Sarawak To Host Inaugural Mega Fair In Singapore This October
SINGAPORE, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- Sarawak will launch its inaugural Mega Fair in Singapore from Oct 16 to 19, showcasing the state's business, tourism, and cultural offerings in an aggressive push to boost its visibility and draw more investors and visitors, Deputy State Secretary Datuk Hii Chang Kee said.
Organised by the Sarawak government, the event will feature a Business Conference and Trade Exhibition from Oct 16 to17 at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, alongside the Sarawak Carnival and Gastronomy showcase from Oct 16–19 at the Suntec City Atrium and Towers 1 & 2.
bootstrap slideshow
'Sarawak has been a traditional tourism and cultural market for Singaporeans. We want to go a step further. We don't want to be known just for our culture and heritage.
'We want to move forward. We are no longer looking at traditional markets and the conventional way of doing things, but are moving aggressively towards the new economy,' he said at a press conference during the pre-launch of the Sarawak Mega Fair here on Friday.
Hii said the Business Conference and Trade Exhibition will feature over 100 exhibitors from government agencies and the private sector in Sarawak and speakers from various government sectors will share insights into opportunities in the state, including investment and trade.
He noted that there will also be breakout sessions to facilitate closer interactions between government agencies and businesses, as well as provide networking opportunities for business-to-business engagement.
Meanwhile, visitors to the Sarawak Carnival and Gastronomy can look forward to exploring Sarawak's cultural and heritage offerings, including tourism showcases, live performances, traditional craft demonstrations, and interactive activities.
'For the Singapore public, I believe this is a great opportunity to learn more about Sarawak's gastronomy, as well as its cultural and heritage offerings,' he said, noting that with AirBorneo set to begin operations next year, Singaporeans will soon have more options to travel directly to Sarawak.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Barnama
21 minutes ago
- Barnama
Bangladesh Cites Economic, Strategic Potential In ASEAN Bid
By Noor Bakhtiar Ahmad KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Bangladesh is stepping up its bid to be a sectoral dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with Chief Adviser Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus emphasising the country's economic and strategic advantages as key to deepening ties with the bloc. Yunus highlighted that Bangladesh's population of more than 170 million offers ASEAN both a substantial market and an available workforce for regional industries, while its untapped economic potential presents significant opportunities for collaboration and growth. bootstrap slideshow 'There are many unexplored areas of investment which would be easy to pursue with Myanmar. We don't do deep sea fishing, for example. We have a big ocean right outside, but we never exploit that. 'So with Myanmar joining in, it becomes another opportunity to work together in deep sea fishing because we share the ocean together," he told the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) in a special interview held on the sidelines of his official visit here. The interview was led by Bernama's Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj together with Editor of International News Service Voon Miaw Ping, and Assistant Editor of Economic News Service Kisho Kumari Sucedaram. The South Asian nation has sought for a sectoral dialogue partner status with ASEAN, and the pursuit has gained momentum since Yunus assumed leadership of Bangladeshi interim government in Aug last year. The Nobel Prize Laureate who was on an official visit to Malaysia from Aug 11 to 13 said the matter was also discussed during his meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and current ASEAN Chair. "One of the things we have been discussing since his visit on October 4 (last year) was joining ASEAN.


Malaysian Reserve
42 minutes ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Bursa Malaysia expected to rise towards 1,590 level next week
KUALA LUMPUR — Bursa Malaysia is expected to rise next week towards the 1,590 resistance level, contingent on supportive global risk sentiment and incremental clarity over semiconductor tariff trajectories, said an analyst. UOB Kay Hian Wealth Advisors Sdn Bhd head of investment research Mohd Sedek Jantan said that given the weekend timing of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Malaysia's equity market will absorb any geopolitical repricing effects when trading resumes next week. 'Domestically, the investment narrative will be shaped by further disclosures on the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) project allocations, while the approach of Budget 2026 — now under two months away — will heighten focus on stakeholder engagement sessions as potential precursors to fiscal policy direction ahead of the Prime Minister's parliamentary tabling,' he told Bernama. On the inflation front, Mohd Sedek said Malaysia's July Consumer Price Index (CPI), due for release on Friday, Aug 22, will offer the first high-frequency read on the pass-through impact of the broadened Sales and Service Tax (SST) regime. 'We project headline CPI at 1.2 to 1.3 per cent year-on-year, up from 1.1 per cent in June, with core inflation expected to remain contained,' he said. Globally, Mohd Sedek said, investor attention is set to converge on Wednesday's release of the Federal Open Market Committee minutes and the Jackson Hole Symposium (Aug 21-23) — both considered potential catalysts for repricing policy-rate expectations if a pivot narrative gains momentum. 'Pre-Jackson Hole signalling from Washington has intensified, with the Trump administration adopting a more assertive communications posture than the Federal Reserve's (Fed) measured, data-dependent stance. 'Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has escalated his call from a 50-basis-point cut to a cumulative 150-basis-point reduction, amplifying political pressure on the Fed. 'This shift, combined with personnel changes at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the nomination of dovish candidates to the Federal Reserve Board, reflects a coordinated strategy to influence Fed chair Jerome Powell's policy trajectory,' he said. He added that any eventual dovish recalibration could be positioned domestically as both a political and macroeconomic victory, reinforcing the administration's narrative of executive influence over monetary normalisation. On a weekly basis, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI rose 19.36 points to 1,576.34 on Friday from 1,556.98 a week earlier. The FBM Emas Index gained 129.27 points to 11,731.06, the FBMT 100 Index climbed 132.95 points to 11,512.86, the FBM Emas Shariah Index added 20.67 points to 11,654.85, the FBM 70 Index improved 155.15 points to 16,660.68, and the FBM ACE Index advanced 106.57 points to 4,713.45. By sector, the Financial Services Index rose 499.25 points to 18,080.07, the Plantation Index increased 77.91 points to 7,504.03, and the Energy Index went up 4.11 points to 740.83. Weekly turnover dropped to 11.10 billion units worth RM11.87 billion from 12.65 billion units worth RM11.65 billion in the previous week. The Main Market volume shrank to 7.16 billion units valued at RM11.06 billion compared with 7.66 billion units valued at RM10.61 billion previously. Warrants turnover declined to 3.37 billion units worth RM453.56 million from 3.62 billion units worth RM508.07 million in the preceding week. The weekly ACE Market volume grew to 1.64 billion units valued at RM593.87 million versus 1.37 billion units valued at RM529.84 million previously. — BERNAMA


Daily Express
an hour ago
- Daily Express
EPF income rise could mean bigger dividend
Published on: Saturday, August 16, 2025 Published on: Sat, Aug 16, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: EPF announced on Thursday that its total investment income rose three per cent to RM38.92 billion in 1H 2025 from RM37.90 billion in 1H 2024, with the investment income surging 22 per cent to RM20.61 billion in the second quarter of 2025 (2Q 2025) from RM16.91 billion in the same quarter last year. Kuala Lumpur: The higher Employees Provident Fund (EPF) investment income in the first half of 2025 (1H 2025) is likely to lead to a higher dividend payout for the year, while a sustained rally in global equity markets could further boost third-quarter performance, said economists. EPF announced on Thursday that its total investment income rose three per cent to RM38.92 billion in 1H 2025 from RM37.90 billion in 1H 2024, with the investment income surging 22 per cent to RM20.61 billion in the second quarter of 2025 (2Q 2025) from RM16.91 billion in the same quarter last year. The largest retirement fund in Malaysia said equities remained the largest contributor to its investment income in 2Q, generating RM13.77 billion—a 35 per cent increase compared to RM10.23 billion in 2Q 2024. Putra Business School Professor Dr Ahmed Razman Abdul Latiff said that although there is a possibility to see a higher dividend payout for 2025, judging from 1H 2025's performance, the percentage increase from a year earlier will likely not be significant. 'This is due to a higher percentage of new contributors and voluntary contributions, which brings higher contributions and therefore, a higher amount of allocation for dividends is needed just to maintain the same percentage, and even more if the dividend is higher,' he told Bernama. Ahmed Razman explained that the increase in new contributors and voluntary contributions, while reflecting greater awareness among employees about preparing for retirement, also contributes to the higher allocation needed to maintain the dividend percentage. During 1H 2025, the EPF registered 286,194 new members, raising total membership to 16.4 million. New employer registrations reached 37,402, increasing total active employers registered with the EPF to 619,662 as at June 2025, while voluntary contributions increased by 55 per cent to RM11.68 billion in 1H 2025 from RM7.55 billion a year earlier. Meanwhile, Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said EPF's 1H 2025 performance was supported by the global equities market, which rebounded in 2Q 2025, as in 1Q 2025. He said this was in comparison to its 1Q 2025 investment income, which fell 13 per cent to RM18.31 billion from RM20.99 billion in the corresponding quarter in 2024. 'Thus far, we have seen the global equities market continue to stage a respectable increase, which should contribute positively to the 3Q performance,' he said. However, Mohd Afzanizam noted that the degree of economic uncertainties due to the tariff imposed by the United States (US) and geopolitics will continue to shape market sentiments. 'Apart from that, global interest rates are on the way down, indicating that growth momentum worldwide is slowing, which will inadvertently impact EPF's investment performance,' he said. Nonetheless, Mohd Afzanizam said that if EPF can maintain a similar dividend rate at a time when market volatility remains apparent, it would be commendable, as the retirement fund's wealth of experience in navigating challenges, coupled with its disciplined asset allocation strategy, will help it achieve respectable investment returns for the whole of 2025. In 2024, EPF declared a dividend rate of 6.30 per cent for conventional savings, with a total dividend distribution of RM63.05 billion and 6.30 per cent for Shariah savings, with a total distribution of RM10.19 billion. The 6.30 per cent dividend rate for both conventional and Shariah savings for 2024 is the highest since 2017. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia