Episode 41-Malaysia’s Future: Balancing Growth and Giants

In the last decade, Malaysia has experienced dramatic shifts— from the 1MDB scandal that shook the nation, to its rise as an economic player, all while balancing relationships with global powers like the US and China. 

To help us unpack these complex dynamics, we’re joined by Nick Khaw, economist and Head of Research at Khazanah Nasional, Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund. 

With years of experience shaping policy in the Economic Planning Unit, Nick offers unique insights into Malaysia's growth, its political landscape, and what the future holds. 

In this episode, we spoke about several topics including:

• The legacy and ongoing impact of 1MDB
• Assessing Malaysia's economy today
• Balancing between the US and China

Nick writes monthly column for The Edge Malaysia, with the articles also being available at www.nicholaskhaw.com.

Nick's X (Twitter)-@NickKhaw23.

Email us: hassan@majlisandmarkets.com

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Intro theme song-Arab and Muslim by StockMusic via Pixabay

Chapters

• 0:45 Monologue intro
• 1:25 Beginning of discussion
• 2:23 Nick's background
• 6:48 What is Khazanah?
• 9:50 1MDB scandal
• 13:50 Malaysia's reputation post 1MDB
• 16:24 Economy under Anwar Ibrahim
• 20:40 Balancing between the US and China
• 22:28 Malaysia's finance sector
• 25:00 ASEAN financial markets
• 26:28 Financing the energy transition
• 30:49 Attracting FDI and trade
• 34:32 BRICS and de-dollarisation
• 37:58 Economic challenges
• 40:38 Current and upcoming projects
• 41:47 Social media accounts