Which companies on Bursa have high cash and low debt
KUALA LUMPUR: The second extension of the movement control order to contain the Covid-19 outbreak — now totalling six weeks until April 28 — means that economic activities will remain subdued for at least another 14 days.
The pandemic, which has infected nearly two million and killed over 100,000 worldwide, presents the worst start possible for the recession expected ahead. As the infection curve has yet to near its peak, it is anyone’s guess on the depth of the economic downturn.
Against this backdrop, survival is the prominent concern now. Investors’ attention is drawn to companies’ balance sheets instead of growth prospects, which is widely expected to be minimal in the best-case scenario, as business volume dwindles and operating cash flow shrink.
Asia Analytica data shows that of some 880 listed companies (after excluding the 40 banks, insurers and investment trusts), 597 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia have cash that is less than their short-term liabilities.
Companies in many different sectors are underlined here, from furniture companies to retailers, automotive-related firms, and a wide range of manufacturers and trading companies.
Meanwhile, 223 listed companies have an interest cover ratio of below one times, meaning their earnings before interests and tax cannot cover interest expenses for a full year. The market capitalisation of most of these companies are below RM2 billion.
Some 321 companies were already in the red last year. Of the 599 profitable ones, around 45.6% of them saw profit decline in the period. Again, most on the list are small-cap firms, according to Asia Analytica data.
It is also worth noting that the economic downturn would be a tough test on companies’ sales quality. Companies with a high portion of credit sale with mounting receivables could be at risk amid the potential cash trap.
A random check shows that 75 listed companies or 8.2% have net gearing of over 100%. Sectors with the most companies in this category are logistics, construction, oil and gas, building materials and property development.
Others with net gearing of above 80% include power companies, telecommunications companies and building materials companies. Power producers’ liabilities are usually backed up by the steady cash flow from power purchase agreements.
On the flip side, notable sectors with low net gearing average include Internet and gas utility companies, and technology solution providers.
Of 79 generic companies with market capitalisation of above RM2 billion (ex-banks, real-estate investment trusts and insurers) only 22 have a cash ratio of above one times and net gearing of below 50%, led by Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd, Petronas Gas Bhd and IOI Corp Bhd.
As reflected by the price-to-book valuations, preference is given for companies with high cash, low debt, steady recurring income and high-quality clients, such as tech companies, and broadband providers.
There are also lesser-known small-cap companies that are cash-rich with sturdy past operations.
As a fund manager pointed out that a downturn is a brewing pot for merger and acquisition activities, as smaller, cash-rich companies with good assets or business prospects usually become undervalued after the market selldown.
The first quarter’s (1Q20) financial result will show how much cash was exhausted amid the two-week shutdown in the second half of March, while prospects of the entire half of 2Q20 being under movement restriction are still visible.

Which companies on Bursa have high cash and low debt
KUALA LUMPUR: The second extension of the movement control order to contain the Covid-19 outbreak — now totalling six weeks until April 28 — means that economic activities will remain subdued for at least another 14 days.
The pandemic, which has infected nearly two million and killed over 100,000 worldwide, presents the worst start possible for the recession expected ahead. As the infection curve has yet to near its peak, it is anyone’s guess on the depth of the economic downturn.
Against this backdrop, survival is the prominent concern now. Investors’ attention is drawn to companies’ balance sheets instead of growth prospects, which is widely expected to be minimal in the best-case scenario, as business volume dwindles and operating cash flow shrink.
Asia Analytica data shows that of some 880 listed companies (after excluding the 40 banks, insurers and investment trusts), 597 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia have cash that is less than their short-term liabilities.
Companies in many different sectors are underlined here, from furniture companies to retailers, automotive-related firms, and a wide range of manufacturers and trading companies.
Meanwhile, 223 listed companies have an interest cover ratio of below one times, meaning their earnings before interests and tax cannot cover interest expenses for a full year. The market capitalisation of most of these companies are below RM2 billion.
Some 321 companies were already in the red last year. Of the 599 profitable ones, around 45.6% of them saw profit decline in the period. Again, most on the list are small-cap firms, according to Asia Analytica data.
It is also worth noting that the economic downturn would be a tough test on companies’ sales quality. Companies with a high portion of credit sale with mounting receivables could be at risk amid the potential cash trap.
A random check shows that 75 listed companies or 8.2% have net gearing of over 100%. Sectors with the most companies in this category are logistics, construction, oil and gas, building materials and property development.
Others with net gearing of above 80% include power companies, telecommunications companies and building materials companies. Power producers’ liabilities are usually backed up by the steady cash flow from power purchase agreements.
On the flip side, notable sectors with low net gearing average include Internet and gas utility companies, and technology solution providers.
Of 79 generic companies with market capitalisation of above RM2 billion (ex-banks, real-estate investment trusts and insurers) only 22 have a cash ratio of above one times and net gearing of below 50%, led by Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd, Petronas Gas Bhd and IOI Corp Bhd.
As reflected by the price-to-book valuations, preference is given for companies with high cash, low debt, steady recurring income and high-quality clients, such as tech companies, and broadband providers.
There are also lesser-known small-cap companies that are cash-rich with sturdy past operations.
As a fund manager pointed out that a downturn is a brewing pot for merger and acquisition activities, as smaller, cash-rich companies with good assets or business prospects usually become undervalued after the market selldown.
The first quarter’s (1Q20) financial result will show how much cash was exhausted amid the two-week shutdown in the second half of March, while prospects of the entire half of 2Q20 being under movement restriction are still visible.

Which companies on Bursa have high cash and low debt
KUALA LUMPUR: The second extension of the movement control order to contain the Covid-19 outbreak — now totalling six weeks until April 28 — means that economic activities will remain subdued for at least another 14 days.
The pandemic, which has infected nearly two million and killed over 100,000 worldwide, presents the worst start possible for the recession expected ahead. As the infection curve has yet to near its peak, it is anyone’s guess on the depth of the economic downturn.
Against this backdrop, survival is the prominent concern now. Investors’ attention is drawn to companies’ balance sheets instead of growth prospects, which is widely expected to be minimal in the best-case scenario, as business volume dwindles and operating cash flow shrink.
Asia Analytica data shows that of some 880 listed companies (after excluding the 40 banks, insurers and investment trusts), 597 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia have cash that is less than their short-term liabilities.
Companies in many different sectors are underlined here, from furniture companies to retailers, automotive-related firms, and a wide range of manufacturers and trading companies.
Meanwhile, 223 listed companies have an interest cover ratio of below one times, meaning their earnings before interests and tax cannot cover interest expenses for a full year. The market capitalisation of most of these companies are below RM2 billion.
Some 321 companies were already in the red last year. Of the 599 profitable ones, around 45.6% of them saw profit decline in the period. Again, most on the list are small-cap firms, according to Asia Analytica data.
It is also worth noting that the economic downturn would be a tough test on companies’ sales quality. Companies with a high portion of credit sale with mounting receivables could be at risk amid the potential cash trap.
A random check shows that 75 listed companies or 8.2% have net gearing of over 100%. Sectors with the most companies in this category are logistics, construction, oil and gas, building materials and property development.
Others with net gearing of above 80% include power companies, telecommunications companies and building materials companies. Power producers’ liabilities are usually backed up by the steady cash flow from power purchase agreements.
On the flip side, notable sectors with low net gearing average include Internet and gas utility companies, and technology solution providers.
Of 79 generic companies with market capitalisation of above RM2 billion (ex-banks, real-estate investment trusts and insurers) only 22 have a cash ratio of above one times and net gearing of below 50%, led by Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd, Petronas Gas Bhd and IOI Corp Bhd.
As reflected by the price-to-book valuations, preference is given for companies with high cash, low debt, steady recurring income and high-quality clients, such as tech companies, and broadband providers.
There are also lesser-known small-cap companies that are cash-rich with sturdy past operations.
As a fund manager pointed out that a downturn is a brewing pot for merger and acquisition activities, as smaller, cash-rich companies with good assets or business prospects usually become undervalued after the market selldown.
The first quarter’s (1Q20) financial result will show how much cash was exhausted amid the two-week shutdown in the second half of March, while prospects of the entire half of 2Q20 being under movement restriction are still visible.

(April 09, 2020 )KUALA LUMPUR: Action seems to be picking up in the local market judging by the unusually high participation rate in the last few days. Total daily trading volume exceeded the five billion mark for five consecutive trading days

Since April 2, the FBM KLCI has gone up by 2.91% or 30.49 points to 1361.39. However, the FBM Small Cap Index has made a bigger leap. The index, which tracks all stocks except for the top-100 big-cap counters, soared 9.82% to 10,101.77.

Sector-wise, the Bursa Energy Index soared an outstanding 17.32% or 20.15 points to 719.71 in the last five trading days, wherein the Bursa Construction Index jumped 10.07 points or 9.72% to 152.44, portraying immense buying pressure across the two sectors.

However, it is worth noting that the trading participation rate measured in total traded value terms does not appear to synchronise with the traded volume. This may indicate that the brisk trading volume were mainly concentrated on the lower liners.
This also implies the cautious market undertone given the uncertainties on the economic front and the outbreak of Covid-19.

For example, total traded volume recorded on March 12 was 3.79 billion shares with a total of RM3.06 billion traded values, whereas yesterday’s participation rate hit 5.36 billion shares but the trade value stood at only RM2.66 billion.

Yesterday, stocks that topped the volume list were Ekovest Bhd, Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd, Mlabs Systems Bhd, Sapura Energy Bhd and Bumi Armada Bhd.
In terms of trade value, among the highest were Ekovest, Hibiscus, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, JAKS Resources Bhd and Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank).

It is worth noting that Ekovest was the only counter whose traded value crossed the RM100 million mark yesterday.
Usually, the total traded value of the big-cap blue chips can easily breach the RM100 million mark in a brisk trading day.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd research vice-president Vincent Lau highlighted to The Edge Financial Daily that net buyers in the market lately were mainly retail investors.
In particular, retail investors have been buying up shares in tandem with the surge in trading volume.
Lau noted that there could be a sector rotation playing out, in which investors were switching out from the oil and gas sector into the construction sector, probably due to optimism about the prospects of kick-starting infrastructure projects hinted by the government lately.

This means that the KLCI could need to break through major hindrances to continue its positive momentum.
Likewise, Lee noted that the small cap index is currently reaching large resistive levels of 10,250 and 10,700 points.
He agreed with the notion put forward by Lau that market participation so far had been market-driven, as starting from April 2 retail investors were the net buyers.

(April 09, 2020 )KUALA LUMPUR: Action seems to be picking up in the local market judging by the unusually high participation rate in the last few days. Total daily trading volume exceeded the five billion mark for five consecutive trading days

Since April 2, the FBM KLCI has gone up by 2.91% or 30.49 points to 1361.39. However, the FBM Small Cap Index has made a bigger leap. The index, which tracks all stocks except for the top-100 big-cap counters, soared 9.82% to 10,101.77.

Sector-wise, the Bursa Energy Index soared an outstanding 17.32% or 20.15 points to 719.71 in the last five trading days, wherein the Bursa Construction Index jumped 10.07 points or 9.72% to 152.44, portraying immense buying pressure across the two sectors.

However, it is worth noting that the trading participation rate measured in total traded value terms does not appear to synchronise with the traded volume. This may indicate that the brisk trading volume were mainly concentrated on the lower liners.
This also implies the cautious market undertone given the uncertainties on the economic front and the outbreak of Covid-19.

For example, total traded volume recorded on March 12 was 3.79 billion shares with a total of RM3.06 billion traded values, whereas yesterday’s participation rate hit 5.36 billion shares but the trade value stood at only RM2.66 billion.

Yesterday, stocks that topped the volume list were Ekovest Bhd, Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd, Mlabs Systems Bhd, Sapura Energy Bhd and Bumi Armada Bhd.
In terms of trade value, among the highest were Ekovest, Hibiscus, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, JAKS Resources Bhd and Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank).

It is worth noting that Ekovest was the only counter whose traded value crossed the RM100 million mark yesterday.
Usually, the total traded value of the big-cap blue chips can easily breach the RM100 million mark in a brisk trading day.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd research vice-president Vincent Lau highlighted to The Edge Financial Daily that net buyers in the market lately were mainly retail investors.
In particular, retail investors have been buying up shares in tandem with the surge in trading volume.
Lau noted that there could be a sector rotation playing out, in which investors were switching out from the oil and gas sector into the construction sector, probably due to optimism about the prospects of kick-starting infrastructure projects hinted by the government lately.

This means that the KLCI could need to break through major hindrances to continue its positive momentum.
Likewise, Lee noted that the small cap index is currently reaching large resistive levels of 10,250 and 10,700 points.
He agreed with the notion put forward by Lau that market participation so far had been market-driven, as starting from April 2 retail investors were the net buyers.

(April 09, 2020 )KUALA LUMPUR: Action seems to be picking up in the local market judging by the unusually high participation rate in the last few days. Total daily trading volume exceeded the five billion mark for five consecutive trading days

Since April 2, the FBM KLCI has gone up by 2.91% or 30.49 points to 1361.39. However, the FBM Small Cap Index has made a bigger leap. The index, which tracks all stocks except for the top-100 big-cap counters, soared 9.82% to 10,101.77.

Sector-wise, the Bursa Energy Index soared an outstanding 17.32% or 20.15 points to 719.71 in the last five trading days, wherein the Bursa Construction Index jumped 10.07 points or 9.72% to 152.44, portraying immense buying pressure across the two sectors.

However, it is worth noting that the trading participation rate measured in total traded value terms does not appear to synchronise with the traded volume. This may indicate that the brisk trading volume were mainly concentrated on the lower liners.
This also implies the cautious market undertone given the uncertainties on the economic front and the outbreak of Covid-19.

For example, total traded volume recorded on March 12 was 3.79 billion shares with a total of RM3.06 billion traded values, whereas yesterday’s participation rate hit 5.36 billion shares but the trade value stood at only RM2.66 billion.

Yesterday, stocks that topped the volume list were Ekovest Bhd, Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd, Mlabs Systems Bhd, Sapura Energy Bhd and Bumi Armada Bhd.
In terms of trade value, among the highest were Ekovest, Hibiscus, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, JAKS Resources Bhd and Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank).

It is worth noting that Ekovest was the only counter whose traded value crossed the RM100 million mark yesterday.
Usually, the total traded value of the big-cap blue chips can easily breach the RM100 million mark in a brisk trading day.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd research vice-president Vincent Lau highlighted to The Edge Financial Daily that net buyers in the market lately were mainly retail investors.
In particular, retail investors have been buying up shares in tandem with the surge in trading volume.
Lau noted that there could be a sector rotation playing out, in which investors were switching out from the oil and gas sector into the construction sector, probably due to optimism about the prospects of kick-starting infrastructure projects hinted by the government lately.

This means that the KLCI could need to break through major hindrances to continue its positive momentum.
Likewise, Lee noted that the small cap index is currently reaching large resistive levels of 10,250 and 10,700 points.
He agreed with the notion put forward by Lau that market participation so far had been market-driven, as starting from April 2 retail investors were the net buyers.

(April 09, 2020 )KUALA LUMPUR: Action seems to be picking up in the local market judging by the unusually high participation rate in the last few days. Total daily trading volume exceeded the five billion mark for five consecutive trading days

Since April 2, the FBM KLCI has gone up by 2.91% or 30.49 points to 1361.39. However, the FBM Small Cap Index has made a bigger leap. The index, which tracks all stocks except for the top-100 big-cap counters, soared 9.82% to 10,101.77.

Sector-wise, the Bursa Energy Index soared an outstanding 17.32% or 20.15 points to 719.71 in the last five trading days, wherein the Bursa Construction Index jumped 10.07 points or 9.72% to 152.44, portraying immense buying pressure across the two sectors.

However, it is worth noting that the trading participation rate measured in total traded value terms does not appear to synchronise with the traded volume. This may indicate that the brisk trading volume were mainly concentrated on the lower liners.
This also implies the cautious market undertone given the uncertainties on the economic front and the outbreak of Covid-19.

For example, total traded volume recorded on March 12 was 3.79 billion shares with a total of RM3.06 billion traded values, whereas yesterday’s participation rate hit 5.36 billion shares but the trade value stood at only RM2.66 billion.

Yesterday, stocks that topped the volume list were Ekovest Bhd, Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd, Mlabs Systems Bhd, Sapura Energy Bhd and Bumi Armada Bhd.
In terms of trade value, among the highest were Ekovest, Hibiscus, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, JAKS Resources Bhd and Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank).

It is worth noting that Ekovest was the only counter whose traded value crossed the RM100 million mark yesterday.
Usually, the total traded value of the big-cap blue chips can easily breach the RM100 million mark in a brisk trading day.
Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd research vice-president Vincent Lau highlighted to The Edge Financial Daily that net buyers in the market lately were mainly retail investors.
In particular, retail investors have been buying up shares in tandem with the surge in trading volume.
Lau noted that there could be a sector rotation playing out, in which investors were switching out from the oil and gas sector into the construction sector, probably due to optimism about the prospects of kick-starting infrastructure projects hinted by the government lately.

This means that the KLCI could need to break through major hindrances to continue its positive momentum.
Likewise, Lee noted that the small cap index is currently reaching large resistive levels of 10,250 and 10,700 points.
He agreed with the notion put forward by Lau that market participation so far had been market-driven, as starting from April 2 retail investors were the net buyers.

Urusharta ceases to be substantial shareholder in Alam Maritim Resources
Kuala Lumpur (March 30): Urusharta Jamaah Sdn Bhd, the Finance Ministry’s special purpose vehicle (SPV), has ceased to be a substantial shareholder of Alam Maritim Resources Bhd, after disposing of 4.66 million shares or a 1.29% stake in the listed company.
Urusharta Jamaah emerged as a substantial shareholder of Alam Maritim on Dec 28, 2018, when it took over Lembaga Tabung Haji’s stake in the company. The SPV previously owned a total of 91.96 million Alam Maritim shares, equivalent to a 9.94% stake.
According to Bursa Malaysia filings, Urusharta Jamaah had started to pare its stake since March 16.
Shares in Alam Maritim closed down 0.5 sen or 11.11% at 4 sen today. Year-to-date, the stock has fallen 70%.

Tenaga Nasional, Mlabs Systems, Maybank and Xin Hwa Holdings

KUALA LUMPUR (March 27): Based on corporate announcements and news flow today, companies that will be in focus on Monday (March 30) may include the following: Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Mlabs Systems Bhd, Malayan Banking Bhd and Xin Hwa Holdings Bhd

Tenaga Nasional Bhd said it has set aside RM150 million following the Government’s stimulus announcement today that Malaysian households and businesses will get tiered rebates for six months on their electricity bills.

According to TNB, under the tiered rebate system, three million domestic consumers (with monthly consumption of below 200kWh) will receive a 50% rebate, while 1.5 million consumers (with monthly consumption between 201kWh and 300kWh) will get a 25% rebate. Another 2.2 million consumers (with monthly consumption between 301kWh and 600kWh) will get a 15% rebate.

Mlabs Systems Bhd is going to provide its video-conferencing products to Ipharmacare Malaysia Sdn Bhd to complement the latter's online pharmaceutical platform.

In return, Ipharmacare will support Mlab's efforts to promote these products, which will include but not limited to video conferencing systems, messaging systems and network solutions, to its platform users and/or independent pharmacies.

As the date of the group's annual general meeting (AGM) remains uncertain, Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) has decided to reclassify its final cash dividend of 39 sen per share to a second interim cash dividend of the same amount, to be paid on May 6, 2020.

Initially, the final cash dividend was proposed in the group’s fourth quarter 2019 results, for the approval of shareholders at the forthcoming AGM.

Xin Hwa Holdings Bhd announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Xin Hwa Trading & Transport Sdn Bhd (XHTT) has been appointed by Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Sdn Bhd as a subcontractor of logistics services.

While the contract has no firm value as it does not constitute a commitment for volume of orders, the company expects to generate revenue of about RM2 million per annum from the three-year contract.

Celcom Axiata appointed Kwasa Damansara development ICT partner
KUALA LUMPUR: Celcom Axiata Bhd has been appointed the “preferred ICT (information and communications technology) partner” in the development plan of Kwasa Land Sdn Bhd’s upcoming 2,257-acre (913.38ha) Kwasa Damansara smart township in Sungai Buloh.
Celcom said it will be responsible for building the foundation for the ICT infrastructure and converged connectivity facilities within the township.
This includes township fiberisation, converged fifth-generation (5G) connectivity solutions, safety and security smart city solutions, digital signages, dedicated Internet access for businesses and a common area WiFi connectivity, the company said.
“Celcom will also provide smart solutions required to enable Kwasa Land to plan and develop the smart city envisioned for Kwasa Damansara,” it said in a statement.
Celcom added that the venture paves the way for the company to strengthen its network capability further by implementing new network sites within the township.
“This is an especially vital groundwork for Celcom, in gearing towards rolling out its 5G technology soon,” it said.
Celcom’s appointment by Kwasa Land, Kwasa Damansara’s master developer, was made official yesterday.
“We are truly honoured by this recognition from Kwasa Land. The collaboration will further demonstrate our commitment in advancing societies with our innovation,” said Celcom Axiata chief executive officer Mohamad Idham Nawawi.
“This venture will be one of the smart townships empowered by Celcom, as we progressively build our capacity and continue to contribute towards developing a digital nation,” he added.
Kwasa Land managing director Datuk Mohd Lofty Mohd Noh expressed confidence that as a partner Celcom will complement Kwasa Damansara’s multifaceted components.
“With state-of-the-art smart city features such as a cutting-edge ICT infrastructure incorporating smart solutions and big data, Kwasa Damansara is set to become a catalyst of integrated socio-economic ecosystems and promote a more modern, healthier lifestyle,” Mohd Lotfy said.
Kwasa Damansara promises a sustainable community township focusing on a green township, being connected and inclusive.
These key components are part of Kwasa Land’s ambitious plans for Kwasa Damansara — with over 250,000 residents upon completion — to become a connected township with a robust network infrastructure and a smart security.

E-wallet: government's aspiration towards a cashless society
SEREMBAN (Feb 20): Digital economy and rapid technological transformation are key catalysts to a country’s progress, and in heading towards this direction, the government is going all out to encourage the public to embrace technology, including offering airwaves for 5G networks.
Though becoming a fully cashless society is still a long way off for Malaysia, it is not impossible for the government to follow the footsteps of countries such as Sweden, Canada, Japan and China, said Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Rembau, Business and Management Faculty head, Noor Azillah Mohamad Ali.
She said efforts to explain the various aspects of e-wallet applications, which are gaining popularity especially among youths, must be increased to educate others including the rural community of its benefits.
The e-Tunai Rakyat initiative, launched on Jan 15, is one of the government's strategy in preparing the people for emerging trend in digital and e-commerce space as well as in moving towards Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0).
Cashless payment is a new medium that the government wants to promote to the public but so far many are still unaware of the system,” she said adding that it would however gradually be accepted by the people.
Acceptance level among the urbanites is much higher than the rural community," she told Bernama here recently.
She said the e-wallet market is expected to grow further with 42 e-money licences approved by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to date.
However, she said, poor internet access, especially in the rural areas, could pose a challenge to the government's goals.
Currently, there are over 10 e-wallet platforms including Boost, GrabPay, WeChat Pay, Touch n Go Wallet, Paypal and Setel, with each having different functions.
Referring to BNM’s statistics on the increase in the number of transactions made via internet banking to 833.9 million in 2018 from 741.9 million in 2017, Noor Azillah said if the trend continues, it would not be impossible when cash would no longer be accepted as a means of payment as what was happening in Sweden.
Sweden will be the world’s first cashless economy in 2023 and will release its own digital currency next year.
According to a Nielsen Malaysia survey last year, 8% of consumers in Malaysia have resorted to e-wallet use, and with more e-wallet applications in the market offering attractive promotions, there will be a slight change in the financial services landscape," she said.
Meanwhile, A&J Burger Grill and Western proprietor Mohd Johar M. Jaffar, 37, said he had switched to cashless payment as most of his customers especially the young preferred the payment mode for its cashback and rewards.
The cashless system has its advantages in that it reduces theft and pilferage by those manning the payment counter and is much safer and convenient as sales proceeds are deposited into our bank account " he said.

TM expands 5G network at its Menara TM HQ
KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 20): Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) continues to expand its 5G network, bringing the advanced infrastructure to its headquarters, Menara TM in Kuala Lumpur.
In a statement today, group chief executive officer Datuk Noor Kamarul Anuar Nuruddin said this follows TM’s successful deployment of its 5G use cases in Langkawi and Subang Jaya recently under the 5G Demonstration Project (5GDP) undertaken by the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission.
This initiative is testament to our commitment to progressively deploy our converged 5G core network towards accelerating the delivery of 5G services nationwide for the benefit of the nation and all Malaysians.
Our focus this year is to become 5G-ready in adapting to the coinciding rise in mobile connectivity, Internet of Things, cloud services and smart devices,” he said.
Noor Kamarul said before the spectrum becomes available in the later part of this year, TM is currently preparing through full-fledged 5G live trials via the 5GDP while continuously upgrading its core network.
As the national telecommunications infrastructure provider of Malaysia’s Digital Nation aspirations, we have established the communications backbone of Malaysia with the widest connectivity and convergence network.
We will also continue to lay the foundation for Industrial Revolution 4.0 and rolling out 5G nationwide — serving a more digital society and lifestyle, digital businesses and industry verticals, as well as digital government, towards improving the quality of lives of the rakyat,” he added.
TM is the first telco in the world to deploy 700 MHz and C-Band (3.5 GHz) on a Standalone (SA) dedicated 5G network simultaneously and the first in the country to establish a 5G Command Centre in Langkawi.
The company has also successfully achieved 1.5Gbps for 5G speed tests conducted within its 5G use cases sites.

Azmin: Smart farming, aerospace and digital economy can inject dynamism into economy
KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 20): Smart farming, aerospace and the digital economy can play a big role in injecting new dynamism in Malaysia's bid to become a high-income economy, said Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.
He said the three sectors can also create a wider range of job opportunities and raise living standards of everyone in the effort to face the challenges of Industry 4.0.
Twenty-one industry experts in smart farming, aerospace and the digital economy have provided their inputs for immediate attention by the Government in its efforts to explore and galvanise the economic potential in these three sectors,he said in a statement here today.
Mohamed Azmin said the engagement sessions he chaired today with these prime movers in their respective sectors are very important in fine-tuning the needs and priorities in the ongoing process of formulating the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).
He said these efforts show the Government’s commitment to ensure the views of all quarters are taken into account, with comprehensive details implemented to determine the nation’s direction of development for the next five years.
The 12MP, which is expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in August, is the first phase in the implementation of the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (SPV2030).
The preparation of the 12MP will be based on three objectives of SPV2030 — development for all, addressing wealth and income disparities, and forging a united, prosperous and dignified nation.
The engagement sessions were also attended by Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Senator Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin, Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (TERAJU) chairman Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Economic Affairs Ministry secretary-general Datuk Saiful Anuar Lebai Hussen, senior officials of the Ministry, and the 12MP drafting team

bad time for tourism

Banking, finance products and services upgradable with 5G, says report
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 20): Mobility will be a game-changer in the banking and financial services industry, as products and services can be upgraded on all three of 5G’s new capabilities.
This is according to a report prepared by the National 5G Task Force (5G Task Force) under the stewardship of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) released on Monday.
"By leveraging 5G's ultra-reliable low-latency communication (uRLLC) and enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) capabilities, financial institutions can deliver a seamless digital banking experience to customers, and enable access to banking activities from anywhere, either via real officers or with robo-advisors (automated, algorithm-driven financial planning)," it said.
The Task Force added the 5G capabilities will also prove irresistible in mobile trading, as improved access to financial services grants more Malaysians opportunities to grow their business, facilitate trade and increase access to financial services.
Health and life insurers will also be able to make more informed and precise decisions with 5G-enabled data sharing, it said.
"Therefore, the banking and finance sector will benefit from all three of 5G’s capabilities. uRLLC will enable real-time response and control, eMBB will enable lightning-speed data rates, and massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) will enable robust connections between a large number of devices," according to the report.

TM One partners S. Korea's FNSV for blockchain secure authentication solutions
January 22, 2020 04:58 am +08
TM One partners S. Korea's FNSV for blockchain secure authentication solutions
LANGKAWI: TM One, the enterprise and public sector business solutions arm of Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM), and FNS Value Co Limited (FNSV) of Korea on Tuesday (Jan 21), signed a memorandum of collaboration (MoC) to appoint TM ONE as the sole distributor of FNSV Blockchain Secure Authentication (BSA) products and solutions for Malaysia and as the strategic partner for the ASEAN Region.
FNSV offers the world's first patented solution based on blockchain technology that does not require a password for authentication, simple to use, extremely secure and almost impenetrable.
Under the partnership, TM One and FNSV will jointly collaborate on the technology and business development for BSA solutions based on FNSV's Guardian-CCS 1.0 (G-CCS 1.0) for Malaysia, ASEAN and other potential markets on web, mobile, Internet of Things, fifth generation (5G) and all other types of medium authentication and certification services.
TM One executive vice president and chief executive officer (CEO) Ahmad Taufek Omar said partnership between the two national players would bring advanced security services for Malaysia and the ASEAN market.
"This (collaboration) is good as part of TM One’s dream to be a complete solutions provider, and we can use FNSV’s security as one of the key parameters that will be offered to the enterprises and the public sector.
“So we can address the customers’ requirement from access level all the way to the network security level. With the introduction of the BSA, we believe this is the best solution that we have tested internally and we will deploy this very soon," he said.
Ahmad Taufek said TM One had also identified and presented FNSV BSA to several of its customers.
"We have presented this to several customers and some have shown keen interest, so we are finalising the agreement. Some financial institutions have also expressed interest to join us into this new technology, so do other companies that need additional security.
"I think we should be able to forge collaboration with some corporate organisations very soon. The system and infrastructure are being undertaken and we are still doing some final tuning. The overall set up should be up and running within 45 days.
Asked on the projection on the advanced security services, Ahmad Taufek said it had not been set yet.
"There’s no projection yet because this is a new technology that complements the overall offerings that TM One has, but we are looking forward to this.
“At the same time, TM One has subsidiaries in Indonesia, so we also expanding this service to be carried out by our subsidiary in the republic, PT VADS. We are training our people to go into both markets concurrently," he said.
The MoC was signed by Ahmad Taufek on behalf of TM One while FNSV was represented by its managing director Kim Eun Mi. The ceremony was witnessed by TM Group CEO Datuk Noor Kamarul Anuar Nuruddin and FNSV CEO Jeon Seung Ju.
Meanwhile, Jeon said G-CCS 1.0 is very user-friendly and has been proven to be impenetrable.
"Our mission to introduce G-CCS 1.0 to the world will be one step closer with TM, a highly reputable service provider in ASEAN, as our strategic partner. We are confident that this collaboration will benefit both parties in terms of technology sharing and joint marketing, when Malaysia becomes the regional hub for our BSA," he said.

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