KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Malaysia should urgently reform its social protection system to ensure the people would not face serious financial hardship in the future, said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Governor Tan Sri Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Permodalan Nasional Bhd’s (PNB) wholly-owned unit trust management company, Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB) has announced dividends of 4.30 sen and 4.00 sen each for its two fixed price funds, namely Amanah Saham Bumiputera 2 (ASB 2) and Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM), respectively.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) loans under the repayment assistance remained high at 36.5 per cent of total SME loans in December 2021 or 5.7 per cent of total loans from banks and development financial institutions but moderated from its peak in July 2021.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Some improvements in housing market activity are visible heading into 2022, although the number of unsold houses remained high at 180,702 units in the third quarter (Q3) of 2021.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) said banks in the country can withstand severe macroeconomic and financial shocks and remain well-positioned to support lending to businesses and households as the economy recovers.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — The number of Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) submitted by reporting institutions increased by 43 per cent to 191,387 in 2021 from the previous year, said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — The Automated Cash Centre (ACC) serves as the facility with the capability to efficiently process large volumes of banknotes at high speed as Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) received about three billion pieces of banknotes returned to the bank every year via deposits from financial institutions (FIs).

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) total assets stood at RM551.61 billion as of Dec 31, 2021, with international reserves portfolio constituting 88 per cent of its assets at RM486.85 billion.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has remained vigilant against possible disruptions arising from cyber-related incidents, taking an "assumed breach" position in assessing its resilience against cyber-attacks.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Complaints about financial fraud, especially internet, investment and phone scams were among the top five issues raised by the public on Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) BNMTelelink in 2021.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Malaysia’s headline inflation is forecast to remain manageable this year, averaging between 2.2 per cent and 3.2 per cent (2021:2.5 per cent) while fuel inflation, which underpinned the higher headline inflation in 2021, is projected to moderate in 2022, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) said.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Since its trough in 2020, global economic growth rebounded swiftly in 2021, aided by large-scale economic and financial support, said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) today.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Malaysia's gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to improve further by expanding between 5.3 and 6.3 per cent in 2022, up from 3.1 per cent growth in 2021.

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 March — The ringgit opened higher against the US dollar on Wednesday, as the greenback retreated amidst the risk-on mode in the United States’ (US) equity market, said an analyst.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — The ringgit rebounded from yesterday’s losses to end slightly higher against the US dollar today as some investors returned to emerging currencies, including the ringgit, amid a bearish economic outlook, a dealer said.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — Members of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) can start applying for the special withdrawal via the portal, pengeluarankhas.kwsp.gov.my, which is also accessible via the i-Akaun mobile application from April 1.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — Malaysia's producer price index (PPI) for local production, which measures the costs of goods at the factory gate, rose 9.7 per cent year-on-year in February 2022, “led by higher prices of the primary commodity,” said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — The ringgit opened lower against the US dollar on Tuesday as the greenback strengthened further following the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) decision to buy 10-year Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs) from March 29 to 31.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 — The ringgit ended lower against the US dollar today as investors’ risk appetite reduced, hence translating in weaker demand for the local note.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 — Malaysia’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) is expected to remain encouraging in 2022 with a forecast of 2.4 per cent, thanks to a full-year impact of full economic openings, said Public Investment Bank (PublicInvest).