The Breakfast Grille

The rise of Bitcoin, and the talk around Libra - Facebook’s fiat-backed stablecoin - have woken up central bankers to the disruptive potential of digital currencies, and its implications to the financial system as we know it. Roshan Kanesan speaks with Antonio Fatas, Professor of Economics at INSEAD, for his thoughts on the future of money, the role of central banks, dependence on the US Dollar, and the viability of a global unified currency. Image Credit: Pixieme/Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Paola Subacchi, economist and author of her new book "The Cost Of Free Money: How Unfettered Capital Threatens Our Economic Future" discusses the possibility of another global financial crisis if the Federal Reserve does not start co-ordinating its policies with other central banks, and if the US continues on its path of not providing any leadership in multi-lateral co-operation.  Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Paola Subacchi, economist and author of her new book "The Cost Of Free Money: How Unfettered Capital Threatens Our Economic Future" discusses the possibility of another global financial crisis if the Federal Reserve does not start co-ordinating its policies with other central banks, and if the US continues on its path of not providing any leadership in multi-lateral co-operation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli is the new CEO of InvestKL, ascending to the role in an unprecedented era of Covid distress and regional competition. How will KL fare in this beauty contest?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the US counts down to its November presidential elections, we take stock of President Trump’s foreign policy direction and his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic with US Ambassador Kamala Lakhdir. What is the US’ end game in its increasingly antagonistic relations with China? How committed is the Trump administration to global cooperation in dealing with the ongoing health and economic crisis? We discuss this and more with the US envoy to Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melvin Ooi left as Head of Alipay in Singapore to join BonusLink Card last year as CEO. We discuss how he's repositioning the company, a pioneer in loyalty rewards, to make it relevant among millennials and whether there are plans to become part of a digital bank license application and its likely partners, or whether it plans to dispose its business, merge with or take up stakes in E-wallets.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thomas Knudsen, CEO of Toll Group, the Australian-based logistics firm owned by Japan Post, has been hired to turn around a business that was already ravaged by losses, high debts and cybercrime before Covid-19. Here is his situation report as to the status of the business currently.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent government stimulus packages have thrown a lifeline to a car industry hit hard by the implementation of the Movement Control Order in March. While Total Industry Volumes seem to have recovered since the disastrous 141 total vehilce units sold in April, it's still a long road ahead for many automotive players. So to help us get a sense of what's in store for Bermaz Auto in particular, we speak to its CEO, Dato' Francis Lee, about the impact of government stimulus, their cashflow, and their aims for the future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Education Malaysia Global Services is a one stop shop created by the government to accelerate the goal of 250,000 foreign students by 2025. But with Covid 19 and no new student visas being issued, is that target realistic? Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin, the newly appointed CEO tells us how he intends to overcome the challenges, his plans for promoting Malaysia as an education center and why was he appointed despite not coming from a related fieldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DBE Gurney is now Lagenda Properties, and the firm has moved from poultry being its primary business to property. Roshan speaks to Dato’ Doh Jee Ming about the story and the rationale behind this, as well as their outlook for the year, optimism around affordable housing, and injection of assets into the business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global usage of semiconductors is set to increase with increased automation and the onset of the internet of things. But with Covid 19, global supply chains have been disrupted while work was curtailed. So we speak to Chew Ne Weng, Managing Director of QES Group a testing company to find out if despite the challenges there will be growth especially after the weak 2019 earnings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sabah is in the limelight in a big way. Its state assembly has been dissolved- a move disputed by opposition politicians- even while it remains among the most impoverished and hardest-hit by Covid-19. Add its proximity to the South China Sea, a key beachhead for the mounting US-China standoff, and the possibility that its (caretaker) chief minister could be the next Prime Minister, and the plot really thickens. The man of the hour? Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Founder of Parti Warisan Sabah and caretaker Chief Minister of Sabah, who discusses these issues and more. Transcription: [ PDF ]  [Microsoft Word Doc ] [ Txt ]See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Star journalist to financial analyst to fund manager, Dato' Seri Cheah Cheng Hye’s career has led him all the way from the Asian Wall Street Journal to co-founding what is now an asset management company with $12 billion in assets under management. We speak to him about how his company, Value Partners, is positioning itself in the wake of a pandemic, and what growth opportunities he sees in China.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The young may be an important part of the country's future, but jobs, housing and social mobility data shows that Malaysia is doing little for its young, potentially harming its prospects.Listen in as UMNO Deputy Youth chief Shahril Hamdan and Tharma Pillai, Co-Founder, Undi18, discuss how and why this happened and more. Image credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With 25 years of experience in specialist eye care services, Optimax Holdings is now planning to list on the ACE Market, in a bid to raise RM21 million to fund their expansion. We speak to Sandy Tan, CEO of Optimax Holdings, to find out more about their expansion drive, as well as to talk about the choice to list at this point in their corporate life, and how they plan to deal with competition within the industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

E-commerce transactions for essentials picked up significantly during the MCO. Leo Chow, CEO of Lazada Malaysia and former executive from Taobao discusses plans to maintain Lazada's lead as the biggest e-commerce platform operator ahead of Shopee.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New York Review of Books is one of the foremost intellectual publications in the US. This morning on the Breakfast Grille, we speak to its former editor, Ian Buruma, about his time editing the publication, as well as his long-term observations of the politics in East Asia. Image source: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Esports has become a billion dollar industry. It reportedly generated US$1 billion in revenue for the first time last year, and although COVID-19 presents a stumbling block for 2020, the industry as a whole is expected to continue growing in the longer term. Roshan speaks to Tommy and Kevin to get their views on the state of the industry, the need of a governing body, their views on Dynasty Esports, and whether Malaysia can be an esports hub in the region. Photo Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite a gloomy long-term outlook for the oil and gas industry, Ocean Vantage Holdings saw a strong debut on the ACE market. It was oversubscribed almost 16 times, and jumped from its issue price of 26 sen to close at 53 sen on IPO day, but is this optimism justified? Roshan gets into this with Stephen Yau, as well as their earnings outlook, expansion plans, plans for the IPO proceed, navigating the cut to Petronas spending, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Medical and healthcare stocks have gotten a lot of attention recently, and few can boast the stock returns that medical bed manufacturer LKL International has seen this year. The stock is up 6 times since end-March, on the back of a boom in revenue due to COVID-19, but is this sustainable?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian equity market has recovered from March low's while the broader economy has weakened with rising unemployment and weaker consumption. So why the disconnect? To find out, we speak to Patrick Chang, CIO for Asean Equities, Principal Asset Management & Alexander Chia, Head of Regional Equity Research, RHB Investment Bank. We also take a hard look if there are still gems to be found or has all the easy money been made?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian equity market has recovered from March low's while the broader economy has weakened with rising unemployment and weaker consumption. So why the disconnect? To find out, we speak to Patrick Chang, CIO for Asean Equities, Principal Asset Management & Alexander Chia, Head of Regional Equity Research, RHB Investment Bank. We also take a hard look if there are still gems to be found or has all the easy money been made?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysian car sales have plunged, possibly to 15-year lows, but recent govt stimulus measures and the end of lockdown may have reversed the course, including for luxury cars, according to Nalin Jain, Managing Director of Volvo Cars Malaysia, who also discusses the country's auto policy, reports of a merger with its parent, Geely and global outlook for autonomous cars. Source: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysian car sales have plunged, possibly to 15-year lows, but recent govt stimulus measures and the end of lockdown may have reversed the course, including for luxury cars, according to Nalin Jain, Managing Director of Volvo Cars Malaysia, who also discusses the country's auto policy, reports of a merger with its parent, Geely and global outlook for autonomous cars. Source: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After decades of maintaining a National Poverty Line that many criticised was misrepresentative of the true scale of poverty in the country, Malaysia recently made the decision to revise the line to RM2,208. Philip Alston, a vocal critic of the previous line, commends this as a step forward, but is it enough?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Daniel Susskind, Fellow in Economics at Balliol College, Oxford University and author of A World Without Work paints a picture of Big State and less power for Big Tech when machines take over more jobs. Image Source: FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFPSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Digital payments have picked up steam over the last few years and look to be the way forward, but for most countries it’s a very fragmented market for customers, but also businesses and merchants. Dutch unicorn Adyen, says that they’re the solution, and can better unify the payments space. Roshan speaks to their Asia-Pacific President, Warren Hayashi, about their recent entry into the Malaysian market, the impact of COVID-19 on payments, their 47% EDITDA margin and business model, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2019 was a blockbuster year for movies, 2020 has been a far cry from it. The biggest grossing movie this year was Bad Boys For Life which made around $420 million , 2019’s biggest movie was Avengers: Endgame which raked in $2.8 billion worldwide, almost double 2020’s top 10 movies combined. However, this is not a surprise considering that economic shutdowns coincided with the peak time for movie releases in the calendar year, but given the uncertainty going forward, are cinemas ready and able to deal with the new normal?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Airlines around the world have been hit hard by Covid-19 and the subsequent evaporation of global travel demand. In the wake of bankruptcies like Flybe and Virgin Australia, we speak to Philip See, CEO of Firefly, to get a picture of domestic demand for air travel, and the gauge whether the lossmaking company can survive the global pandemic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With loan moratoriums set to expire at the end of September, Malaysia’s six-month debt holiday will soon be over. Which means both people and companies will have to address their financial obligations sooner, not later. KC Wong, CEO of Credit Bureau Malaysia and President of the Association of Credit Reporting Agencies (ACRA), explains.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As one of the two rating agencies in Malaysia, Malaysian Rating Corporation (MARC) has an even greater role to play as the risk of companies defaulting are higher in these challenging times. We speak to Datuk Jamaludin Nasir, Group CEO, to find out if capital markets and the economy is at risk while asking if there is an intrinsic flaw in their business model.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a new CEO at the helm, Cradle Fund is undergoing big changes as it deals with the impacts of the pandemic on the start-up community, and the tragic passing of its founding CEO, Nazrin Hassan. With the two newly launched investment programmes and new leadership at the helm, we speak to Rafiza about what she brings to the table, the role of equity investing, and her vision for Cradle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the UK's exit from the EU on the 31st of January, the race is on for the island nation renegotiate its trade relationships with countries around the world. With Covid-19 now throwing its shadow across the global economy, we discuss the implications of Brexit, regional trade ties, and potential avenues of bilateral cooperation, with Natalie Black, UK Trade Commissioner for the Asia Pacific region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian steel industry has not been a particularly successful one, with Perwaja steel a reminder of this. However with a White Paper from the industry in the hands of the government, could the future be a brighter one?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Private education is big business, but can it continue to grow under the shadow of COVID-19? Established in 1975, Beaconhouse School System began as a small Montessori academy in Pakistan and has grown into an education network spanning eight countries. Roshan Kanesan speaks with its CEO Kasim Kasuri, to discuss the group’s international expansion, the viability of virtual education, and the future of private education post-Covid-19.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amidst the volatility in capital markets and the gloomy long-term outlook for the oil and gas industry, would a listing be the right decision? We speak to Thien Chiet Chai, the Executive Director of Reservoir Link which is making a bold move in listing on the ACE market this month and find out the reasons for this and what they expect in terms of contracts when every oil major is cutting capex.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like other retailers, Harvey Norman took a hit from store closures during the height of the Covid-19 movement restrictions. Now that economies are reopening, how does the Australian lifestyle retailer plan to catch up on lost ground? We speak to Kenneth Aruldoss, Managing Director of Harvey Norman Asia on their expansion plans and how they plan to keep consumers coming back to their stores.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No business contingency plan could have prepared any company for the radical change to our lives from the impact of Covid 19. So we speak to Lee Sang Hui, CEO of Manulife Malaysia Berhad to find out how fast they were able to pivot in the new normal and what are the challenges to still grow with the inevitable recession knocking on Malaysia's door.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tun Zaki Tun Azmi served as the 6th Chief Justice of Malaysia from 2008 until his retirement in 2011. On today's Breakfast Grille, we discuss judicial reform, as well as Tun Zaki's second career in the corporate sector as chairman of Television Airtime Services, which stands poised as a new contender in the digital arena.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women face many challenges when it comes to furthering careers in the sciences, and economics is no different. With only two women having ever won a Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences (and both of those given in the last decade), we ask the question of why there is such a dearth of women in this field, and why is it important to have them? To discuss this, we spoke to Shelly Lundberg, Leonard Broom Professor of Demography, University of California Santa Barbara.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women face many challenges when it comes to furthering careers in the sciences, and economics is no different. With only two women having ever won a Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences (and both of those given in the last decade), we ask the question of why there is such a dearth of women in this field, and why is it important to have them? To discuss this, we spoke to Shelly Lundberg, Leonard Broom Professor of Demography, University of California Santa Barbara.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The logistics industry is a highly competitive field. Alongside 116 companies in Malaysia with some regional names, Ninja Van have deep pockets and the technology know-how to fight for their market share. So who will survive and emerge the winner? We speak to Adzim Halim, Country Head of Ninjavan Malaysia, which focuses on last mile delivery on their growth plans to beat out the competition and was Covid 19 actually good for business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As unemployment levels rise across the world, the number of open job postings are also dropping across online employment marketplaces - leading to a deepening supply-demand mismatch. SEEK Asia is one of the providers of those employment marketplaces, best known here for their platform Jobstreet.com. We speak to its CEO, Suresh Thiru, about how the business is adapting to Covid-19, as well as some of the employment trends they've seen coming out of this pandemic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How has the pandemic impacted video gaming & e-sports? Roshan gets into this, as well as Riot Games’ plans for Southeast Asia, the opportunity of mobile gaming, synergies with Tencent, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid-19 has ravaged travel and leisure activity on a global basis. So what does this spell for theme park operators and builders? Sim Choo Kheng, CEO of Sim Leisure Group, who are also owner-operators of Escape Water Park in Penang, explains.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid-19 has ravaged travel and leisure activity on a global basis. So what does this spell for theme park operators and builders? Sim Choo Kheng, CEO of Sim Leisure Group, who are also owner-operators of Escape Water Park in Penang, explains.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Spanish Flu of 1918 was one of the first global pandemics in modern recorded history. Government reactions to it may seem familiar - quarantines, an emphasis on hygiene, and often mixed signals as political agendas struggled to reconcile themselves with public health policy. So, to unpack some of the lessons we can learn from the pandemic which occurred over a century ago, we speak to Laura Spinney, science journalist and author of the book, ‘Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World’See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Covid-19 has accelerated the adoption of digital solutions, particularly in the realm of higher education. As more lectures and meetings move online, video is becoming an increasingly important means of communication and Panopto appears poised to ride that wave of growth here in Asia. To talk to us more about their expansion plans, and the future of video, we speak to Elle Hosek, General Manager for Asia at Panopto.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Free Trade Agreement talks between the European Union and Malaysia have been stalled since 2010 due to requirements for Malaysia to undertake reforms and remove Bumiputera protection. Meanwhile countries like Vietnam and Singapore have ratified agreements with the EU. As a consequence European investors are likely to skip Malaysia in the long-term. We discuss these issues with Sven Schneider, CEO of EU Malaysia Chamber of Commerce & Industry or EUMCCI.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Malaysia's oldest telco, Celcom has seen their market share decline over the years while average revenue per user has also been falling as people switch from voice to data. Idham Nawawi, their Chief Executive Officer tells us their strategy for growth and their plans for 5G as well as which model may work best for the country.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.