Maybank is the market leader in Islamic banking by assets. Dato' Rafique Merican, CEO of Maybank Islamic, discusses the impact of the emergency on Malaysia, what it takes to grow Islamic deposits, the hurdles to clear to expand the Sukuk market, as well as views about fintech companies.



Image Credit: SL Chen / Shutterstock.com

Maybank is the market leader in Islamic banking by assets. Dato' Rafique Merican, CEO of Maybank Islamic, discusses the impact of the emergency on Malaysia, what it takes to grow Islamic deposits, the hurdles to clear to expand the Sukuk market, as well as views about fintech companies.

Image Credit: SL Chen / 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.

Growing The Appeal Of Islamic Finance

After three decades in Malaysia’s satellite industry, MEASAT is navigating a market transformed by Starlink, streaming and rapidly changing connectivity needs. COO Yau Chyong Lim discusses the economics of billion-ringgit satellite investments, the push into managed services, AI, IoT and telehealth, and why Malaysia still needs sovereign satellite capability. Can MEASAT move beyond its traditional satellite business and build a meaningful regional SpaceTech platform?

After three decades in Malaysia’s satellite industry, MEASAT is navigating a market transformed by Starlink, streaming and rapidly changing connectivity needs. COO Yau Chyong Lim discusses the economics of billion-ringgit satellite investments, the push into managed services, AI, IoT and telehealth, and why Malaysia still needs sovereign satellite capability. Can MEASAT move beyond its traditional satellite business and build a meaningful regional SpaceTech platform?

Can MEASAT Reinvent Itself for the SpaceTech Era?

Following its $26 million Series C round and hitting net profitability, how is insurtech PolicyStreet planning its next phase of expansion? Lee Yen Ming, Co-founder and Group CEO of PolicyStreet, joins BFM’s Breakfast Grille to discuss how the firm built a business model alongside legacy insurers, pivoting from its direct-to-consumer roots into embedded B2B2C distribution and offshore Labuan reinsurance co-underwriting.

Yen Ming breaks down the economics of their higher-margin reinsurance strategy, their renewed push into consumer brand building, and how they deploy AI automation in operational workflows. He also addresses the long-term potential of Bank Negara’s Digital Insurer and Takaful Operator (DITO) framework, and considerations for an eventual liquidity event for investors.

Following its $26 million Series C round and hitting net profitability, how is insurtech PolicyStreet planning its next phase of expansion? Lee Yen Ming, Co-founder and Group CEO of PolicyStreet, joins BFM’s Breakfast Grille to discuss how the firm built a business model alongside legacy insurers, pivoting from its direct-to-consumer roots into embedded B2B2C distribution and offshore Labuan reinsurance co-underwriting.Yen Ming breaks down the economics of their higher-margin reinsurance strategy, their renewed push into consumer brand building, and how they deploy AI automation in operational workflows. He also addresses the long-term potential of Bank Negara’s Digital Insurer and Takaful Operator (DITO) framework, and considerations for an eventual liquidity event for investors.

PolicyStreet's $26M Series C, Profitability, & Next Phase

GDP figures across AI-focused Asian hubs look strong, but they mask a broader economic weakness as weak domestic demand, escalating energy costs, new US tariffs, and high interest rates weigh on the non-AI economy. Stefan Angrick, Head of Asia-Pacific Economics at Moody’s Analytics, joins BFM’s Breakfast Grille to break down the depth of the two-speed economy in manufacturing hubs like Malaysia and why he believes Asia’s AI boom is ripe for a pause.

Stefan also explores why tariffs are here to stay and whether central bank policies themselves risk amplifying global supply shocks.

GDP figures across AI-focused Asian hubs look strong, but they mask a broader economic weakness as weak domestic demand, escalating energy costs, new US tariffs, and high interest rates weigh on the non-AI economy. Stefan Angrick, Head of Asia-Pacific Economics at Moody’s Analytics, joins BFM’s Breakfast Grille to break down the depth of the two-speed economy in manufacturing hubs like Malaysia and why he believes Asia’s AI boom is ripe for a pause.Stefan also explores why tariffs are here to stay and whether central bank policies themselves risk amplifying global supply shocks.

Growing The Appeal Of Islamic Finance

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