Pharmaceutical group Kotra Industries Bhd emerged as the biggest winner at The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards 2023, which honour the best-performing companies with a market cap of less than RM1 billion on Bursa Malaysia, by taking home four awards — including the Centurion...

Editor’s note: You’re ‘sexier’ than you think

A total of 33 public-listed companies  — with a market capitalisation of at least RM100 million but less than RM1 billion — took home 35 awards  in recognition of their outstanding financial performance in their respective fields at The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards 2023 gala dinner on Sept 4.

Honouring the best 33 companies under RM1 bil

Melaka-based pharmaceutical group Kotra Industries Bhd was recognised by The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards 2023 as the best overall performer among companies listed on Bursa Securities with a market capitalisation of at least RM100 million but less than RM1 billion, and named Centurion of the Year.

A consistent hat-trick scorer that continues to impress

Although car component and carpet maker Paragon Union Bhd has not rewarded shareholders through dividends for more than a decade now, the capital gains from its share price performance since late 2020 should keep them contented.

Shareholder change sparks hope for better performance ahead

Focus Point Holdings Bhd has weathered last year’s challenging economic landscape of high inflation and high interest rates with flying colours.

Profitability strengthens as consumer spending rebounds

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the Ukraine-Russia geopolitical conflict and ensuing sanctions, as well as global inflationary pressures, market expansion services provider DKSH Holdings (M) Bhd has demonstrated resilience in navigating the economic turbulence.

Growing from strength to strength

Talk about a last lap sprint. TRC Synergy Bhd’s exceptional performance in the fourth quarter of the financial year ended Dec 31, 2022, helped the construction specialist clinch the award for Highest PAT Growth over Three Years for the construction sector in The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards 2023.

Lifted by better margins, cost discipline

GDB Holdings Bhd is the winner of Highest ROE over Three Years for the construction sector in The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards 2023 for the second year in a row, despite its three-year weighted ROE dropping to 15.6% for the FY2020-FY2022 evaluation period, as opposed to the 21.3% it achieved for the FY2019-FY2021 period that won it the same award last year.

Still a winner despite 8 Conlay setback

The construction sector has had a terrible run over the past few years, with the progress of construction projects severely hampered by multiple headwinds, from quarantine restrictions and labour shortages to surging building material costs as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prudent cost controls that built resilience

Propel Global Bhd, formerly known as Daya Materials Bhd, has been through several rounds of restructuring since 2018.

Successful turnaround spurs investor interest

The last year has been another stellar showing for Deleum Bhd, with the integrated upstream oil and gas (O&G) outfit posting its best bottom line in seven years, amid improved performance across all segments it operates in.

Another commendable year as O&G activity levels improve

Private equity investor OSK Ventures International Bhd added a feather to its cap as two of its investee companies, My Care Concierge and Involve Asia, gained international recognition this year.

Private investment portfolio drives gains

The last three years saw Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd (KIBB) generate some of its best annual earnings in a decade, owing to a surge in trading volumes in the stock market, particularly in 2020 and 2021.

Spike in trading activities led to record earnings, share rally

When it comes to stainless steel fasteners like screws, nuts and bolts, one may not immediately think of them as a billion-ringgit business, but Tong Herr Resource...

Record performance driven pent-up demand

Transitioning from the entertainment industry to the food and beverage (F&B) sector is not easy, but when comedian Ajak Shiro heard his child express a desire to start a fried chicken business, he thought of making the idea a reality.

Ajak, whose real name is Mohd Hanaffi Razak, loo...

Private Deal: Celebrity-founded nasi padang restaurant chain Bumbu Babah aims to raise RM20 mil

Last week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the cabinet had ordered a study on a proposed Charities Bill to regulate public fundraising. The planned law is to ensure that funds held in trust are administered “transparently and responsibly”.

This is a welcome development, par...

Frankly Speaking: Charity begins with trust

Saudi Arabia unexpectedly cut its oil prices for sale to Asia in November to six-year lows while raising them for northwest Europe and the Mediterranean, a pricing document showed on Monday.

Saudi Arabia unexpectedly cuts November oil prices to Asia to six-year lows

Stocks were off to a strong start on Monday while the dollar rose even as investors pared back expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike this month, as an uncertain inflation backdrop kept the prospect of further tightening in view.

Stocks upbeat, dollar rises at euro's expense

BENGALURU (Oct 5): Shares of India's HDFC Bank rose as much as 1.8% on Monday, as investors welcomed the appointment of Anup Bagchi as CEO, the first external candidate to lead the country's biggest private lender, ending weeks of uncertainty regarding leadership.

India's HDFC Bank rises after CEO appointment

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Bill, which includes regulations on safety, human rights and individual welfare, is scheduled to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat early next year.

Gobind: AI Governance Bill to be tabled in Parliament early 2027 

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Dr Johari Abdul has received the resignation letter submitted by Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung on Oct 2, the Dewan Rakyat was told Monday.

EC notified of Petaling Jaya seat vacancy, Parliament told

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 5): The federal government's subsidy spending fell 40.1% to RM23.43 billion in 2025 from RM39.10 billion a year earlier, mainly because of a drop in petroleum subsidies, according to the latest Auditor General’s report released on Monday.

AG's report: Govt’s 2025 subsidy spending down 40% on petroleum subsidy cuts; welfare grants quadruple

Budget 2027 is unlikely to feature one large allocation for Malaysia’s semiconductor push, with support instead expected to come through more targeted measures, according to Apex Securities.

Budget 2027 may favour targeted tech incentives over big semiconductor allocation — Apex Securities

PUTRAJAYA (Oct 5): Zetrix AI Bhd (KL:ZETRIX) owes the Road Transport Department some RM314 million as it failed to remit collections from May to September this year.

Zetrix owes JPJ RM314m from May to September this year, says Loke

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 5): Zetrix AI Bhd (KL:ZETRIX) said it is in talks to resolve Road Transport Department services suspension.

Zetrix AI in talks to resolve JPJ service suspension

PUTRAJAYA (Oct 5): Zetrix AI Bhd (KL:ZETRIX) owes the Road Transport Department some RM314 million as it failed to remit collections from May to September this year.

As tourists step off the pier on Thailand’s Koh Phangan island, they’re greeted by a sales pitch tailored to outsiders — billboards touting luxury beachfront plots or clifftop villas as high-yield investments, a message repeated along the palm-fringed roads winding up into the hills.

As Thailand cracks down on foreigners, a tourist paradise reconsiders its welcome

The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC) Awards turns 17 this year. The trust, support and goodwill — accumulated since 2010 — have helped make our simple desire to recognise, honour and celebrate the biggest and the best of Corporate Malaysia into a tradition, perhaps more. The Edge Media Group chairman Tan Sri Tong Kooi Ong thinks we can safely call the Billion Ringgit Club an institution. I agree.

Institutionalising excellence

Stocks were off to a strong start on Monday while the dollar rose even as investors pared back expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike this month, as an uncertain inflation backdrop kept the prospect of further tightening in view.

SEREMBAN (Oct 4): The Negeri Sembilan Dewan Keadilan dan Undang (DKU) has once again reaffirmed that Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir remains the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan.

DKU reaffirms Tuanku Muhriz remains Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan

AkzoNobel said on Monday it has agreed to sell its Southeast Asian decorative paints business to Nippon Paint for US$1.35 billion (RM5.5 billion), completing a review of its Asian decorative paints portfolio.

AkzoNobel to sell Southeast Asia paints business to Nippon Paint for US$1.35b

It has been a couple of months since Bank Negara Malaysia rolled out its MediAsas pilot programme, previously called the Base MHIT (medical and health insurance/takaful) Plan. The pilot — involving staff of selected statutory bodies, government-linked companies, and small and medium enterprises, six of the largest insurers and takaful operators in the country as well as 10 preferred in-network hospitals in the Klang Valley — began at end-July and will end this month. Nationwide launch is slated for January 2027.

Tong's Portfolio - Fixing medical cost inflation: Change the rules, change the behaviour

(Oct 5) :&nbsp;The UK is preparing to impose levies on the import of Chinese electric vehicles, meeting a key demand from the European Union, the Times of London reported Sunday.&nbsp;

UK expected to follow EU with tariffs on Chinese EVs, Times says

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 5): Malaysia could widen its corporate tax base by reviewing special and double deductions that have been in place for two to three decades, and remove deductions that no longer serve their original purpose, said CIMB Investment Bank.

CIMB IB says Malaysia could widen corporate tax base for Budget 2027, cut old deductions

Privately held Supermax Holdings Sdn Bhd, which holds 40.3% in glove manufacturer, Supermax Corp Bhd (KL:SUPERMX), is no ordinary company.

It has assets in the form of fixed deposits and holds the controlling block of shares in Supermax, which has manufacturing plants in Malaysia and th...

Frankly Speaking: Control of Supermax enters a new phase

Southeast Asia plus China, Japan and South Korea are more at risk than most economies to any potential collapse in the artificial-intelligence boom, which could trigger shocks across financial markets and the real economy.

Asia among most vulnerable to AI correction, Asean unit warns

China’s mutual funds are closing at the fastest pace in eight years as weak returns and investor redemptions leave hundreds of products too small to survive.

China fund closures head for eight-year high as demand fades

The federal government's fiscal deficit narrowed 4.9% in 2025 to RM75.3 billion, or 3.7% of gross domestic product, according to the auditor general's report on Monday.

Fed govt’s 2025 deficit narrows to 3.7% of GDP, revenue surplus up 70% — AG's report 

Here's a heads up on what to look out for today.

YOUR DAY AHEAD: Oct 5, 2026 

Malaysia’s auditor general has flagged weak recovery of federal government loans, with only 5% of RM9.273 billion in arrears collected in 2025.

Auditor general flags poor recovery of federal loan arrears

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 5): The first phase of Pan Borneo Highway Sabah’s (LPB Sabah Project Phase 1) project costs increased by RM1.05 billion or 6% after the project missed its 10-year deadline, according to the Audit General's report on Monday.

Pan Borneo Highway Sabah Phase 1 costs escalate by over RM1 bil as project misses 10-year deadline — AG's report

NEW YORK/BENGALURU (Oct 4): France's Schneider Electric&nbsp;is nearing a deal to buy US software group PTC for about US$20 billion, according to a person close to the deal on Sunday.

France's Schneider Electric nears US$20 bil deal to acquire US software group PTC — Reuters

Saudi Arabia unexpectedly cut its oil prices for sale to Asia in November to six-year lows while raising them for northwest Europe and the Mediterranean, a pricing document showed on Monday.

(Oct 5):&nbsp;American AI companies’ performance lead over China narrowed sharply in past months to a record low after labs such as DeepSeek gained ground, threatening US tech supremacy, according to Bloomberg Intelligence (BI).

The Edge Malaysia Centurion Club Corporate Awards 2023

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