MUFG chases global peers for cash in US$1.3 tril bank business
MUFG has about 1,300 staff involved globally in the transaction banking business, which refers to services offered to companies for mundane tasks such as cash management, billing, payments, and trade finance, typically supported by international networks. Global transaction banking generated nearly US$1.3 trillion in revenue in 2024, making up roughly half of the wholesale banking revenue pool, McKinsey & Co said in a report in September 2025. The bank plans to expand its staff but competition for talent is intensifying, said the 30-year veteran of the industry. The move will allow its customers to access domestic payment networks in the countries without opening an account with local banks. MUFG hopes to attract local currency deposits from Japanese and other multinational companies operating in those Southeast Asian countries, Matsumoto said.
Source:The Edge Markets
April 02, 2026 04:11 UTC
Trump’s delayed Xi summit gives US-China irritants room to grow
EVERY week that passes without a face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping gives fresh grievances time to accumulate. As those tensions build ahead of a much-anticipated leaders’ summit delayed to mid-May, the White House has signalled its intent to keep ties steady. When Trump delayed his visit to China, he cited the need to stay in Washington to focus on US military operations in Iran. Greer on Tuesday downplayed the prospect that the conflict could delay talks further, saying preparations for the summit are on track. The court ruling removed Trump’s 10% so-called reciprocal tariff on Chinese goods, as well as a separate 10% levy over fentanyl.
Source:The Star
April 02, 2026 03:56 UTC
Scammed, but still told to settle credit card bill
Public cautioned to be vigilantKUALA LUMPUR: A 67-year-old contractor who lost nearly RM20,000 to credit card fraud involving overseas transactions has been required to settle the full outstanding amount, despite disputing the charges. A 65-year-old housewife, known as Tan, was charged RM17,997 after a transaction was made on her credit card at a retail outlet while she was at home in January. Meanwhile, a 30-year-old salesman, Tan, lost about RM15,800 after scammers posing as bank officials tricked him into revealing his credit card details. He received a text claiming a purchase had been made on his credit card and was told to call a number provided. She subsequently discovered that RM7,455 had been charged to her husband’s credit card via an online platform.
Source:The Star
April 02, 2026 03:50 UTC
Making STEAM appealing
Vogler, through his channels with the handle Engineezy, shares his kinetic contraptions that combine both elements of creativity and engineering ingenuity. In his view, STEM projects could be made more appealing through the integration of arts. The introduction of artistic elements into science and engineering projects could potentially cultivate genuine curiosity in students. STEM elements could also be subtly integrated into classes for art. Instead of leaving the project as a stationary sculpture, one way to introduce STEM elements in an engaging way would be to have an assignment to build a moving sculpture.
Source:The Edge Markets
April 02, 2026 03:47 UTC
Singapore army disposes of 250kg World War II bomb near airport
The war relic was considered too dangerous to be moved, the police said in a statement on Wednesday night. The explosive is within the Changi East development area, where Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 is being built. Areas accessible to the public will not be affected due to the disposal.
Source:The Edge Markets
April 02, 2026 03:36 UTC
NGOs call for RCI into Putra Heights blast
SUBANG JAYA: A few non-governmental organisations want an immediate establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) and stronger public safety protections for communities living near fossil fuel infrastructure. At a press conference to mark the first anniversary of the Putra Heights gas fire here, the organisers – Greenpeace Malaysia, RimbaWatch and Artivist Network – also launched a policy brief entitled “Putra Heights One Year On: Unanswered Questions Remain”, alongside a documentary screening and community sharing session reflecting on the experiences of affected residents. Urgent review: Representatives from NGOs and a Putra Heights Topaz home resident Ooi Sui Li (second from left) hand over the policy brief to Kota Kemuning assemblyman Preakas Sampunathan (second from right). The event held at the Putra Heights mosque here yesterday also saw calls for the Energy Commission (EC) to be the Lead Safety Agency. “The EC must establish and enforce minimum pipeline safety standards, including buffer zones based on the Potential Impact Radius (PIR) formula.
Source:The Star
April 02, 2026 03:35 UTC
Anthropic’s Claude code leak revealed unreleased features
“They’re part of the incredibly rapid release cycle that we’ve had around Claude Code,” Smith said in an interview Wednesday. The unintended release marked Anthropic’s second security slip-up in a matter of days, compromising approximately 1,900 files and 512,000 lines of code related to Claude Code. In a series of posts overnight on X, Claude Code creator Boris Cherny said Anthropic’s “deploy process has a few manual steps, and we didn’t do one of the steps correctly”. Among them, he listed:Kairos, a setting that allows Claude to run in the background. Coordinator Mode, which allows AI to break a task into pieces and delegate them to individual workers.
Source:The Edge Markets
April 02, 2026 03:31 UTC
South Korea March inflation undershoots forecasts but risks skewed higher
SEOUL (April 2): South Korea's inflation picked up less than expected in March as the government capped fuel prices, but policymakers and economists warned that risks remain tilted to the upside with oil prices surging past US$100 a barrel driven by the Iran war. Asia's fourth-largest economy, which is also the world's fourth-largest importer of oil, introduced last month nationwide fuel prices caps for the first time in nearly 30 years. Prices of petroleum products jumped 10.4% over the month, but agricultural products fell 3.0% due to an increase in supply. "Fuel prices, even if kept at the levels seen in March, will raise annual inflation over 2.5%, so upward revisions to inflation forecasts are inevitable," Lee said, also noting rising airfare while higher fertiliser costs were squeezing agricultural prices. The central bank, which targets 2% inflation over the medium term, projected inflation at 2.1% this year in February, based on assumptions of US$64-a-barrel oil prices — assumptions since upended by the war.
Source:The Edge Markets
April 02, 2026 03:01 UTC
Trump says Iranian leader has asked for a ceasefire
WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - Iran's new leader has just asked the United States for a ceasefire, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. "We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion," he said. (Reporting by Susan Heavey, writing by David Ljunggren, Editing by Louise Heavens)
Source:The Star
April 02, 2026 02:30 UTC
Gold declines after Trump signals further US strikes in Iran war
(April 2): Gold fell after US President Donald Trump said the US would hit Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks. Bullion dropped as much as 2.3%, reversing an earlier gain, after Trump used a primetime address to praise US military success in Iran without announcing a ceasefire. Equities fell, a gauge of the US dollar rose and oil jumped as concerns lingered over energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Inflationary risks stemming from high oil prices had reduced the prospect of lower borrowing costs, outweighing bullion’s traditional appeal as a haven. Spot gold fell 1.3% to US$4,695.15 an ounce at 9.43am Singapore time.
Source:The Edge Markets
April 02, 2026 02:25 UTC
Other risks on the road too
Advocates urge targeting risky behaviour beyond intoxicationPETALING JAYA: Driving under the influence (DUI) is a serious road safety issue but enforcement should tackle all fronts, say road safety advocates. Vehicle Theft and Accident Reduction Council coordinator Mas Tina Abdul Hamid said road safety strategies driven by data-based insights were necessary to target behaviours and conditions accounting for road crash fatalities. Referencing official figures and verified reports, she said Malaysia continued to record high numbers of road accident fatalities through the years. It underscores the need for addressing road safety holistically,” said Mas Tina. Road Safety Council of Malaysia executive council member Datuk Suret Singh said the elephant in the room was how motorcyclists continued to form the bulk of road accident fatalities.
Source:The Star
April 02, 2026 02:15 UTC
Tsunami warning triggered after quake off Indonesia’s coast
JAKARTA: A strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia on Thursday (April 2), triggering warning of tsunami along the coast of Indonesia. According to AFP, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said a US monitoring centre issued a warning of possible “hazardous tsunami waves” within 1,000km of the epicentre. The quake, which was initially recorded at a magnitude of 7.8, hit at a local time of 6.48am in the Molucca Sea, USGS said. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that hazardous tsunami waves were possible “within 1,000km of the epicenter” along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. -AFPMore to come
Source:The Star
April 02, 2026 01:20 UTC
Varying views over mainland move
‘Proposed secondary LRT depot shift land-efficient but needs solid design’PETALING JAYA: Plenty of feedback has come in since the revised Penang LRT Railway Scheme went on public display, especially on the proposed cross-channel link between the island and the mainland. “This is a very real possibility, considering that the Sungai Dua site will eventually see more housing developments, among others,” said the contractor’s representative. He added that having the second depot at Penang Sentral would be a strategic move if all of the above were addressed from the onset. On moving the secondary LRT depot to the mainland, The Star understands that at least one consortium has put forth a proposal that not only shifts the Sungai Dua depot to Penang Sentral but also combines the Penang Sentral depot with the Penang Sentral LRT station, integrating it with Penang Sentral to create a sizeable, publicly accessible seafront for Butterworth. Penang Sentral is a facility that is owned and operated by Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd, which is also a bidder for some of the Mutiara Line work packages, and has transit-oriented development plans for its Penang Sentral site.
Source:The Star
April 02, 2026 00:40 UTC
Widow expresses relief as driver charged with murder over fatal Klang crash
KLANG: The widow of a motorcyclist killed in a recent road accident says she feels some relief now that the driver involved has been charged with murder. That’s all,” she told reporters at the lobby of the Klang Court complex after the charges were read on Wednesday (April 1). ALSOREAD: Drunk driver in fatal Klang crash charged with murderHe was first charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder. He also faced a second charge under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for having injected benzodiazepine and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) into his body. Amirul Hafiz leaves behind Nurul Nadia and their three children — Muhammad Aqif Amsyar, nine, Muhammad Afif Izz Rayqal, seven, and Nur Humaira, two.
Source:The Star
April 02, 2026 00:22 UTC
Developer continues outreach with essentials for S’ban underprivileged
A PROPERTY developer aims to make a lasting difference in the lives of those in need, via an outreach initiative in Seremban, Negri Sembilan, providing essential food supplies and daily necessities. Matrix Concepts Holdings Bhd’s Matrix Foodbank Drive 5.0, in collaboration with Kechara Soup Kitchen and the police, is helping 167 families in several residential areas. Also present was state deputy police chief SAC Mohd Nasharudin Mohd Shariff. “Their strong participation underscores the depth of commitment and collaboration in ensuring the success of this initiative,” he said. “Matrix Concepts remains committed to expanding such initiatives, reaching more communities and inspiring broader participation across sectors.”
Source:The Star
April 01, 2026 23:50 UTC