Fair dinkum, Speedy!!!!!


Podium at world cup!

Got some great news about my boy Jeret from Jay today. The World Cup medals are starting to pile up for him.

I'm in Kuala Lumpur today doing some suit shopping and career research, laying some plans for Singapore. In my studies, I have encountered a strange new world of Islamic finance, a world of banking based on the teachings of the Qur' an. Many of the major Malay banks adhere to Syariah which imposes strict rules on transaction and agency. It is a very prevalent institution in Malaysia and other Muslim countries, but if you ask me it can only mean one thing. Higher costs of capital and lower degrees of competitiveness through out the economy. I think they are hanging on the that olive tree a little too tight!

My investigation into Malaysian banking is telling me that better opportunities exist in places like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Kuala Lumpur is not much of a center for the major players, but I'm still going to pop into a few small firms and learn what I can. Malaysia is definitely on it's way up, but it doesn't attract the same kind of international attention as the historical trading hubs of Singapore, HK, and Shanghai do. HSBC, Goldman, and JP are leading the charge into China and as joint-venture regulations flex in the coming years, Western capital is going to pour into the established Asian hubs. Lots of deals where there's rice for meals.