SMEs, the economic life bloods of Malaysia, were arguably the biggest victims of the pandemic. But funding their revival has to be balanced with a new focus on fiscal prudence even while the entire DFI -- Development Financial Institution -- sector is overdue much-needed consolidation.



Aria Putera Ismail, the CEO of SME Bank, discusses.



Image credit: SME Bank

SMEs, the economic life bloods of Malaysia, were arguably the biggest victims of the pandemic. But funding their revival has to be balanced with a new focus on fiscal prudence even while the entire DFI -- Development Financial Institution -- sector is overdue much-needed consolidation.

Aria Putera Ismail, the CEO of SME Bank, discusses.

Image credit: SME Bank

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The Breakfast Grille

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Prudence Balances SME Pandemic Recovery

Malaysia's durian industry has gone from struggling to meet demand to dealing with a glut but at the very heart of it, it is very much a part of Malaysia. Datuk Anna Teo, founder and Group CEO of Hernan Corporation, a durian grower, processor and exporter, discusses falling prices, rising costs, and whether Malaysia can build a truly world-class durian industry.

Malaysia's durian industry has gone from struggling to meet demand to dealing with a glut but at the very heart of it, it is very much a part of Malaysia. Datuk Anna Teo, founder and Group CEO of Hernan Corporation, a durian grower, processor and exporter, discusses falling prices, rising costs, and whether Malaysia can build a truly world-class durian industry.

Hernan : Uniting Malaysians (and the World) With Durian

Pos Malaysia hasn't turned a profit since 2018 — 32 straight quarters in the red and close to a billion ringgit in accumulated losses. But the first half of 2026 hinted at a shift: losses narrowed to RM63 million, revenue grew 8%, and cash flow turned positive for the first time in years. Group CEO Charles Brewer joins us to explain the pivot from mail to parcels, the push into pawnbroking and digital gold, and whether the national postal operator is genuinely turning the corner — or just had a good six months.

Pos Malaysia hasn't turned a profit since 2018 — 32 straight quarters in the red and close to a billion ringgit in accumulated losses. But the first half of 2026 hinted at a shift: losses narrowed to RM63 million, revenue grew 8%, and cash flow turned positive for the first time in years. Group CEO Charles Brewer joins us to explain the pivot from mail to parcels, the push into pawnbroking and digital gold, and whether the national postal operator is genuinely turning the corner — or just had a good six months.

Pos Malaysia: A Turnaround, Or A Good Six Months?

Malaysia's development financial institutions are carrying RM193.9 billion in financing across 1.8 million accounts — and until now, nobody has formally measured whether that money actually did anything. Bank Negara's new framework changes that, testing DFIs on whether their financing would have happened anyway without them. We put the hard numbers to the man who chairs them: impaired loans running double digits at some members, the payroll-deduction personal loan books, and the RM203.8 million fraud at Agrobank that still hasn't been explained to the public. We speak to YBhg Dato' Muzaffar Hisham, Chairman of ADFIM and Group CEO of Bank Pembangunan Malaysia.

Malaysia's development financial institutions are carrying RM193.9 billion in financing across 1.8 million accounts — and until now, nobody has formally measured whether that money actually did anything. Bank Negara's new framework changes that, testing DFIs on whether their financing would have happened anyway without them. We put the hard numbers to the man who chairs them: impaired loans running double digits at some members, the payroll-deduction personal loan books, and the RM203.8 million fraud at Agrobank that still hasn't been explained to the public. We speak to YBhg Dato' Muzaffar Hisham, Chairman of ADFIM and Group CEO of Bank Pembangunan Malaysia.

Prudence Balances SME Pandemic Recovery

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