Inside the Buy Now Pay Later industry with myIOU

Introduction The luxury of not paying immediately was once reserved for credit card holders But now there are new kids on the block as Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services have expanded access to financial flexibility to a wider and bigger audience. BNPL services as a whole have certainly caused a whirlwind worldwide as it […]
The Importance of Financial Inclusion

Medium, small, and micro enterprises (MSMEs) make up 99% of total business in Malaysia. MSMEs also employ north of 7 million people, or, a staggering 65% of the employed population. To quote SME Corporation Malaysia’s definition, “it refers to firms with sales turnover not exceeding RM20 million OR number of full-time employees not exceeding […]
The strengthening of the dollar and its effects on emerging markets

The Dollar has just gone up by around 19%, according to the Dollar Index (DXY), which is measures the strength of the USD relative to a basket of other foreign currencies. This simply means that it is now more expensive to buy dollars, and dollars can buy more of other currencies. To put things into […]
Everything you need to know about Stagflation – and is it happening in Malaysia?

Key terms: What is Core CPI? The Core Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the changes in price for consumer goods, except for food and energy. This measure is used instead of the normal CPI, since it better reflects long-term inflation, as food and energy prices are relatively more volatile. What is GDP? Gross Domestic Product […]
Why Trickle-Down Economics Doesn’t Work

Just like the rest of Europe at the moment, the United Kingdom faces numerous economic challenges that threaten the standard of living of its population. Surging energy prices, rising food costs and increasing interest rates have resulted in a recession predicted to last until the middle of 2023 with GDP estimated to fall about 0.3% […]
The Energy Crisis in Europe

1.0 Introduction It is no exaggeration to say that energy laid the foundations for mankind to transition into the modern era, thus making it possible to leverage various energy sources to make significant advancements in our society. The primary reason European countries have become themselves as a manufacturing powerhouse and a high welfare state is […]
Food Security in Malaysia

Food security has recently become the most highlighted issue for all countries, including Malaysia, as other nations have imposed food protectionism. For instance, India’s rice export ban, which contributes to 40 percent of the rice export, has reduced the world rice supply, impacting the rice-importing countries significantly due to a surge in global rice prices […]
Understanding China’s Property Crisis

Introduction You may remember the story of Evergrande Group, a property developer that threatened the collapse of the Chinese Financial Sector due to it’s overexposure (Click here to read more about it) – and a year on it seems to have been the tip of the iceberg. While many know China as a manufacturing, industrial, […]
DATA SCIENCE EXPLAINED FOR BEGINNERS, AND ITS USE IN FINANCE

INTRODUCTION “Data is the new oil of the digital economy” – WIRED Data science has played a crucial role in modern businesses helping them improve their services and profits – and this is especially true in the finance sector. JP Morgan, one of the biggest banks in the world, plans to invest at least $11.5 […]
What is ESG, and how is Malaysia doing on the ESGfront?

Right off the bat, ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance which refers to standards that define a company’s behaviour and are utilised by socially responsible investors to evaluate possible investments. Recently, news & media publishers have repeatedly discussed ESG investing and many APAC (Asia Pacific) businesses have adopted ESG practices. Businesses listed under Bursa […]