Enterprise Explores

In the last four years, Southeast Asia’s electricity demand has surged by 24%. Yet, despite the falling cost of renewables, nearly 80% of that new demand was met by coal and gas. The problem isn't the technology, it's a "locked-in" market structure that indirectly blocks the green transitionAlexandre Salesse, Partner at BCG, explains how the "Single Buyer" model and "Take or Pay" contracts have created a reliability gold standard at the cost of future flexibility.He also unpacks the four critical reform levers needed to modernise the grid without triggering blackouts or investor flight.Learn about:The Physics of Power: Why electricity is a unique commodity that requires a perfect "bicycle balance" between production and consumption.The "Sunk Cost" of Coal: How long-term contracts force utilities to prioritise fossil fuels they’ve already paid for, leaving no room for cheaper solar.Unbundling for Competition: The necessity of separating power purchasers from plant owners to resolve built-in conflicts of interest.The ASEAN Power Grid: Why it took 14 years to negotiate one wind farm and how a regional framework could fast-track future cross-border projects.Targeted Subsidies: Moving away from hidden "blanket" subsidies toward transparent, time-bound support for those who need it most.Avoiding Wishful Thinking: Why Southeast Asia shouldn't aim for immediate, Western-style liberalisation, but rather incremental "flexibility levers."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it really take to turn innovation into consistent delivery? In this episode, the focus shifts from capital and programmes to the people behind the progress. Because while funding can accelerate ideas, it is talent, skills, and experience that determine whether companies can execute, compete, and grow.We speak to Ts. Hj. Mohammad Hazani Hj. Hassan, Group CEO, MTDC, about why talent development sits at the centre of Malaysia’s innovation journey, how companies build capability through real-world environments and advisory support, and what it takes to raise standards across industries. From hands-on training and technology centres to industry-aligned learning and execution support, this conversation explores how strengthening talent can help turn innovation into long-term, sustainable growth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2025, Malaysia had 59 IPOs raising US$1.4 billion, the highest volume in the region, but when we look at the money, Singapore raised US$2 billion with just 13 deals. So Malaysia won on volume, but Singapore won on value.Wong Kar Choon from Deloitte Malaysia joins BFM Enterprise Explores to unpack the structural differences driving this divide. While Bursa Malaysia has become the region's engine for SME growth, with 44 of those 59 listings occurring on the ACE Market, Singapore continues to be the "global capital gateway" for high-value institutional deals in the regionWe discuss:The Valuation Gap: Why Malaysia’s domestic-driven market supports volume but caps valuations, unlike Singapore’s access to global funds.ACE Market Dominance: With 44 out of 59 listings occurring on the ACE Market, we ask if Malaysia is becoming a "volume factory" for small caps rather than a home for regional champions.The "Silicon Valley" Paradox: Why the narrative of Malaysia as the "Silicon Valley of the East" hasn't translated into a wave of semiconductor listings, and whether the real value is locked in MNCs and Private Equity."Real Tech" vs. "PowerPoint Tech": The new criteria for 2026, where investors demand profitability and cash flow over growth stories.The 2026 Playbook: How Malaysia can move from "Recovery" to "Reinvention" by attracting foreign institutional capital and hosting marquee IPOs in AI and data infrastructure.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For 11 months of the year, the digital economy follows a predictable rhythm: traffic climbs in the morning, peaks at lunch, and winds down at night. But during Ramadan, that rhythm is turned upside down.Welcome to the "Sahur Spike", a pre-dawn prime time where online activity surges across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.Luthfi Anshari from AppsFlyer breaks down the data behind this shift, including why finance app installs are costing a staggering $16 USD per user in Malaysia and why the biggest mistake brands make is pausing their ads after Hari Raya.We discuss:The 3 AM Economy: Why the "Sahur Spike" isn't just doom-scrolling, but a high-intent shopping window that drives real revenue.The "Liquidity Moment": Why finance apps see a massive surge in Week 1 as users prepare their digital wallets for the festive season.The iOS vs. Android Split: Why marketers need two different "rhythms", frontloading premium offers for iOS users while playing the long game with Android's steady traffic.The Fraud Trap: How bad actors follow the money, causing ad fraud to spike 15x in Indonesia, and why brands often celebrate "growth that isn't real."The "Second Spike": Why shopping activity surges again a week after Hari Raya as people return from hometown travel and restock their lives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For centuries, "nation" and "state" were inseparable. You needed physical territory to have a nation. But what if that is no longer true?Nirbhay Handa, CEO of Multipolitan, argues that we are witnessing the "unbundling" of sovereignty. He draws a critical distinction between a Nation State (defined by borders and politics) and a Nation (defined by shared values and community).Through the "Nation as a Service" model, countries like Estonia and Palau are allowing users to "log in" to their legal and commercial infrastructure without ever setting foot on their soil.We dive into the Digital State Project to explore how this shift is creating a new class of "Multipolitans", location-independent entrepreneurs who treat jurisdictions like products.We also distinguish the vital difference between E-Residency (subscribing to corporate laws) and Golden Visas (buying physical entry), and explore why the world is splitting into "Legacy Titans" (New York, London) and "Builder Cities" (Singapore, Dubai), and where Malaysia’s Network School fits in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Agentic AI promises systems that do not just generate responses, but execute real business tasks. Yet new data shows that only around 5 per cent of enterprise AI agent projects have made it into production, with most stuck in prolonged pilot phases due to poor data, siloed organisations, and unclear governance.We examine why the gap between AI ambition and execution is widening, even as Malaysia pours billions into data centres. We explore what it really takes to manage a workforce that is part human, part algorithm, and why leadership, data readiness, and trust now matter more than the technology itself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it really take to move a company from early promise to real growth? In this episode, we shift the focus from funding alone to the structured journey founders must go through to build, validate, and scale. Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all programmes, the emphasis is on tailored pathways that help companies navigate each stage of development with clarity and purpose.We speak to Ts. Hj, Mohammad Hazani Hj. Hassan, Group CEO, MTDC about why customised accelerator tracks matter, how companies are diagnosed and validated before entering the market, and what it takes to reduce risk for both founders and investors. From early stage support and sandbox testing to growth funding and international expansion, this conversation explores how the right structure, sequencing, and support can help turn promising ideas into sustainable businesses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, the internet ran on a simple economic contract: creators publish content, search engines organise it, and humans click on it. That click was the currency of the open web.But in 2025, that contract is unraveling. Nan Hao Maguire of Cloudflare reveals that the internet is shifting from a human utility to a "Machine-to-Machine Economy." With AI crawlers like Google Bot consuming data without sending traffic back, we are seeing a 24-25% "referral deficit" that threatens to bankrupt the creator economy.We also dive into the dark side of this shift: the rise of Agentic AI and autonomous cyber threats. Cloudflare’s data shows a terrifying escalation in brute force, with the Aisuru botnet hitting peak attack rates of 31.4 terabits per second, a scale that legacy infrastructure simply cannot survive.We discuss:The Broken Contract: How AI crawlers are creating a "referral deficit" by scraping answers without providing clicks, forcing creators toward "pay-per-crawl" licensing models.The Machine Web: Why 31% of all internet traffic is now bot-originated, and how we are moving from "AI as a tool" to "AI as a teammate" (Agentic AI).The Aisuru Escalation: The massive leap in cyber attack volume from 7.9 Tbps to 31.4 Tbps in just months, and why most providers fail past the 20 Tbps mark.Malaysia’s Vulnerability: Why "People in Society" (individuals) have become the #1 cyber target in Malaysia, surpassing banks and government agencies.Autonomous Defense: The shift toward "AI vs. AI" warfare, where autonomous defense systems are the only way to counter agentic attacks.The Quantum Leap: The silent positive trend of Post-Quantum Encryption, which has jumped from 30% to 52% adoption on Cloudflare’s network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often talk about AI disrupting jobs, but Peng T. Ong (Co-Founder of Monk's Hill Ventures) is talking about something far more absolute: a singularity.In his essay, "The Economic Singularity: Life as Work Transforms," Peng argues we are approaching a tipping point where the marginal cost of labor and knowledge trends to zero. When AI can write code, draft contracts, and generate strategy decks faster and cheaper than humans, the traditional engine of the economy, trading labor for wages, breaks down.So, what comes next? Will we live in a "Star Trek" utopia of exploration, or a "Wall-E" dystopia of consumption?We discuss:Defining the Singularity: Why the economy faces a "Blue Screen of Death" when infinite productivity meets zero-cost intelligence.The 7 Future Worlds: From the "Star Trek" pursuit of discovery to the "Backup World" where communities preserve pre-tech skills for resiliency.The Vulnerability Paradox: Why unregulated white-collar jobs (consultants, investors) are on the chopping block before blue-collar trade work.UBC vs. UBI: The critical difference between giving people a salary (Income) versus giving them a stake in the means of production (Capital).The "Entrepreneurial" Shift: How education must pivot from vocational training to teaching children how to create value in a post-labor world.The Open Source Defense: Why the value of AI models themselves will drop to zero, preventing any single corporation from holding a monopoly on intelligence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Running a business built on local craft and grit is a cornerstone of Malaysian culture. But as the nation prepares for the massive influx of Visit Malaysia 2026, "passion" alone may no longer be enough to scale. While MSMEs represent 97% of all registered businesses and contribute 38% of the national GDP, many remain tethered to a cash-heavy past that limits their growth.In this episode of Open For Business, we sit down with Previn Pillay, Country Manager of Visa Malaysia, to discuss the invisible infrastructure required to move a business from a simple roadside transaction to a total digital transformation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Innovation is often talked about in terms of funding, but money alone rarely brings new technology to market. In this episode, we explore how Malaysia is supporting innovation beyond grants, and what it really takes to help companies move from research and early ideas into commercial reality.We speak to MTDC GCEO Ts. Hj, Mohammad Hazani Hj. Hassan about de-risking new technologies, building supportive ecosystems, and shortening time to market through advisory, partnerships, and practical facilitation. From university research to startup growth and global expansion, this conversation looks at how founders can better navigate the journey from idea to impact.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is riding a record-breaking wave of RM144 billion in data centre investments, yet the "job density" remains surprisingly low. We examine the stark reality of building a digital empire when the nation faces a 90% gap in engineering talent and the looming "brain drain" to Singapore.Carlos Garcia Rodriguez joins the show to deconstruct the execution risks of this surge, from the massive strain on power and water grids to the rising costs of "project overheating." We explore whether Malaysia is destined to be a "digital landlord" for global giants or if we can truly move up the value chain by 2026.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food delivery in Southeast Asia is no longer just about moving meals from Point A to Point B. It has evolved into a $22.7 billion industry where platforms don't just facilitate demand, they orchestrate it.According to Momentum Works, the sector has bounced back with 18% year-on-year growth, but the rules of the game have fundamentally changed. Grab continues to dominate with 55% market share, while Shopee has surged past Foodpanda to claim the #2 spot, but the bigger story is the shift in power. Weihan Chen explains why platforms are transitioning from simple transaction channels to "Operating Environments."In this new reality, discovery is no longer linear; it is content-led, incentive-driven, and algorithmically curated. For F&B merchants, this creates a potentially harsh "pay-to-play" landscape where data asymmetry favors the platform, not the restaurant.We discuss:The Meituan Shadow: How the threat of China’s delivery giants is forcing local players to adopt "batching" and extreme efficiency to survive.The Leaderboard Shakeup: How the landscape has consolidated, with Shopee leveraging its ecosystem power to overtake Foodpanda.Demand Orchestration: Why platforms are moving beyond logistics to actively influence what you eat through "content-led discovery" and data asymmetry.The "Pay-to-Play" Era: Why organic reach is dying for F&B merchants, and why menus must now be designed specifically for platform algorithms.The Death of Dark Kitchens: Why the "Real Estate Arbitrage" model failed in Southeast Asia due to a lack of demand density.Unit Economics 2.0: How platforms are staying profitable despite falling Average Order Values (AOV) by driving up frequency and optimizing delivery batches.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the last two years, corporate AI strategy has largely revolved around "Assistants", chatbots that wait for a human prompt, but could that phase be already coming to an end?Nicholas Eayrs of Databricks argues we are now entering the era of the Agentic Enterprise.In this new paradigm, AI stops waiting for instructions and starts interacting with other systems autonomously. Imagine a "Procurement Agent" negotiating with a "Finance Agent" to optimise supply chains in real-time, without human intervention.We explore how this shift from "chatting" to "doing" is already happening, and much more, including: The Death of the Prompt: Why the future isn't about better prompt engineering, but about architecting autonomous flows where humans act as supervisors, not operators.The "Multi-Agent" Swarm: How specialised, smaller models (rather than one giant LLM) will collaborate to handle complex tasks like finance and logistics.Bridging the Data Gap: The role of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) in allowing AI agents to "talk" to legacy systems of record (like CRMs and ERPs).Solving "Black Box" Anxiety: Why a bad chatbot answer is annoying, but a bad agentic decision is expensive, and how Evaluation Frameworks and strict data lineage provide the necessary governance.The Human in the Loop: Why the modern workforce must pivot from "users" of software to "Systems Architects" who define the constraints and outcomes for autonomous agents.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When business leaders talk about the talent crunch, the focus is usually on skills, communication, and job readiness. But Malaysia’s newly launched National Education Plan 2026–2035 introduces a more fundamental shift: time.With education pathways accelerating, students may enter university younger and reach the workforce sooner. While this may look efficient on paper, it raises a harder question for employers. Are we mistaking learning speed for workforce readiness?We speak with Professor Hazel Melanie Ramos, Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning at University of Nottingham Malaysia, to examine what accelerated education timelines really mean for universities, businesses, and Malaysia’s future workforce.We discuss:How the National Education Plan 2026–2035 reshapes the talent pipeline through faster education pathways.What earlier university entry means for student maturity, resilience, and readiness for work.Whether universities can deliver deeper learning in shorter timeframes.The risks employers may face if graduates arrive sooner but less prepared.What shared responsibility between universities and businesses is needed for workforce development.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Volatility, AI, and uncertainty are no longer future risks. They are the conditions businesses are operating in right now.Today, we examine what IBM’s 2026 Business and Technology Trends reveal about how organisations are responding to constant disruption. From decision-making at speed and real-time operations, to the shifting role of employees, AI transparency, and the growing importance of control and trust, this conversation looks past hype and into the choices that will shape competitiveness.Dickson Woo, Country General Manager and Technology Leader at IBM Malaysia, talks about where leaders are focusing today, what may be underestimated, and which decisions will ultimately separate those who keep up from those who fall behind.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following President Trump’s "Liberation Day" announcement threatening ASEAN with up to 49% tariffs, IDEAS argues that the member states of the 600-million-strong bloc panicked. Vietnam and Cambodia rushed to cut deals immediately, and Malaysia eventually followed suit with the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), albeit after initial attempts to rally the region failed.We sit down with Dr. Stewart Nixon, author of the report "Divided We Fall," to dissect why ASEAN chose self-preservation over solidarity and the potentially dangerous concessions buried in the fine print.We discuss:The "Panic" Discount: How Vietnam and Thailand’s rush to Washington sparked a regional "arms race" of concessions, handing leverage directly to Trump.Section 5 & Sovereignty: The controversial clause in Malaysia's deal that links trade policy to US national security, effectively forcing Malaysia to police US interests against China within its own borders.The "Transshipment" Trap: Why vague definitions of "circumvention" in the new deal create a compliance nightmare for manufacturers planning their supply chains.Convenor vs. Captain: Why the ASEAN Chair failed to rally the troops, in stark contrast to the EU’s unified stand against Washington.The Illusion of Safety: Dr. Nixon argues that buying "certainty" from Trump is a myth, citing how the USMCA did not protect Canada or Mexico from future tariff threats.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ministry of Education’s Education Blueprint 2026-2035 has officially landed with a clear, mandatory mandate: a Grade C floor for English, BM, Mathematics, and History. But as we enter a decade defined by generative AI and automation, is a static grade on a paper certificate still a valid currency for the Malaysian workforce? Or is the national curriculum benchmarking for a world that no longer exists?We sit down with Edmond Yap, co-founder of Tupai, to deconstruct ‘The Grade C Trap’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Innovation is risky for banks, and traction is expensive for startups. Launched in May 2025, the PayNet Fintech Hub aims to solve this deadlock by acting as the "bridge" between Corporate Malaysia and innovation.BFM speaks with Gary Yeoh (PayNet) and Joshua Lim (Buzz) to explore how this ecosystem works. We dive into the success story of Buzz, a startup that pivoted from green-tech to a B2B financial media network, utilising PayNet's resources to secure a pilot with TNG Digital.We discuss:The "Bridge" Strategy: How PayNet reduces the risk for incumbents (like banks and e-wallets) to experiment with startups by vetting them and absorbing trial costs via PayNet Credits.The Buzz Pivot: Joshua shares the grueling journey of pivoting from a B2C recycling business to a B2B fintech solution, utilising the hub's resources to upgrade their API infrastructure.The "Grocery" Pilot: A deep dive into the Buzz x TNG Digital partnership, a cashback program where users upload offline grocery receipts to the TNG e-wallet for instant rewards.The 2026 Roadmap: Gary outlines the vision for a "B2B App Store" where banks can seamlessly "pull" verified fintech solutions (loyalty, analytics, engagement) directly from a trusted PayNet platform.The Opportunity Wall: How corporates can now post problem statements for the fintech community to solve.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The timing couldn't have been more scripted. Just as the Online Safety Act (ONSA) 2025 came into force on January 1st, the AI chatbot Grok sparked a controversy by generating inappropriate content, prompting action from Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).Lawyers Ong Johnson and Lo Khai Yi dissect this new regulatory landscape. We explore whether ONSA is a necessary shield against digital harm or a potential "political tool" for censorship, and what the RM10 million penalty cap means for tech giants operating in Malaysia.We discuss:The "Grok" Precedent: How the recent AI chatbot controversy served as the first real test case for MCMC's new powers under ONSA.Who is Targeted? A breakdown of the three key entities regulated by the act: ASPs (Social Media like X/Facebook), CASPs (Content providers like Netflix/Infotainment), and NSPs (Telcos).The "Teeth" of the Law: Analysing the severe penalties, up to RM10 million for serious non-compliance, and whether this is enough to compel Big Tech to change their platform design.Reporting Mechanisms: The two distinct routes users now have to report harmful content (Direct to Platform vs. Direct to MCMC).The "Proactive" Shift: Why companies must move from reacting to reports to proactively moderating content before the MCMC’s upcoming Code of Practice makes it mandatory.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.