Persistent inflation has led central banks to refrain from cutting interest rates, increasing pressure on borrowers servicing payments and on banks' payouts to depositors.
Finance

ASEAN banks grapple with uncertain U.S. Fed interest rate cuts

From loan stresses to payouts, lenders manage murky financing prospects

10 May 2024
Zafrul Aziz, Malaysia's minister of investment, trade and industry. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Semiconductors

Malaysian trade minister touts 'neutrality' to grow chip industry

Zafrul says 'earthquake-free' location also attractive for multinationals

21 April 2024
SMD Semiconductor CEO Shariman Jamil advocates for the state of Sarawak to take on a bigger role in Malaysia's semiconductor industry. (Photo by Norman Goh)
Semiconductors

Malaysia's Sarawak seeks to turn itself into a chip design hub

SMD Semiconductor CEO says the state has background and experience to succeed

15 April 2024
Oppstar's IPO was a big hit -- it was oversubscribed by 77 times -- but the frenzy also showed how far Malaysia has to go to return to its former tech glory.
Business Spotlight

Malaysian 'Silicon Valley' seeds homegrown chip startups

Former Intel engineers attempt to push Penang to higher end of value chain

12 April 2024
An employee inspects a printed circuit board at a production facility of automated test equipment designer Aemulus Holdings in Penang, Malaysia.
Opinion

Time is ripe for Malaysia to move upstream into designing chips

Penang can build on success in downstream areas of semiconductor production

11 April 2024
Port Klang is the second-busiest port in Southeast Asia, after only Singapore. (Photo by Norman Goh) 
Supply Chain

Malaysia's largest port to double capacity to chase Singapore

Supply chain diversification adds to logistics competition in Southeast Asia

10 April 2024
The problems facing global trade were on full display at the WTO Ministerial Conference that concluded in Abu Dhabi last month.
Opinion

It's up to the developed world to save global trade

West must recognize that WTO rules have to be equitable and inclusive

1 April 2024
The Jan. 24 launch ceremony for Advantech's ASEAN shared service center in Penang, Malaysia. Vincent Chang, Advantech's managing director for Asia and intercontinental regions, is on the right. (Advantech) 
Supply Chain

Taiwan's Advantech aims to turn Malaysia into Southeast Asia hub

World's largest industrial computer maker to replicate model in Mexico and Turkey

27 March 2024
The ringgit's fall against the Singapore dollar creates gains for Malaysians working in Singapore.
Currencies

Malaysians working in Singapore gain spending power as ringgit slumps

Migrants eye properties, cars at home as salaries rise in local currency terms

21 March 2024
A view of Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia's central bank expects the country's economy to grow 4% to 5% this year. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Economy

Malaysia's central bank projects 4%-5% GDP growth in 2024

IT and semiconductor investments expected to boost Southeast Asian economy

20 March 2024
Singapore's new system allows travelers to scan a QR code to clear border checkpoints without showing their passports. (Photo courtesy of Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority)
Economy

Singapore starts QR code clearance at busy crossing to Malaysia

Nikkei reporters traveling by car needed only 20 seconds at immigration counter

19 March 2024
The Malaysian ringgit has been buffeted by global financial and economic trends. (Source photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Market Spotlight

Malaysian ringgit's fall puts central bank, government on alert

Country 'ready' to intervene after currency hits lowest level since Asian crisis

11 March 2024
The Raohe Street Night Market in Taipei is one of many attractions enticing foreign visitors, including from Indonesia. (Photo by Randy Mulyanto)
Travel & Leisure

Taiwan seeks more tourists from Indonesia

Regional competitors, decline in mainland visitors push more diverse approach

9 March 2024
The Malaysian ringgit has fallen to near-historic lows against the dollar.
Economy

Malaysia maintains key rate at 3.0% amid falling ringgit

Central bank says local currency 'undervalued' as economy expected to improve

7 March 2024
A woman walks past a McDonald's in Jakarta on Feb. 29: The fast food chain's growth has slackened amid a boycott of Western brands amid the Israel-Gaza conflict. (Photo by Nana Shibata) 
Business trends

Indonesia, Malaysia consumer boycotts hit McDonald's, Starbucks and others

Muslims protest Western brands over perceived pro-Israel stance on Gaza

7 March 2024
Malaysia has revived a high-speed rail plan to connect Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Hiroki Endo and Akira Kodaka)
Transportation

Malaysia revives 'ambitious' high-speed rail plan amid hurdles

China Railway Construction, Hyundai unit among companies showing interest

6 March 2024
Michalis Rokas, EU ambassador to Malaysia, center left, and Awang Tengah, deputy premier of Sarawak, center right, stand with officials at the EU-Malaysia Business Day 2024 event in Kuching, Malaysia on Feb. 14. (Photo by Norman Goh)
Energy

EU official praises green energy push by Malaysia's Sarawak

Bloc commits to mobilize $10.8bn for ASEAN sustainable projects

2 March 2024
Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke, right, speaks to reporters on March 1. (Photo by Norman Goh)
Transportation

Malaysia to let foreign vessels repair undersea cables

Minister says exemption to standard ban will be permanent, eyeing boost to digital sector

1 March 2024
The Malaysian ringgit is among emerging market currencies under pressure from the strong U.S. dollar.
Currencies

Malaysia's Anwar says ringgit is 'concerning' but 'under control'

Currency trades near low hit during Asian Financial Crisis in 1998

23 February 2024
With their demographic dividends petering out, some ASEAN economies are facing the risk of getting old before they get rich. 
Datawatch

Aging Southeast Asia grapples with weak social safety nets

State pensions cover less than 30% of working-age population in some countries

17 February 2024
Food prices at Singapore's popular hawker centers climbed 15% between 2019 and 2023. (Photo by Fumika Sato)
Economy

Singapore, Thailand and more hand out cash to ease inflation pain

SE Asia governments focus on public support while critics warn of fiscal strain

17 February 2024
The sun rises above Kuala Lumpur on a hazy day in October 2023. Malaysia's gross domestic product growth missed the target amid weak exports.
Economy

Malaysia's annual GDP misses target at 3.7% amid weak exports

Central bank blames 'external environment' as Q4 growth slows to 3%

16 February 2024
A bank employee counts Thai baht. The strong U.S. economy has squeezed the value of emerging-market currencies.
Currencies

Thai baht, Malaysian ringgit sink to three-month lows against dollar

Emerging nation central banks balk at rate cuts to defend currencies

16 February 2024
Passive System Alliance, Taiwan's second-largest passive component supplier, aims to start shipping printed circuit boards from its new plant in Malaysia. (Photo by Lauly Li)
Supply Chain

Taiwan's PSA aims to tap server demand boom via Southeast Asia

Supplier's new Malaysian plant to begin shipping in mid-2024

13 February 2024
The Vietnamese Community of Independent Learners hosts "eco-travel schools" taking tourists to places like Ulsan, South Korea, to promote volunteering and quality of life without excessive consumerism. (Photo by VCIL)
Economy

Asia develops an appetite for degrowth 'doughnut economics'

Movement pushes measures of education, health and the environment over GDP

11 February 2024