I, for one, have been vocal about Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL). I mean, what’s not to talk about when news about this fast-approval loan has often felt like sour milk? KFC, for instance, brought finger-lickin’ debt to the table at a time when 877 young Malaysians aged 18 to 40 faced bankruptcy in 2024, up from 727 the year before. When BNPL first entered the market, it felt like a promising tool. One that could give people without access to traditional credit a bit more breathing room. Some might argue that it is too easy, that, in return, some…

On 30 January 2026, the Securities Commission Malaysia issued the Practice Note on Offering of Broking Services for Digital Assets, providing regulatory clarity on how licensed capital market intermediaries may offer broking services involving digital assets. In practical terms, the Practice Note explains how licensed securities brokers may facilitate digital asset trading within the capital markets framework, subject to specific operational, custody, and client protection requirements. Issued under section 377 of the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007, the Practice Note sets out the conditions under which conventional securities brokers can extend their services into digital assets while remaining within…

Just four years after Malaysia awarded its first digital banking licences, the market is entering a more sobering phase. A string of high-profile senior leadership exits has prompted renewed questions about stability, execution, and whether Malaysia’s digital banking experiment is entering a more difficult phase. And the more recent industry chatter pointing to the possible exit of AEON Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Raja Teh Maimunah, who is widely rumoured to be among the candidates for the next Bank Islam Group CEO, is raising a few eyebrows and questions on whether or not digital banks in Malaysia are likely to survive…

RM10 billion is a serious amount of money for any bank to commit in one go. When Maybank attached that figure to its new ROAR30 strategy, it reframed the entire conversation around the next five years. You see, this was not just another roadmap presentation filled with targets and pillars. The size and focus of the investment said something more fundamental about how the bank sees the future of banking in ASEAN. ROAR30, which runs through to 2030, marks a shift from optimisation to re-architecture. It follows M25+, a strategy that helped Maybank stabilise profitability, strengthen sustainability credentials and improve…

For the past couple of months, Malaysia’s digital banking space has been dominated by a different kind of headline. What is a lot in the news now are not conversations on launches and features, but more on who is leaving the top roles. Up to this date, the article is written, news about digital banks in Malaysia has been a steady stream of senior executives stepping away from their roles. CEOs, CTOs. Familiar names that helped bring these digital banks to life in the first place. From the outside, it is hard not to feel uneasy. We understand that. Digital…

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has released a Discussion Paper on Asset Tokenisation in the Malaysian Financial Sector to gather industry feedback on how digital representations of real-world assets could transform financial services. The central bank defines tokenisation as the process of converting physical or traditional financial assets into digital tokens that can be issued, traded, and settled on programmable platforms. These tokens enable features such as atomic settlement, where transactions are completed instantly once conditions are met; composability, which allows seamless interaction between financial instruments; and programmability, which automates processes through smart contracts. BNM believes these features could deliver measurable…

Malaysia is gearing up for a stronger push against cybercrime with a wide range of new measures under the 2026 National Budget. Authorities are set to introduce a Cyber Crime Bill and commit RM32 million next year. The Malaysian government hopes that this measure could help to strengthen national security, modernise police capabilities, and build stronger defences against increasingly sophisticated scams. Rising scam cases and digital exploitation have pushed the government to act. Officials are signalling a more coordinated and technology-driven strategy to keep pace with fast-evolving online threats. A New Cyber Crime Bill and National Cybersecurity Hub At the…

Several media outlets have reported that Dubai-based fintech Fasset has obtained a banking license in Malaysia to operate the “World’s First Stablecoin-Based Digital Insurance Islamic Bank”. That claim, however, is inaccurate. Fasset’s approval was issued by the Labuan Financial Services Authority (Labuan FSA), which oversees the offshore jurisdiction of Labuan. It is a distinct regulatory regime from Malaysia’s onshore financial system under Bank Negara Malaysia. Fasset’s own press release, dated 7 October 2025, contributed to the confusion. The company claimed it had “secured approval from Malaysia to provide banking services” and described this as a licence that would allow it…

Malaysian borrowers know that we’ve been paying more than what we should have on our car loans. The system that determined interest payments was not only opaque, but it was structurally tilted to favour the hands of lenders. That imbalance has finally and thankfully been shifted. On 8 October 2025, the Dewan Rakyat passed the Malaysia Hire Purchase (Amendment) Bill 2025, marking the most significant overhaul of the Hire-Purchase Act 1967 in more than half a century. Rather than making minor adjustments, the legislation takes aim at the foundation of the old system. What replaces it is clearer, fairer and…

Bank Negara Malaysia has released an updated Policy Document on Personal Financing, setting out a new series of measures to promote more responsible borrowing and lending practices across the retail credit market. Published on 30 September 2025, the policy replaces the earlier document from December 2023 as well as the enhanced consumer safeguards letter issued in January 2025. The move underscores the regulator’s intent to keep pace with developments in the personal financing segment that could lead to unsustainable household debt. Among the most notable changes are clearer rules on loan tenure, a ban on outdated interest calculation methods, stronger…

The BUDI95 subsidy scheme is finally here, and Malaysians are getting ready to enjoy RON95 petrol at RM1.99 per litre. We’ve talked about what it is in our previous article regarding the step-by-step guide on using the subsidy with TnG E-Wallet. Now, for PETRONAS customers, the Setel app is one of the easiest ways to tap into the programme. It blends the usual benefits of cashless payments with the added bonus of skipping queues and tracking your monthly quota. Why Setel Works Well with BUDI95 What makes Setel appealing is how seamlessly it integrates with the pump. You can verify…

Payments used to be simple. You swiped, you paid, you walked away. Today, behind every transaction sits a silent army of algorithms making choices most of us never see. Kevin Lee, Country Head and CEO of Razorpay Curlec Malaysia, spends a lot of time thinking about those choices. Sitting at the crossroads of India’s highly advanced AI payments ecosystem and Malaysia’s more nascent but fast-evolving market, he has a front-row seat to how the region is being reshaped. From Kevin’s perspective, it isn’t whether AI will transform finance, but how to make sure trust doesn’t get lost in the process.…

If there is one thing that never fails to get Malaysians talking, it is the price of petrol.  The latest murmur is around Budi Madani RON95, or BUDI95, a targeted subsidy scheme that cuts the pump price of RON95 down to RM1.99 a litre, instead of the usual RM2.05. The savings are only half the story, though. The other half is about how easy it is to access. Hence, with an estimated 87% of the population using e-wallets by early 2025, it would be a no-brainer for TnG E-Wallet not to step in, trying to make the whole experience far…

Malaysian tolls. What a nightmare.   Just last week, I was on my way to an event, and I was caught in a 1-hour traffic jam, right after the infamous Sungai Besi toll.   And don’t get me started with tolls during school holidays. I don’t want to elaborate more on what happened yesterday at the Gombak toll. It just makes me want to puke reliving those “moments”.  If you have ever been stuck in a traffic jam, especially in the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur, you know the feeling.  Cars stretching as far as the eye can see, the…

It’s midnight at the time of writing, but I’m not burning the midnight oil by studying late. I came across a few X posts that kept me agitated this late at night. You see, I can’t sleep thinking about how personal details of millions of Malaysians could be available to anyone with a few clicks. Let me put it this way. If you had roughly around RM245 to spare, what would you do? I for sure would spend it on the latest Spider-Man 2 game on Steam. But did you know that the same amount of money could buy you…

Tunku Abdul Rahman once declared on the steps of Merdeka Stadium, ‘Merdeka!’ seven times. This upcoming Sunday, as Malaysia celebrates its 68th Independence Day, that same spirit of liberation is echoed in a very different arena. The liberation of finance from cash, paper, and legacy systems into the digital future. When Malaya gained independence in 1957, it was free politically, but financially, it was still tethered to the colonial world. The banking scene was dominated by foreign names such as Chartered Bank, Eastern Bank and Mercantile Bank, whose business was largely focused on financing tin exports and rubber plantations. For…

Forbes Asia has released its fifth annual 100 to Watch list, providing a window into the vibrant world of startups and small companies across the Asia-Pacific region.  This year’s compendium highlights a constantly evolving ecosystem with an increasing focus on AI and deep tech. The list reflects a positive uptick in venture capital funding in some countries, with India, Japan, and Singapore drawing more risk capital this year.  A total of 16 countries and territories are represented. India leads the pack with 18 companies, followed by Singapore and Japan with 14 each. The 100 companies featured have collectively drawn nearly…

“The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.” The line from one of my favourite authors, William Gibson, has often been used to describe technology. And as of today, I feel like it is an apt description of Malaysia’s latest and freshest newcomer in the digital banking scene, who, finally, is preparing to go live next month. It has been a long road to get here. Once known as YTL-SEA Digital Bank, the project faced repeated delays, trailing behind GXBank, Boost Bank, AEON Bank and KAF Digital Bank in rolling out to the public. Earlier this year, it…

Kids these days are not like when we were little. At least for those of us who remember when a flip phone was a luxury. They are already tapping the screens of their phones, levelling up their money skills and securing the bag before they even master shoelaces. It is a glow-up in financial know-how that might leave older generations feeling a bit FOMO. For Malaysia’s youngest generation, piggy banks are becoming a relic of the past. Their wallets live on screens, payments happen in seconds, and some are exploring investments before they even finish school. These are the children…

For those who follow Malaysia’s economic trajectory, the ritual is a familiar one. Every five years, the government unveils a new national development plan, a sprawling document outlining the country’s ambitions for the half-decade to come. The Thirteenth Malaysia Plan (RMK13), setting the course for 2026-2030, is the latest chapter in this tradition. It’s a comprehensive blueprint covering everything from infrastructure to agriculture. But while the plan isn’t overtly framed as a fintech manifesto, its most critical, high-stakes components are the digital and financial reforms embedded deep within its pages. For the savvy observer, these elements are the real story.…