For FY2025, Maybank’s gross loans stood at RM686.5 billion, up 1.7% year-on-year; it had previously guided for a loan growth of 5% to 6% for FY2025. Malaysia: Anchored by consumption and infrastructureIn its home market, Maybank is targeting loan growth of about 5% to 6%, broadly tracking the projected gross domestic product, or GDP, growth of around 5.1%, and system credit growth of about 5.2%. The group's Singapore loans grew 5% in FY2025, supported by consumer and financial services as well as selected corporate segments. Despite the 3% contraction in FY2025, Maybank is guiding for 8% to 10% loan growth in the republic for FY2026 — versus the anticipated system loans growth of between 9% and 11% — while Indonesia's GDP is expected to grow around 5%. Beyond loan growth, Maybank is guiding for 2.05%-2.10% net interest margins for the group for FY2026, with credit charges expected to normalise to around 20 basis points (bps), following an exceptionally low 8bps in FY2025.

KUALA LUMPUR: The managing director of a local marine maintenance company claims he has lost more than RM1.3mil after over a vessel-cleaning contract, which turned out to be a scam. He claimed the company asked him to make an advance payment to the subcontractor but he was never reimbursed for it. Adding to his predicament, Nagamani said he is now facing court action after the subcontractor demanded full payment and his company's account had been frozen. "MHO will stand with victims to ensure their voices are heard," he said at a press conference at the MHO headquarters here. Hishamuddin also questioned the civil suit filed by the subcontractor against the victim for cleaning works allegedly completed, despite official records proving the vessels did not exist and had never entered the waters concerned.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): Guan Chong Bhd (KL:GCB), the world’s fourth largest cocoa grinder, reported an almost 80% drop in fourth-quarter profit as softer demand and lower grinding margins weighed on earnings. Net profit for the quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 (4QFY2025) fell to RM42.98 million from RM212.96 million a year earlier, the company said in a filing to Bursa Malaysia on Thursday. For the full year, net profit fell 47% to RM227.02 million from RM429.16 million in FY2024 despite a 43% jump in revenue to RM14.92 billion from RM10.44 billion, underscoring margin compression during a period of heightened price volatility. As at end-December 2025, cash stood at RM123.2 million, while total borrowings were RM3.19 billion, resulting in net debt of RM3.07 billion. Guan Chong said it remains focused on its core cocoa ingredient processing business while expanding into higher-margin industrial chocolate and optimising production in response to market conditions.

MILAN (Feb 26): Stellantis on Thursday reported a net loss of 20.1 billion euros (US$23.8 billion) for the second half of 2025, after multi-billion euro charges the automaker booked earlier this month to reflect its scaled-back electric-vehicle ambitions. The Jeep-to-Peugeot maker said it had booked a total of 25.4 billion euros in writedowns last year, including 22.2 billion euros for the second half it announced on February 6, sending its shares tanking. In the second half, Stellantis booked an adjusted operating loss of 1.38 billion euros, also in line with the preliminary estimate. Net revenues were however up 10% year-on-year in the July-December period to 79.25 billion euros, with an encouraging 11% increase in vehicle shipments over the six months. The group — which traditionally sees the North American market, and the US in particular, as its profit powerhouse — said it expected costs related to US tariffs to rise to 1.6 billion euros this year from 1.2 billion euros in 2025.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): Sime Darby Property Bhd (KL:SIMEPROP) closed 2025 with a 3.09% gain in net profit, as the group surpassed the RM4 billion sales mark for the second consecutive year. The group eyes sales target of RM4 billion this year, backed by planned launches worth RM4.7 billion. In 4QFY2025, SimeProp posted a net profit of RM88.41 million from RM87.56 million a year ago. In the full year, SimeProp's investment and asset management (IAM) segment delivered revenue of RM183.9 million and pre-tax profit of RM48.1 million. Unbilled sales stood at RM3.9 billion at end-2025, with bookings of RM1.7 billion at mid-February, SimeProp said.

PETALING JAYA: After a long wait, national badminton legend Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei has finally fulfilled one of his personal ambitions by launching his own tournament, the Lee Chong Wei (LCW) Cup. Unlike other invitational tournaments that feature world stars, Chong Wei has chosen to open participation exclusively to teenagers aged between 13 and 17. The total prize pool stands at RM100,000 and winners in each category will earn a trial with the national squad at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara. “As for why we are not organising a senior level tournament, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) calendar is very packed. I do not see any top players having the time to take part," said Chong Wei.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): Axiata Group Bhd (KL:AXIATA) said it will not provide any earnings guidance this year amid a restructuring at the biggest Malaysian telecommunications company by revenue. Ongoing asset consolidation and monetisation would cause fluctuations in its reporting numbers, chief financial officer Nik Rizal Kamil Nik Ibrahim Kamil said at an earnings briefing. The usual revenue and earnings before interest and tax targets will be reinstated from 2027 onwards, he noted. Axiata has been preparing to monetise select assets, such as its tower arm edotco Group Sdn Bhd, though Nik Rizal refused to provide any details. Last year, Axiata completed the merger of its unit PT XL Axiata Tbk with PT Smartfren Telecom Tbk and PT Smart Telcom, which created Indonesia’s second-largest mobile network operator by subscribers.

KOTA KINABALU: The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will close its office in Beaufort starting Thursday (Feb 26) until further notice due to rising floodwaters in the area. In a statement the same day, EPF said the closure is a precautionary measure taken to ensure the safety and well-being of its members and staff. "The EPF is working with local authorities and service providers to monitor the situation and will provide status updates as soon as possible," the statement read. Following the closure, members who have made prior appointments at the Beaufort branch are advised to reschedule their visits. For further information regarding EPF services and transactions, members can reach out to the EPF Contact Centre at 03-8922 6000 or visit its official website at www.kwsp.gov.my.

PETALING JAYA: Heavy penalties alone are not enough to change littering habits; highly visible and uncompromising enforcement of the anti-littering law is also crucial, say experts. The implementation of the amended law must come as a “shock” to the community, said sustainable development lawyer Kiu Jia Yaw. However, he said there was also a need for better planning, including increasing the number of waste disposal sites during public events or fairs. “If Malaysians see offenders fined and doing community service, the law will gain credibility and attitudes can change,” she said. “We never grew up thinking of the consequences.”He added that Malaysians used to laugh at Singapore’s strictness, but not any more.

(Feb 26): President Christine Lagarde repeated that the European Central Bank (ECB) has succeeded in taming consumer prices, while cautioning that policymakers must keep an eye on elevated perceptions of inflation. “Our efforts to bring inflation down have been effective,” Lagarde said. They forecast inflation to stabilise at the 2% target over the medium term and growth to pick up. However, perceived inflation is higher than actual readings, according to the latest Consumer Expectation Survey. “The ECB pays close attention to households’ inflation perceptions — not only because these have an impact on economic activity and expectations, but also to ensure that we continue to earn the trust of the people we serve,” Lagarde said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia has suspended intraday short selling (IDSS) on MSM Malaysia Holdings Bhd for the rest of the trading day after the stock breached the exchange’s price limit threshold. The suspension was triggered after MSM’s last done price fell more than 15% or 15 sen from its reference price. Shares of the sugar refiner dropped 15.71%, or 16 sen, to 88 sen at 3.16 pm. Over the past five trading days, the stock has declined more than 18.3%. For the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 (4Q25), MSM recorded a net loss of RM366.63mil versus a net profit of RM71.70mil in 4Q25, while revenue slipped to RM783.08mil from RM943.60mil previously.

Revenue rose 6.1 per cent to RM1.79 billion in FY2025 compared to RM1.69 billion recorded in the previous year, it said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia today. Time also declared an interim tax-exempt (single-tier) dividend of 17.32 sen and a special interim taxexempt (single-tier) dividend of 9.73 sen per share, respectively. For the fourth quarter, net profit decreased to RM104.38 million from RM114.40 million previously, while revenue rose to RM464.79 million from RM430.59 million. Moving forward, the group said it remains focused on driving long-term sustainable growth as the telecommunications landscape continues to evolve. "Time will continue to invest in network expansion, digital transformation and enhanced customer solutions to maintain its competitive edge,” it said.

SCAMMERS have found a shockingly creative way to lighten your wallet while pretending to lower your electricity bill. Verdict:TRUETNB has warned the public about scammers impersonating the national utility provider to swindle customers out of their money. They offered fake discounts on electricity bill payments, demanded payment to avoid electricity supply cuts, offered illegal services such as meter tampering, and sold unverified energy-saving devices claimed to reduce electricity bills. The public was also encouraged to contact TNB CareLine to verify the legitimacy of any offer or promotion linked to TNB. TNB CareLine can be reached at 1-300-88-5454, via Facebook at TNB CareLine, or on X at @Tenaga_Nasional.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): TIME dotCom Bhd (KL:TIMECOM) on Thursday said it is upgrading its dividend policy as earnings at the internet service provider surged more than 30% in 2025. The company plans to pay out 50% to 75% of its net profit after adjusting for extraordinary items as dividends to shareholders, according to an exchange filing. The previous dividend policy called for distribution of up to half of its annual earnings. An interim dividend of 17.32 sen per share and a special dividend of 9.73 sen per share were also declared, both payable on March 25. The change in policy comes after TIME reported a jump in net profit to RM428.16 million in 2025 from RM328.16 million a year earlier, thanks to lower impairment of submarine cable and reduced net foreign exchange loss.

PUTRAJAYA (Feb 26): The Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0 (PRM 2.0), a voluntary amnesty initiative that allows undocumented migrants to return to their home countries without facing prosecution, has generated over RM88 million in revenue as of Feb 23, according to Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban. Launched on May 19, 2025, and running until April 30, PRM 2.0 has recorded 177,000 registrations, with more than 100,000 illegal immigrants repatriated to their countries of origin. No decision has been made so far,” he told reporters at the Immigration Department’s Semarak Ramadan programme on Thursday. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail previously announced that the government had approved the extension of PRM 2.0 from May 19, 2025, to April 30, 2026, covering Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan. PRM 2.0 is a voluntary amnesty scheme offering illegal immigrants exemption from prosecution while allowing them to regularise their status through the payment of compounds for certain offences.