA 21, Can USD100bn Be Raised?

The World Bank has an International Development Association that provides grants and low-interest loans for the 78 poorest countries in the world. The fund which is replenished every 3 years has a target of USD100 billion this year. We ask Clemence Landers, Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for Gl…

Reshaping Labour And Education For The A.I. Age

TalentCorp revealed this week that around 620,000 jobs are at risk of convergence or displacement if workers do not reskill in line with trends in A.I. and the green economy. How should A.I. literacy be incorporated into education to meet the demands of the new economy? We discuss this with Dr. Che…

Malaysia Stands Out In SEA's IPO Market

Deloitte revealed that the initial public offering or IPO market in Southeast Asia has been rather lacklustre in 2024, with only 122 listings raising USD 3 billion, a value that is the lowest in nine years. Malaysia however was the stand out with the most number and highest value of IPOs this ye…

Changing Of The Guard At G20 Summit?

This year's G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was not without its share of drama, with contentions over the joint communique, jostling for Chinese President Xi Jinping's attention while US President Joe Biden delivers his swan song. What do the changing geopolitical dynamics mean for the effecti…

Changes In Pharma Procurement Contracting Not Enough

Following the announcement by the Health Minister that the government will no longer award pharmaceutical procurement contracts to just one company, we speak to Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO, Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy whether this will be the much needed panacea to our sustained supply of af…

Singapore Property Cooling Except For Industrial Space

Singapore’s private home prices fell for the first time in five quarters in the July to September period as the private home price index fell 1.1%. Meanwhile, the latest URA data has shown that the office rental index (Central Region) registered a 0.5% quarter-on-quarter decline as vacancy spiked b…

Time For Subsidy Rationalisation

The issue of abolishing subsidies for packet cooking oil has been discussed numerous times at the cabinet level with no firm decision on this matter despite it costing the government more than RM800mn. We ask Prof. Dr. Mohd Nazari bin Ismail, Honorary Professor, Department of Management & Marketing…

Biden Approves Long-Range Missiles In Ukraine War

In the final weeks of his term, US President Joe Biden has given the greenlight for Ukraine to use American-made long-range missiles on Russian targets. How will this impact the trajectory of the war in Ukraine and will a Trump presidency change the dynamics? We discuss the latest developments with…

Shifting Tides Of US Industry Policy And Its Impact On Malaysia's Semiconductor Industry

Incoming President Donald Trump has been vocal with his intentions to impose 60% tarrifs on Chinese imports and duties of 20% on all other imports. What impact will this have on Malaysia's Semiconductor industry? We discuss this with Dato’ Seri Wong Siew Hai, President of the Malaysia Semiconducto…

Questions Over Athletes' Code Of Conduct

The government is mulling a proposal to introduce a code of conduct for athletes, especially regarding social media use to enforce better discipline and balance between training and personal lives. Would this be an effective solution? We discuss the challenges of implementation and broader issues o…