Malaysia

Shares in Top Glove and other Malaysian glove manufacturers soared last year, spurred by global medical demand.
Market Spotlight

Malaysia stocks lag as glove makers lose grip on investors

COVID-19 resurgence and political turmoil dragging on market

26 July 2021
Alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia is suffering from an amalgamation of related crises.
Opinion

Rapidly rising suicides should jolt Malaysia's leaders into action

Criminalization must be replaced by treatment and care

18 July 2021
A temporary tent outside a hospital on the outskirts of Jakarta: Indonesia's surge in COVID-19 cases is rapidly filling up hospital beds.
Coronavirus

Southeast Asian delta wave drives Japan to reclaim expats

Panasonic and Toyota scale back in Indonesia amid world's worst outbreak

17 July 2021
Traffic in Kuala Lumpur. iCar Asia operates an automotive listing and content platform across Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, the same markets where Carsome provides end-to-end solutions for car buyers and dealers, from vehicle inspection to ownership transfer and car financing.
DealStreetAsia

Malaysian trading startup Carsome to acquire iCar Asia in $200m deal

Deal creates the largest digital automotive marketplace in Southeast Asia

14 July 2021
Muhyiddin Yassin, pictured in Putrajaya on Feb. 24; the Prime Minister spends more time fighting to keep his job than actually doing it.
Opinion

Malaysia's politicians brawl while the economy burns

Ten years of rudderless leadership is suddenly coming to a head

12 July 2021
Mahathir Mohamad's new political party could enable the former Malaysian prime minister to regain political clout.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Mahathir registers new party as ruling coalition cracks

Pejuang positioned as potential third force amid UMNO-Muhyiddin rift

9 July 2021
Bangladesh has ample electric power for now but wants to add more renewables to its energy mix of the future.
International relations

Bangladesh scraps plans for 10 coal-fired power plants

Projects involving China, Japan and others axed due to environmental concerns

8 July 2021
Disney locks horns with Netflix as it expands distribution of its streaming service across markets in Southeast Asia.
Media & Entertainment

Disney's ASEAN push heralds brutal streaming war with Netflix

'Avengers' and 'Star Wars' owner stalks rival platforms with regional drive

8 July 2021
Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, right, and Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob at the prime minister's office. Muhyiddin appointed Ismail as his deputy in a calculated bid to dissuade the party from withdrawing support for his leadership.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Muhyiddin on brink as key party ready to bolt coalition

Move comes hours after prime minister taps UMNO lawmaker as his deputy

8 July 2021
AirAsia is looking to grow in Thailand's food delivery market as Gojek shifts its focus to Vietnam and Singapore. (Source photos by AFP/Jiji and Getty Images) 
Business deals

AirAsia to take over Gojek's business in Thailand

Malaysia carrier furthers its "superapp" ambitions via deal with Indonesia unicorn

7 July 2021
Protesters show their opposition to the Penang South Reclamation project, a controversial Penang State government scheme to build new islands off the coast, in November 2019. (Courtesy of Penang Tolak Tambak)
Tea Leaves

One island is enough for Penang

Malaysian state's offshore reclamation plans risk environmental disaster

7 July 2021
A man who lost his job amid Malaysia's coronavirus restrictions hangs a white flag outside his Kuala Lumpur home on July 5.
Coronavirus

Malaysians' white flags put COVID economic pain on full display

Cash-strapped citizens cry for help as severe outbreak prolongs lockdown

6 July 2021
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in parliament last year: The legislature is due to sit for five days later this month.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's parliament to reopen July 26 as Muhyiddin gives in

King's pressure sets up political showdown in 'hybrid' online-offline session

5 July 2021
Shipping containers await transport from a port in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2016.
Economy

COVID surge puts brakes on Thai and Malaysia growth: survey

Virus variants and US rate hike loom over ASEAN economies

5 July 2021
Sweden's Ericsson is promising to help Malaysia "quickly close the digital divide" with its 5G technology.
5G networks

Malaysia picks Ericsson over Huawei to build 5G network

$2.6bn deal comes as country pushes to launch services this year

1 July 2021
Bank Negara Malaysia is expected to issue five digital banking licenses by the first quarter of next year. (Source photo by Reuters) 
Finance

Malaysia digital bank race heats up as license applications close

AirAsia among parties expressing interest in vying for 1 of 5 permits

30 June 2021
CEO Mohd Khairil Abdullah says Axiata Digital has been working with Malaysia's central bank for a few years now to ensure it meets regulatory requirements that can help it secure a digital banking licence.
DealStreetAsia

Axiata Digital ups game to get Malaysia digibank license, says CEO

Company aims to increase its microfinancing-related service with RHB

30 June 2021
Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary Scoot will debut new Airbus A321neo jets to serve Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Transportation

Singapore Airlines' budget unit Scoot debuts new Airbus jets

Low-cost carrier eyes routes to Thailand and Vietnam after fleet refresh

28 June 2021
Malaysia's Genting Group is set to open Resorts World Las Vegas, the first new mega-resort on the city's famed Strip in more than a decade. (Photo courtesy of Resorts World Las Vegas)
Travel & Leisure

Malaysia's Genting rolls the dice on new $4.3bn Las Vegas resort

Complex on gambling city's famed Strip opens as US emerges from COVID lockdowns

24 June 2021
GIC will buy a 16% stake in an agreement that values Sunway Healthcare at about $1.13 billion.
Health Care

Singapore's GIC to invest $180m in Sunway's health care unit

Malaysian company plans to increase hospital beds to 3,000 in four years

23 June 2021
Under a proposed bilateral agreement, Vietnam is set to send its workers to Israel to learn agricultural techniques used there. 
Agriculture

Southeast Asia looks to Israeli tech to improve farming techniques

Israel companies offer ways to boost production as region faces supply threats

20 June 2021
Daihatsu Motor released the Ativa, the Malaysian version of its Rocky compact SUV, in March.
Automobiles

Daihatsu tailors new cars to Malaysia and Indonesia

New production method helps cut development time and cost by 30%

19 June 2021
An employee inspects newly made gloves at a Top Glove factory in Malaysia. One migrant worker described the company's production lines as "humid" and "uncomfortable."
Companies

Top Glove faces ESG reckoning on forced-labor allegations

Shareholders call for action following US import ban and COVID-19 outbreak

18 June 2021
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has kept parliament suspended since January under a COVID-19 state of emergency.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia PM to 'heed' call for parliament restart but timing vague

After king intervenes, opposition demands Muhyiddin act now or resign

17 June 2021
The extended lockdown in Malaysia has left the streets of its capital Kuala Lumpur deserted.
Markets

Emerging Asia faces capital outflow risk as Fed signals rate hike

Investors pulled $500m out of COVID-depressed markets in May

17 June 2021