Madani Housing Reforms • Real Property Development Bill: This forthcoming legislation will provide enhanced regulatory oversight over property development activities in Malaysia. “Rehda supports the spirit and objectives of the Madani Housing Reforms. As responsible property developers, we welcome initiatives that enhance trust, improve governance and raise the overall industry standards. “The problem of abandoned housing projects is not because of the lack of laws … there is no solution to abandonment. Chang reiterates that no legislation can guarantee the success of a business or housing project.

This was driven by revenue growth of 28% to RM61.32 million from RM47.84 million previously. With the data centre (DC) and artificial intelligence (AI) boom, the demand for precision cleaning is expected to increase. This is a positive for Mclean as we are also adding a drying process in our precision cleaning,” he adds. Partnership with DufuApart from precision cleaning, Mclean also operates a surface treatment plant under its 55%-owned subsidiary DWZ Industries, serving the HDD, oil and gas, and semiconductor industries. Beyond HDDs, Mclean is also gaining traction in semiconductor cleaning services, particularly from foundry clients, with strong inquiry momentum from both existing and new customers.

MUMBAI (Dec 30): The Indian rupee held in a tight band on Tuesday, mirroring the subdued tone that usually sets in when year-end trading thins and corporate hedging slows. The rupee opened slightly firmer at 89.9325 and moved in a roughly three-paisa range around that level. The central bank’s expected presence at near the 90 level has helped anchor the rupee, traders said, while reinforcing the sideways tone seen since the open. Meanwhile, dollar/rupee forward premiums resumed their slide, with the one-year implied interest rate falling about 10 basis points to 2.71%. The one-year premium is now down around 60 basis points from last week’s peak.

(Dec 30): The yuan strengthened beyond the key seven-per-dollar level in the more tightly controlled onshore market for the first time since 2023, signalling China’s comfort with further currency appreciation. The currency rose as much as 0.1% to 6.9960 in local trading on Tuesday (Dec 30), after the People’s Bank of China set a weaker daily reference rate. The move came after the offshore yuan breached the closely watched seven level in late December. “There could be more appreciation ahead for the yuan, supported by foreign capital inflow, expectation of growth recovery and tech optimism,” said Wee Khoon Chong, a market strategist at BNY. “There are good reasons why PBOC will be happy with a slightly stronger yuan as long as the movement is not drastic.”

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 30): Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa on Tuesday agreed to settle a lawsuit filed against Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan following an apology. Takiyuddin, as the PAS secretary general and a former minister in Prime Minister’s Department in charge of legal affairs, openly apologised to Mujahid without any admission to liability, according to a joint statement. “After considering the impact over the defamation suit and legal costs being borne by both parties, the parties agreed to end this conflict as there are other bigger issues that needed to be focused on for the interests of the country,” the joint statement read. Following the apology, Mujahid has agreed to withdraw the suit without liberty to file afresh and no order as to costs. “We hope that this settlement is accepted and respected by all parties and it would not disrupt the peace, unity and harmony of Malaysians,” they said in the joint statement.

(Dec 30): Insilico Medicine Cayman TopCo, an AI drug discovery startup, jumped in its trading debut in Hong Kong as the financial hub capped its busiest month for listings in six years. They were priced at HK$24.05 (RM12.54) apiece in an initial public offering that raised US$293 million (RM1188.12 million). Insilico’s debut adds to Hong Kong’s busiest month for first-time share sales since November 2019, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It was said to have weighed an IPO in the US in 2021 and had filed for a Hong Kong listing in 2023 and again in 2024, though applications for an offering in the Asian financial hub were allowed to lapse. Proceeds from the Hong Kong IPO will be used to fund clinical research and development of the company’s key clinical-stage pipeline drug candidates and to develop new generative AI models, among other things.

(Dec 30): Global exports of liquefied natural gas in 2025 likely saw the biggest jump in three years, as new supply came online in North America. Exports are estimated to have risen 4% from last year to 429 million tonnes, according to Kpler, which tracks shipping data. The US is poised to cement its role as a major exporter, becoming the first ever to ship out more than 100 million tonnes of LNG this year. The nation is expected to continue adding supply, doubling output by the end of the decade and boosting exports in turn. December’s export figures are likely to hit a record of about 41 million tonnes, according to Kpler.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 30): Kim Loong Resources Bhd (KL:KMLOONG) will be supported by rising palm oil prices in the near term as a pure planter, helping to limit share price downside, analysts said. However, “we maintain a cautious outlook” as South American soybean supplies and the resumption of US-China trade may increase flows of the competing oil, constraining demand for palm oil, TA Securities said. Kim Loong now has three ‘hold’ and one ‘buy’ calls following TA Securities' upgrade. Shares of Kim Loong are back to where they started in 2025 after a gradual rise from the global market turmoil in April. Apart from being an upstream producer, Kim Loong has recurring income from the sale of electricity to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA).

(Dec 30): Nickel hit the highest since March after top producer Indonesia flagged plans to cut supply in order to boost prices. Output will be reduced in 2026 to better match demand with supply, said Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, according to CNBC Indonesia. Supply from Indonesia has continued to rise even as prices dragged for much of the year, causing stockpiles in warehouses tracked by the LME to rise rapidly. Indonesian production is now central to the outlook for nickel prices next year. Nickel rose as much as 4.7% to US$16,560 (RM67,126) a ton on the LME on Tuesday, extending a rally that tracked other metals from mid-December.

HONG KONG/SINGAPORE/BENGALURU (Dec 30): Global investment firm KKR and its affiliated Korean asset manager, Kreate Asset Management, said on Tuesday that they have completed the purchase of Cheongna Logistics Center, which they say is South Korea's largest single-asset logistics deal. Brookfield Asset Management, which sold the logistics centre to the KKR-led consortium, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. KKR won a bidding process for the asset, according to local media. Previous investments include Incheon Metro Logistics, a large-scale warehouse development in Incheon, and Hwaseong Jegi Logistics Centre, a major facility in a key logistics hub. KKR has also been active in logistics across Asia, with investments in LOGISTEED, a leading third-party logistics provider in Japan, and Reliance Logistics Group in India.

Shawn Loo Zhi Jian allegedly met with M Ravi, a former lawyer, to consume methamphetamine, according to the document dated Dec 26. Ravi subsequently died, according to a separate statement from the Central Narcotics Bureau and the Singapore Police. Loo, who according to his LinkedIn profile was employed as an assistant vice president at Bank of America in Singapore, didn’t respond to an email query for comment. Citizens or residents found to have consumed drugs overseas may face the same penalties as those who do so within the city-state. Ravi was part of a group of lawyers who acted in a constitutional challenge in 2014 seeking to overturn a colonial law banning sex between men.

SEOUL (Dec 30): North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a factory that produces multiple rocket launchers and ordered increased output of the weapons system that would be the mainstay of the country's modernised long-range artillery, state media reported on Tuesday. North Korea has not announced the exact timing of the congress but experts expect it to happen as early as January. "It is necessary to further perfect the enterprise's production structure...to secure strong production capacity and thus fully guarantee the successful attainment of the munitions production goals, to be set forth at the Ninth Congress of the WPK," state media KCNA cited Kim as saying. Kim toured the factory where huge rocket launch vehicles loaded with what appeared to be multiple launch rockets were lined up, state media photographs showed. "Next year, doors are open for North Korea to negotiate with the US, so all these military moves by Kim are also connected to him trying to raise his negotiating leverage, by showing weapons linked to nuclear (arms)," said Park Won-gon, a North Korea expert at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

(Dec 30): Copper headed for the longest winning run since 2017 in a December rally powered by the prospect of more stress in the supply chain. Bulls say more metal will be drawn into the US to beat potential tariffs, forcing buyers to pay more. Copper hit a record just below US$13,000 a ton on Monday in an end-of-year surge, before paring gains. Copper was up 2.2% at US$12,489 a ton on the London Metal Exchange at 11:23am in Shanghai. All other metals on the exchange rose, with nickel leading gainers on the day with a 4.1% climb to US$16,455 a ton.

(Dec 30): Ganfeng Lithium Co, a major Chinese producer of the battery material, said it faces possible insider-trading charges. The case is related to a 3.32 million yuan (US$473,880, or RM1.92 million) fine the company was made to pay for insider trading in 2024 by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, according to a filing to the Shenzhen stock exchange. Ganfeng, among the world’s biggest lithium producers, received a notification that the case has been transfered from police in Yichun to the local public prosecutor for review, it said, adding that it had rectified the issues raised in 2024. The company’s operations, mainly in Yichun, remain normal and are not likely to be affected by the case, it said.

Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the incident on Saturday stemmed from a personal dispute over a business loan. He said the conflict arose when the victim’s friend allowed one of the suspects to use his bank account, into which RM100,000 had been deposited through an online transaction. “However, a misunderstanding led to the victim being attacked by a group of men, while the victim’s friend managed to escape,” he added. So far, the police have arrested 13 individuals, aged between 20 and 47, including a Vietnamese woman who is the wife of one of the suspects. On Sunday, Johor Baru South police chief Asst Comm Raub Selamat confirmed that 12 local men and a Vietnamese woman were involved in the riot.