Capital markets news | Mon 12 Oct 2026

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Budget 2027 considerations
Dividend and investment-income reform would increase or redesign taxes on dividends, interest, rental income, distributions from funds and other passive investment returns. The current 2% tax on individual dividend income above RM100,000 a year and single-tier exemption framework for most dividends could be retained. Progressive rates could be introduced for very large dividend receipts, align the treatment of interest, rental and fund income, or provide credits to reduce double taxation of company profits. The benefit would be greater horizontal fairness between people earning income from work and those earning substantial passive income, although higher taxes could reduce investment, encourage incorporation or income-splitting, complicate tax administration and weaken Malaysia’s attractiveness as an investment location.

Equity

Fortesys seeks ACE Market listing to expand AI, cybersecurity solutions and teams Edge
Budget 2027 measures to widen Bursa’s IPO pipeline Star
Genting to raise RM1.25b via rights issue to repay debt Edge Reserve Star
Young investors drive 60% of new CDS accounts in 2026 NST
Budget 2027: KWAP to mobilise capital across private markets, strategic sectors Edge
2027 Budget: GLICs to pump RM25b into domestic investments under GEAR-uP NST Star
LTAT stands ready to play a role in GEAR-uP NST
Khazanah, KWAP to invest RM1.2b in Selangor semiconductor sector Edge
IOI Properties in talks for secondary listing on SGX Edge
Danantara says it could step in during market selloffs if valuations attractive Edge
Thai bourse revises short-selling, high-frequency trading rules Edge
China to lower bar for equity fund launch Edge
India’s Jio Platforms targets USD106b valuation in IPO Edge
SoftBank seeks up to USD100b from Gulf investors for AI push Edge
Firmus USD5b float failure deals blow to Australia’s shrinking share market Edge Reuters
Dental firm vVardis reveals revenue surge in US IPO filing Reuters
Revolut’s Storonsky says he’s coming for JPMorgan’s US crown Edge
Sequoia-backed chip startup Nuvacore raising funds at about a USD2.5b valuation Reuters
Sam Altman-backed Bitcoin life insurer, Meanwhile, raises more funds Telegraph
Segantii insider trading trial ends with verdict due Feb Edge
Private equity rides megatrends Star
Private equity’s tougher path to riches Star
Airtel Money shares slip in debut after biggest London IPO in 5 years Edge
High-profile IPO listings that fell victim to market jitters in 2026 Reuters

Debt

TH Properties’ ICP programme assigned MARC-1 final rating MARC
Ahmad Zaki Resources settles RM69m debt claims with AmBank lenders Edge
Public debt rises to RM1.81t, but ratio to GDP eases NST
Malaysia’s debt service bill to hit RM61b in 2027, eating up 16% of govt revenue Edge
Malaysia to slow borrowings in 2027 as govt racks up debt for deficit spending Edge Star
Rail-linked entities account for nearly 80% of RM248b in govt guarantees Edge
Budget 2027: Loan facilities, financing guarantees for businesses raised to RM57b Edge Star
Govt allocates RM6.6b in microfinancing to help boost income of small businesses Edge
BNM expects 9k MSMEs to benefit from RM5b expansion of relief fund Edge NST Star
Budget 2027: RM1b financing to help MSMEs explore export markets Edge
PUNB welcomes funding increase to RM500m under Budget 2027 Edge
Budget 2027: RM1.7b allocation to strengthen BSN’s microfinance role Edge
Expanded co-investment funds can help strengthen SMEs working capital Star
Malaysian shippers get fixed stamp duty on ship loans Edge NST
DayOne in early talks with banks for potential USD500m bond Edge
China’s debt interest costs are soaring above US levels and growing faster Yahoo
Chinese bonds become source of cheap money for global borrowers Edge
China allows provinces to draw on USD82b to shore up growth Edge
Economist on US debt: ‘The problem is we’re not resilient’ Yahoo
Wall Street winces at bond squeeze Edge
For the first time ever, 10-year bond yields track diesel prices more closely than crude Yahoo
US 10-year Treasury yield risks hitting 6% for first time since 2000 Reuters
Peter Schiff says bond yields could surpass 8% as risk of government default rises Yahoo
The hawk Fed Chair who broke the bond market? Yahoo
Global watchdog urges authorities to close emergency funding gaps for failing banks Edge
Franklin Templeton sees short-term debt as sweet spot for AI Edge
Europe’s indebted nations are starting to blink at market wrath Yahoo
Investor doubts deepen as France’s debt pile nears 120% of GDP Mail
The risk factor: The opposing forces reshaping global finance Edge
Rich countries are now on front lines as world’s risk map shifts Edge
Central banks face test. Will they be good cops or bond villains? NST
Higher bond yields for longer? Star
AI borrowers face costly reality Star
Bond selloff may mean fewer rate hikes from global central banks Yahoo
Money market funds attract massive inflows as bond selloff bit Reuters

Digital assets

Malaysia to open up government sukuk to public via blockchain Edge
Ledger investigates wallet tampering in USD86m crypto theft Desk Telegraph
Thailand finalises rules paving way for Bitcoin, Ether ETFs Telegraph
HSBC, Ant Digital test AI-agent payments using tokenised deposits Telegraph
Visa survey says nearly half of APAC consumers open to using stablecoins by 2031 Desk
Tokenised commodities look beyond gold as lending and oil open new markets Desk
DOJ scrutinises Binance compliance with 2023 settlement deal Edge
US CFTC moves to fold event contracts into swaps regulations as legal fight rages Desk
CFTC proposals aimed at separating prediction markets from casino gambling Telegraph
UK sanctions 3 crypto exchanges tied to Russian illicit funds Telegraph
ESMA seeks evidence tokenised collateral can be cashed out in crisis Telegraph
France is world’s most dangerous place for Bitcoiners: 90 attacks in 7 months Telegraph
IMF finds demand for tokenised stocks, says the market is still volatile, illiquid Desk

M&A

AIMAX to sell 2 firms to Datasonic for RM15m to partially settle debt Edge Star
Citaglobal’s proposed Zeqna acquisition price reduced to RM14.5mil Star
Artroniq expands F&B business with RM10m acquisition Reserve
Astral Asia explores RM234m Kuantan land sale to HNG Capital Edge Reserve
Hektar REIT aborts RM26m deal for Perlis land for solar farm project Edge
PAG in exclusive talks to acquire stake in Evergrande unit Edge
Amazon in talks to buy AI startup Decart for around USD7b Reuters
GTCR, Elliott in advanced talks to buy CCC Intelligent Solutions Edge
Nvidia in talks to invest further in Reflection AI or buy it Reuters
BASF could make higher offer for Evonik Edge
Anta becomes Puma’s largest shareholder as firm accelerates global expansion Star
EU antitrust regulators to decide on UniCredit’s Commerzbank deal by 16 Nov Reuters
INWIT investors line up financing for possible take-private Reuters

Malaysia

Budget drives economic growth through capital formation and mobilisation NST Star
GLICs, GLCs gear up for RM120b growth push Star
Business expansion to continue driving corporate fundraising Star
2.8% inflation forecast for 2027, higher if geopolitical tensions escalate Edge NST
Labuan IBFC banks on broader financial ecosystem Star
Private investment to normalise next year after strong growth in preceding years NST
10% rise in approved investments could lift private investment by 5.2% NST
Malaysia to introduce multi-family office model in Forest City Edge
2027 Budget: RM100m fund to boost tech start-ups in Penang NST
All Malaysians to be automatically registered with EPF at age 18 Edge
Grants to statutory bodies to rise 14% to RM17.1b in 2027 Edge
RM200m in equipment, training grants for 40k to start small businesses Edge
Up to RM5k matching grants to help MSMEs get halal status Edge
Govt on track for pension reform as retirement charges to swell to RM44.6b in 2027 Edge
Industry groups say Budget 2027 falls short of addressing rising business costs Edge
Govt investment companies expect wealth creation from Budget 2027 Edge
Economy to moderate to 4.2%-5.2% in 2027 Edge Star
IPI expands 5% in Aug, manufacturing sales hit RM185b Edge Mail Star
Wholesale, retail trade sales rise 10.5% to RM173b in Aug — DOSM Edge Mail NST Star
DOSM: Manufacturing sales jump 9.9% to RM185b in Aug, powered by electronics Mail Star
Services sector set to grow 5.5% in 2026 NST Star
Services sector set to grow 5.2% in 2027 NST
Aug 2026 unemployment rate hits new low of 2.9% Mail NST Star
Unemployment rate expected to remain at 3% in 2026 NST
Budget 2027 expected to hit record RM459.84b, 82% for operating expenditure Edge NST
Fiscal deficit to narrow to 3.3% in 2027, but shortfall remains above RM77b Edge NST
Public sector’s deficit to increase to 7.0% of GDP in 2027, as NFPCs spend more NST
Pre-election spending pressures could limit fiscal consolidation — Moody’s Edge
SME income tax rates cut by 1 percentage-point Edge
The winners and losers of Malaysia’s 2027 spending plan Edge
EP Manufacturing, Hebei Shichang to invest RM100m in plant Edge Reserve NST Star

Other markets

Singapore to tighten monetary policy amid strong growth, rising inflation risks NST
5 charts sounding the alarm for stretched US markets Edge
US Aug wholesale inventories revised lower Edge
US consumer sentiment near record low Edge NST Reuters
Proposed next EU budget slashed by EUR140b Edge
Egypt inflation slows again despite Iran war price pressures Edge
World economic growth to slow to 2.6% in 2026, UN trade body says Edge Reuters