Shadhana Sekaran, Chief Executive Officer of insureKU, a leading insurtech platform in Malaysia, offers a comprehensive analysis of the current national budget's impact on the insurance industry and her company's operations. Sekaran highlights the budget's focus on expanding social protection and addressing coverage gaps, aligning well with insureKU's mission to provide affordable and accessible insurance solutions. She discusses the specific measures that have influenced their business strategies, including increased healthcare allocations and tax relief for insurance premiums. Sekaran also shares the challenges and opportunities arising from the budget, such as the need to balance pricing and coverage and the potential for growth through partnerships and targeted marketing.

In anticipation of the upcoming budget, Sekaran outlines her top priorities for supporting the insurtech sector's growth and sustainability. These include incentives for digital innovation, public-private partnerships for financial inclusion, and consumer education programs. She also expresses her views on the government's approach to economic reforms and the potential impact of proposed changes to the Service Tax and Capital Gains Tax on her business. Finally, Sekaran discusses how the budget's focus on the digital economy and financial inclusion will influence insureKU's operations and strategies.

In this exclusive interview, Julian Neo, Managing Director of DHL Express Malaysia and Brunei, provides valuable insights into the impact of the current Malaysian national budget on the logistics and shipping industry. Neo discusses the budget's focus on sustainability, digitalization, and support for small businesses, and how these measures are influencing DHL's operations and strategies. He also shares his priorities for the upcoming budget, including incentives for green investments, talent development, and improved digital infrastructure. By examining the challenges and opportunities presented by the budget, Neo offers a comprehensive perspective on the future of the logistics sector in Malaysia and DHL's role in driving its growth and sustainability.

An opinion piece by Associate Professor Dr Nor Shaipah Abdul Wahab, CPA (Australia), Head of the School of Accounting and Finance at Taylor’s University.

E-invoice, an electronic document, serves to ease the exchange of invoice information between suppliers or vendors and purchasers or buyers, and to allow for near real time storage of transaction details. The e-invoice requires validation by the authority before it can be exchanged to ensure efficient and accurate tax reporting. In Malaysia, the implementation of e-invoicing comes into effect in stages, depending on the threshold of annual revenue or turnover of the businesses.