insights Archives - Page 3 of 7

Six Malaysian unis among world’s top 500

19Oct

By Webmaster IKON MalaysiaNo Comments

News

Six Malaysian unis among world’s top 500

Six Malaysian universities, a record amount, are now included in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings' top 500. Universiti Malaya continued to hold the top spot as the nation's best institution, rising from the 351-400 band in the 2018 rankings to the 251-300 band in the 2024 edition. Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, which shifted from the 401-500 band to the 301-350 band, is just behind. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) are the other four universities in the top 500. While the other institutions moved up from the 601-800 band, UUM remained in the 401-500 range. According to THE's chief global affairs officer Phil Baty, nearly all of the top 10 institutions i...

GoTo drops 19% after the founder’s surprise sale

18Oct

By Webmaster IKON MalaysiaNo Comments

Business

GoTo drops 19% after the founder’s surprise sale

GoTo Group shares fell the highest on record after one of its co-founders reduced his interest in a share sale, raising fears about the company's growth prospects in a South-east Asian industry bellwether. The largest technology business in Indonesia had a drop of up to 19.4% on Monday when William Tanuwijaya said that he had sold 332 million shares of the company late on Friday, bringing his ownership stake down to 1.72% from 1.77%. GoTo reduced its losses and dropped by roughly 9% in late morning session. The announcement was made at the same time that a private placement comprising up to 17.05 billion additional shares was completed. Monday's closing price for GoTo shares was lower by 1.5%. The company was created in 2021 from the merger of the two most valued start-...

What is causing Malaysia’s rice shortage?

13Oct

By Webmaster IKON MalaysiaNo Comments

Business

What is causing Malaysia’s rice shortage?

These days, it can be fairly difficult to find a bag of local white rice or the Super Special Tempatan 5% at your neighbourhood grocery store. The current shortage is a result of a number of causes, including an export ban and a rise in the price of imported white rice by Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas). Price hike by Bernas Malaysia heavily depends on rice imports to meet domestic demand. According to data from the agriculture ministry, Malaysia imported 776,000 tonnes of rice last year. In 2022, the number rose to 1.13 million. Climate change, declining foreign exchange rates, high operational costs, and local conflicts are just a few of the external variables that led Bernas to announce a 36% increase in the price of imported white rice on September 1. Additionally, ...

As of October, RM1.3 billion in personal loans guaranteed by EPF Account 2 has been approved

12Oct

By Webmaster IKON MalaysiaNo Comments

Business, Finance

As of October, RM1.3 billion in personal loans guaranteed by EPF Account 2 has been approved

As of October 2, 64,619 accepted applications totaling over RM1.29 billion had been submitted through the personal loan initiative, which uses Employees Provident Fund (EPF) subscribers' Account 2 as collateral. Since applications for the Account 2 Support Facility Programme (FSA2) started on 7 April, it is accessible through Malaysia Building Society Bhd (MBSB) and Bank Simpanan Nasional. According to the plan, eligible EPF contributors 40 and older can apply for personal loans ranging from RM3,000 to RM50,000 with a collateral requirement of an early withdrawal option from Account 2 of the EPF before the age of 50 or 55. Minister of Finance Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stated in a Dewan Rakyat response that out of the applications that were approved, 46,805 (72%) were submitted...

Malakoff to invest RM2.5bil on solar projects within Albukhary Group

6Oct

By Webmaster IKON MalaysiaNo Comments

Business, Finance

Malakoff to invest RM2.5bil on solar projects within Albukhary Group

Malakoff Corp Bhd is expected to invest around RM2.5 billion to develop 500MW of solar projects within the Albukhary Group over five years. The Syed Mokhtar Albukhary-controlled business group comprises the MMC Group, DRB-Hicom Bhd and Tradewinds Plantation Bhd, among others. Malakoff and MMC Ports, a member of MMC Group, inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) today to undertake business exploration in green power initiatives with investments worth RM350 million. This includes but is not limited to any solar power programme under the government such as the Corporate Green Power Programme (CGPP), Self-Consumption (SelCo) rooftop solar programme, cold ironing or shore-to-ship power supply, installation of electric vehicle charging stations, and others. Malakoff managing d...

Report: Banks are responsible for a 70% increase in greenwashing in 2023

6Oct

By Webmaster IKON MalaysiaNo Comments

Business, Finance

Report: Banks are responsible for a 70% increase in greenwashing in 2023

According to a survey released on Tuesday, there were 70 percent more cases of greenwashing by banks and financial services providers globally in the last year compared to the year before. The majority of those events were due to European financial institutions, and much of the greenwashing involved assertions regarding fossil fuels. The worldwide banking and financial services business was involved in 148 incidents, up from 86 the year before, according to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data provider RepRisk. 106 of the 148 instances involved financial institutions in Europe. The European Banking Federation claimed that RepRisk's study contained more unsubstantiated allegations of greenwashing than it had actual proof. An organisation engages in "greenwash...

Malaysia continues to rank 36th in the Global Innovation Index 2023

5Oct

By Webmaster IKON MalaysiaNo Comments

Innovation/ Technology

Malaysia continues to rank 36th in the Global Innovation Index 2023

The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2023 for this year ranks 132 countries, with Malaysia maintaining its 36th place overall. According to a report released by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the total score increased this year from 38.7 to 40.9. A look at the Top 40 economies Five of the seven pillars of the GII have experienced improvements since 2022, with Malaysia moving up from 38th to 32nd in the Human Capital and Research area and from 34th to 29th in the Institutions category. The nation improved significantly in other areas as well, moving from 41st to 36th in business sophistication and rising from 26th to 18th in market sophistication. Additionally, the Knowledge and Technology Outputs category experienced an improvement with a jump from position...

A car ownership certificate in Singapore now costs US$106,000

5Oct

By Webmaster IKON MalaysiaNo Comments

Lifestyle

A car ownership certificate in Singapore now costs US$106,000

To purchase a car in Singapore, a buyer must bid for a certificate, which now costs US$106,000 (RM501,592), the equivalent of four Toyota Camry Hybrids in the US, as the city-state's vehicle quota system has reached all-time highs. A 10-year "certificate of entitlement" (COE) system was implemented in Singapore in 1990 to regulate the number of automobiles in the tiny nation, which has a population of 5.9 million and can be toured in under an hour. The COE for a large vehicle more than quadrupled from 2020, to a record S$146,002, making it the most expensive city in the world to purchase a car due to the quota, which was offered through a bidding process. A new basic Toyota Camry Hybrid presently costs S$251,388 in Singapore, compared to $28,855 in the US, including COE, regi...