The government assures that the personal data of recipients who register to receive vaccine jabs under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) will not be revealed to the vaccine manufacturer concerned. The Coordinating Minister of PICK, Khairy Jamaluddin stressed that data maybe shared with the pharmaceutical company involved if the information is related to an Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI).

Putrajaya expects the Malaysian economic position to improve this year, in line with a global recovery. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today said his Government will prioritise the digitisation agenda in line with the growth of new sources of wealth and the transformation of the national economy in knowledge-based activities and innovation.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said foreign investors, including Fortune 500 companies, have continued to show interest in investing in Malaysia due to various incentives offered by the government. “We offer special incentives. This is our way to attract investors. So for me, it is important that we increase investment. If you come to Malaysia, you will get very attractive incentives.

HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd has appointed Christina Cheah as head of global banking, Malaysia effective 1 March 2021. Christina was head of large local corporates for global banking in Malaysia until the fourth quarter of 2020, when she was appointed acting head of global banking.

Her appointment reflects HSBC's desire to promote local talent as well as the bank's commitment in nurturing and growing more women leaders in Malaysia.

Ransomware continues its surge to become the number one threat type globally including Malaysia among other cyber threats looming within today's digital economy. IBM Malaysia managing director Catherine Lian cyber criminals, some of them just as innovative as breakthrough startups, have also adopted best practices from legitimate businesses like artificial intelligence and machine learning to increase their success rate.

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Join the region’s largest AmCham event of 2021 from 9-11 March for a rare opportunity to engage with industry leaders and government representatives from the U.S. and across the Asia Pacific region.

All morning plenary sessions will be taking place virtually, with afternoon in-person industry breakout discussions for each of the 14 AmCham Committees to be held at Marina Bay Sands Singapore.

Purchase your virtual pass now. Tickets for the afternoon in-person events are pending government approval, and we will notify you once registration for the in-person tickets is live.

Pear Anderson has been keeping track of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Southeast Asian travel industry. This is the latest update as of February 28, 2021. Positive news, as vaccines arrive and start to be rolled out in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Singapore launches high-tech cross-border verification of COVID-19 test results - and potentially vaccination passports, too.

The pandemic has forced rapid digitalization all around the world: Schools have transformed to support online learning, many jobs have become entirely remote, and automation has accelerated in a wide array of industries. In addition, many countries have established digital systems for contact tracing, COVID-19 testing, government relief distribution, and vaccination rollouts (albeit with mixed results).