By Siti Noor Afera Abu
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Shares on Bursa Malaysia reversed yesterday’s losses to finish higher on Tuesday, driven by buying interest in healthcare, utilities and banking counters.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Global oil prices could remain elevated if the West Asia conflict escalates further in the absence of a ceasefire, independent research and energy intelligence company Rystad Energy said today.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has set several priorities this year, including accelerating the transition to guarantee schemes to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) access financing more easily and promoting responsible innovation to close gaps in access and protection.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Islamic finance has gained momentum in ASEAN with emphasis on value-based principles, balanced risk-reward considerations and wider benefits for society and the environment as global interest in ethical and sustainable finance expanded, says Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) said it imposes no isolated unfavourable conditions on carmakers, stressing that the requirements reflect a consistent policy applied to all new automotive investments in Malaysia since September 2025.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Malaysia must strengthen the institutions that shape how wages are set between employers and employees to raise incomes and strengthen purchasing power meaningfully.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has called on Japanese investors to deepen its integration into the country’s semiconductor ecosystem and move beyond assembly into higher-value segments such as integrated circuit design, advanced packaging, research and development, green sectors and local talent.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- The overall credit quality of business borrowings improved in the second half (2H) of 2025 with no notable divergence in trends across segments and sectors as shares of impaired loans and loans with increased credit risk for overall businesses improved to 2.8 per cent and 10.7 per cent, respectively.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's banking system total capital ratio remained strong at 18.1 per cent of total risk-weighted assets in December 2025, compared with 18.2 per cent in June 2025, with excess capital buffers amounting to RM139.3 billion from RM138.9 billion previously, said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- While the domestic economy was on solid footing in 2025, global developments posed greater downside risks to Malaysia’s growth outlook, prompting Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to make the pre-emptive decision to reduce the overnight policy rate (OPR) by 25 basis points to 2.75 per cent in July last year.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Profitability of Malaysia’s insurance and takaful sector declined slightly to RM4.6 billion in the second half of 2025 (2H 2025) from RM4.8 billion in the first half of 2025 (1H 2025), despite improved equity investment performance, said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Cyber risk remains the foremost concern for financial institutions amid increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, and the operational, financial and reputational implications in 2026, according to the Bank Negara Malaysia.
