Indian authorities have ordered British insurer Aviva's local unit to pay US$7.5 million (RM33.3 million) in back taxes and penalties after an investigation found it created fake invoices to pay illegal commissions and claimed incorrect tax credits, an order shows.

Aviva's India arm hit with US$7.5m fine for fake invoice scheme, order shows

AmInvestment Bank Bhd has maintained a neutral view on the banking sector, expecting earnings to moderate due to lower net interest margin (NIM), investment and trading challenges, and potential credit cost increases.

“Our forecasts for financial year (FY) 2025/FY2026 already accounted for a three to four basis points (bps) reduction in NIM, which translates into a 2% to 3% impact on net profits,” the investment bank said in a research note on Thursday.

Neutral stance on banking sector even as earnings moderate — AmInvestment Bank

The Pahang government is prepared to reduce land premium rates for federal development projects that benefit the people, including the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) expansion, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.

Pahang open to land premium reduction for public projects, says MB

theedgemalaysia.com highlighted three stocks with momentum at Bursa Malaysia’s noon break on Thursday. One stock displayed positive momentum, while the remaining two displayed negative momentum.

Stocks with momentum on April 24, 2025: Salcon, PeterLabs, Leform

Former Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib has been appointed as the ninth Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang, effective May 1.

Ramli Ngah Talib appointed as Penang governor, effective May 1

KUALA LUMPUR (April 24): Unisem (M) Bhd (KL:UNISEM) began the financial year with a 29% decline in first-quarter earnings from a year earlier, as margin pressure from rising costs offset revenue gain.

Unisem’s 1Q net profit down 29% amid margin pressure, expects better quarter ahead

Continuing the line of thinking presented in this column last month, on “Recognising the colonial period as the genesis of Malaysian history” (The Edge, Issue 1567, March 24, 2025), we are given a shocking current example of how excessive nostalgia for past glory — by its nature always exaggerate...

Picking On The Present: Subnational economic histories provide good tools for policymaking

Former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob arrived at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters here on Thursday to continue the process of giving his statement to assist in an investigation into the corruption and money laundering case he is facing.

Ex-PM Ismail Sabri continues giving statement to MACC

(April 24): Online merchants are being inundated with suspicious offers to help avoid paying US tariffs on goods made in China.

‘Made in Malaysia’: Online sellers bombarded with ways to evade tariffs

KUALA LUMPUR (April 24): Malaysia will need to mark down its growth forecast of 4.5% to 5.5% for the year, due to trade and tariff uncertainties, its central bank governor said.

Malaysia will need to revise down growth forecast, BNM governor says

In today’s “flat” energy world, Malaysia finds itself on the same oil-price roller coaster as everyone else — one moment plunged by the Covid-19 collapse, the next jolted by recovery and geopolitical flare-ups. In the first quarter of 2020, Brent crude tumbled over 65% from its year-start levels, as global demand evaporated under lockdowns; by 2023, however, it had averaged US$83 (RM364.12) per barrel, down from US$101 in 2022 and roughly US$81 in 2024. US President Donald Trump’s “America First” energy agenda — unleashing a US shale surge, imposing tariffs on Chinese goods, and withdrawing from the Paris climate pact — amplified these supply-demand swings and regulatory uncertainty, forcing Malaysia to weather thinner trade surpluses, ringgit gyrations, and a bruised fiscal cushion.

From Trump’s shale flood and Malacca choke to Malaysia’s green energy rebirth

Stocks drifted on Thursday and a rebound in the dollar lost traction, as investors tried to sift through the noise from the&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;administration and its fickle stance on&nbsp;tariffs&nbsp;and the Federal Reserve's (Fed) leadership.

Relief rally stutters as markets take stock of Trump's U-turns

(April 24):&nbsp;Coffee shop operator Zuspresso Sdn Bhd&nbsp;plans to open nearly 200 new stores in Southeast Asia this year, after surpassing Starbucks as Malaysia’s largest coffee chain within five years of inception.&nbsp;

ZUS Coffee to add 200 Southeast Asia stores in Starbucks duel

The timeline for completion of the aerotrain project at the Kuala Lumpur&nbsp;International Airport (KLIA) is completely unrelated to the recent privatisation of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), said its chairman Dr Nungsari Ahmad Radhi.

Aerotrain completion timeline not affected by privatisation — MAHB chairman

KUALA LUMPUR (April 24): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) disbursed US$4.9 billion (RM21.5 billion) to Southeast Asia in 2024, with Malaysia getting the smallest slice of the allocation, its latest annual report showed.

Asian Development Bank disbursed US$4.9b to Southeast Asia in 2024, Malaysia received US$1.7m

RHB Investment Bank cautioned that inconsistent US trade policies could defer critical capital expenditure (capex) decisions and manufacturing reallocation timelines, pressuring technology sector earnings.

RHB cuts tech sector earnings amid volatile US trade policy that threatens capex, equipment demand

Bursa Malaysia Bhd’s (KL:BURSA) net profit for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025 (1QFY2025) is expected to decline year-on-year, weighed down by a weaker securities average daily value (ADV) amid cautious market sentiment, according to CIMB Securities.

Bursa’s 1Q net profit could decline as much as 27% amid weaker securities average daily value — CIMB

(April 24):&nbsp;Investors increasingly expect Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s last holdout against interest rate cuts, to give in to mounting economic pressure from the global trade war.

Bets on Malaysia’s OPR cut mount as tariff shock dims growth outlook

Malaysia is positioning itself to become a key player in the rare earth elements (REE) value chain, amid a shifting geopolitical landscape and the ongoing trade war between the US and China.

Malaysia poised to capitalise on rare earth element opportunities amid trade war, says science minister

KUALA LUMPUR (April 24): Malaysia&nbsp;will need to mark down its growth forecast of 4.5% to 5.5% for the year, due to trade and tariff uncertainties, its central bank governor said.

The new operator of Kuala Lumpur Tower, LSH Service Master&nbsp;Sdn Bhd (LSHSM), is working closely with the Ministry of Communications to determine a suitable date for the reopening of the iconic national landmark, following comprehensive maintenance and improvement works.

KL Tower reopening date to be set after major upgrade works, says LSH Service Master's CEO

(April 24): US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration won’t be pursuing specific exchange-rate targets in its talks with Japan, instead reiterating his predecessor’s calls for Tokyo to abide by long-standing Group of Seven (G-7) commitments.

Bessent says ‘no currency targets’ sought in Japan talks

WASHINGTON (April 24): The&nbsp;US Justice Department has cancelled hundreds of ongoing grants that funded everything from services for mental healthcare for police officers, to support programs for victims of crime and sexual assault, according to internal records and four people familiar with the matter.

US cancels hundreds of grants for police, crime victims, Justice Dept documents show

U Mobile Sdn Bhd, the telco spearheading the development of Malaysia’s second 5G network, announced&nbsp;on Thursday it had signed a term sheet agreement with Celcom Timur (Sabah) Sdn Bhd (CT Sabah) — a subsidiary of CelcomDigi Bhd (KL:CDB) — to deploy leased fibre circuits in Sabah and the Federal Territory of Labuan.

U Mobile chooses CelcomDigi’s CT Sabah as fibre partner to support 5G roll-out in Sabah and Labuan

(April 24):&nbsp;Signs that Donald Trump is rethinking the most aggressive elements of his combative stances on trade and the US Federal Reserve, spurred back-to-back gains in stocks and the dollar, while soothing volatility across asset classes.

US stocks notch back-to-back gains as dollar climbs

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for a course correction for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, while saying they serve “critical roles” and the Trump administration is willing to work with them.

Bessent says US backs IMF and World Bank, while calling for reforms

Citigroup Inc&nbsp;strategists called on investors to build positions in Chinese property stocks, as policy support and better management practices are expected to improve the sector’s profitability.&nbsp;

Citi says ‘good time’ to accumulate Chinese property stocks

LONDON/BENGALURU (April 23): Cantor Fitzgerald is launching a crypto venture with Tether and Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group&nbsp;to buy bitcoin,&nbsp;wagering that interest in the digital currency will expand under US President Donald Trump.

Cantor teams up with Tether, SoftBank for US$3.6b crypto venture

KUALA LUMPUR (April 24): The decision on the appeal of Muar member of Parliament (MP) Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman against his conviction and sentence for abetting criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of property, and money laundering involving Angkatan Bersatu Anak Muda (Armada) funds, will be known on June 25.

Decision on Syed Saddiq’s conviction and sentence appeal out on June 25

Chinese President Xi Jinping committed the&nbsp;world’s top polluter&nbsp;to more stringent curbs on greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade in global climate talks that took place without the US.

Xi commits China to tougher climate targets as US retreats

WASHINGTON (April 23): US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko on Wednesday, and stressed the need to sign an economic partnership between the two countries as soon as possible, the US Treasury Department said.

Aditya Kalra & Nikunj Ohri