The stage is set for Malaysia in 2025, as it assumes the chairmanship of Asean as well as being admitted to the BRICS grouping as a partner country. This year also sees divisions being drawn between the US with a new president and its long-term rival China. Dr Prashanth Parameswaran, founder of the ASEAN Wonk newsletter and a fellow at the Wilson Centre in Washington DC shares his views on what we can look forward to this year.



Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

The stage is set for Malaysia in 2025, as it assumes the chairmanship of Asean as well as being admitted to the BRICS grouping as a partner country. This year also sees divisions being drawn between the US with a new president and its long-term rival China. Dr Prashanth Parameswaran, founder of the ASEAN Wonk newsletter and a fellow at the Wilson Centre in Washington DC shares his views on what we can look forward&nbsp;to&nbsp;this&nbsp;year.Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

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The Breakfast Grille

Featuring the cream-of-the-crop as well as the controversial, the Breakfast Grille is the flagship show of BFM. Expect no-holds-barred interviews to get to the truth and into the minds of business leaders, policymakers and changemakers.

Malaysia's Year Ahead In Geopolitics

IKEA has been part of the Malaysian retail landscape for 30 years and as consumers become more cost-conscious and e-commerce reshapes retail, it is evolving beyond its traditional megastore model. Malcolm Pruys, Country Retail Director of IKEA Malaysia discusses affordability, omnichannel retail and expansion for the IKEA experience in Malaysia.

IKEA has been part of the Malaysian retail landscape for 30 years and as consumers become more cost-conscious and e-commerce reshapes retail, it is evolving beyond its traditional megastore model. Malcolm Pruys, Country Retail Director of IKEA Malaysia discusses affordability, omnichannel retail and expansion for the IKEA experience in Malaysia.

IKEA: Balancing Affordability, Sustainability & Growth

UCSI University, which in 2024 found itself at its highest position in the QS World University Rankings since its inception, slipped slightly in the 2025 list. Datuk Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir, the university's Vice-Chancellor, discusses whether UCSI University can sustain its position as competition intensifies and weighing in on Malaysia’s higher education system.

UCSI University, which in 2024 found itself at its highest position in the QS World University Rankings since its inception, slipped slightly in the 2025 list. Datuk Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir, the university's Vice-Chancellor, discusses whether UCSI University can sustain its position as competition intensifies and weighing in on Malaysia’s higher education system.

UCSI University: Competition in the Higher Education Space

Telco tower veteran Suresh Sidhu launched EdgePoint Infrastructure in 2020, scaling the regional venture to over 16,000 sites across Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with backing from DigitalBridge, and then later the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

However the infrastructure model now faces a more complex reality: carrier consolidation and a higher for longer interest rate environment that creates a more challenging environment, in particular for a PE-backed player. Can ASEAN’s underlying tide of data demand outrun these mounting structural pressures?

Suresh Sidhu joins the show to discuss navigating private equity expectations in a high-rate climate, the shifting economics of a consolidated customer base, and the new growth engines driving the TowerCo model.

Telco tower veteran Suresh Sidhu launched EdgePoint Infrastructure in 2020, scaling the regional venture to over 16,000 sites across Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with backing from DigitalBridge, and then later the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.However the infrastructure model now faces a more complex reality: carrier consolidation and a higher for longer interest rate environment that creates a more challenging environment, in particular for a PE-backed player. Can ASEAN’s underlying tide of data demand outrun these mounting structural pressures?Suresh Sidhu joins the show to discuss navigating private equity expectations in a high-rate climate, the shifting economics of a consolidated customer base, and the new growth engines driving the TowerCo model.

Malaysia's Year Ahead In Geopolitics

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