In today’s edition of Evening 5 — Five telcos have finally inked deals with DNB, and will collectively own a 70% stake in the state-owned entity, while Putrajaya will retain 30% plus a golden share. Meanwhile, PM Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says Digital ID concerns such as personal data leaks and chip implants are unfounded.
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00:00 [Music]
00:04 State-owned DNB is to be 70% owned by five local telcos,
00:09 while the remaining 30% will be retained by Putrajaya, accompanied by a golden share.
00:15 According to Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, the five telcos,
00:20 comprising Selkom Digi, Maxis, Telekom Malaysia, UMobile and YTL Communications,
00:26 finally inked share subscription agreements with DNB and the MOF,
00:30 to subscribe to a 14% stake each in the government-owned outfit.
00:34 In exchange for the respective 14% stakes, each telco will inject RM233 million into DNB,
00:42 which the latter will utilise to meet its funding requirements,
00:46 currently focused on achieving coverage of populated areas of 80%.
00:51 The agreements are expected to be completed between February and April 2024,
00:56 subject to a due diligence process being completed by the telcos.
01:01 Beyond this, details on the agreements and their effect,
01:04 which were disclosed by Fahmi, were limited at best.
01:08 When asked in detail about the agreements, rights provided by the government's golden share,
01:13 DNB's board composition, exit clause for telcos interested in the second network of Entity B
01:19 and impact on DNB's mandate, Fahmi merely told reporters to direct their questions instead to the MOF,
01:26 the Communications and Digital Ministry's Secretary-General or the future DNB Chairman later.
01:32 Prime Minister Dato' Sri Anwar Ibrahim stressed that concerns regarding the National Digital
01:42 Identity Initiative or Digital ID, such as personal and banking records being leaked
01:48 and human microchipping are completely unfounded.
01:51 According to a Burnama report, Anwar said Malaysians need to accept the fact that the
01:56 country should advance in line with current developments, including the use of technology.
02:01 He said there shouldn't be any fear concerning personal data,
02:05 as Bank Negara Malaysia would not release anyone's banking details.
02:09 As for human chip implants, he said those who believed this
02:13 had probably been watching too many Hollywood movies.
02:16 Anwar told reporters this after registering with the initiative today,
02:20 making him the first individual in the country to have a digital ID.
02:25 For now, he said it is not mandatory to register with the platform,
02:29 though he encouraged all civil servants to do so, as the Rahmah cash aid and all forms
02:34 of targeted subsidies will be channelled through the digital ID, a digital form of identification
02:40 and verification of individuals that is aimed at preventing identity fraud during online transactions.
02:47 IHH Healthcare, an operator of private hospitals in Asia,
02:56 is said to be looking for acquisitions in new markets, such as Indonesia and Vietnam,
03:02 and opportunities to expand in countries where it already has a presence, such as India and Turkey,
03:07 while also turning around underperforming assets in China.
03:11 Group CEO Prem Kumar Nair said this in an interview with Reuters.
03:16 The physician and healthcare executive with over three decades of experience in the sector
03:21 reportedly said that the group is looking at where some of its foreign patients are coming from,
03:26 and described its source markets as "very strong".
03:29 The report noted that IHH is in the midst of reviewing its strategy for China,
03:34 where its operations are currently loss-making.
03:37 Prem also reportedly said,
03:39 "China is a market where IHH needs to stay the course and play the long game,
03:44 because it is a huge market."
03:46 The group is aiming to grow organically by adding another 4,000 new beds across Malaysia,
03:51 India, Hong Kong, Turkey and Europe in the next five years, to its current 12,000 beds.
04:02 Analysts are expecting wider losses for Capital A for FY2023.
04:07 After its recent nine-month results missed consensus
04:11 in line with lower-than-expected rebound in air travel,
04:14 the PN17 firm posted a RM652.2 million loss for the first nine months of FY2023.
04:22 Hong Leong Investment Bank Research cut its earnings forecast to RM550.2 million loss
04:29 against its previous estimate of RM90.8 million for FY2023,
04:34 trimmed its estimate by 3% for FY2024, and raised it by 2.8% for FY2025.
04:42 It has a buy call with a lower target price of RM1.4.
04:46 Meanwhile, MIDF Investment Bank cut its earnings estimates by 105% for FY2023,
04:54 followed by a 6% and 1% reduction for FY2024 and FY2025, respectively.
05:00 It maintained its neutral recommendation on the stock,
05:04 though it lowered its target price to RM0.80 from RM0.90.
05:08 TA Securities Holdings projected Capital A to post a RM35.3 million loss for FY2023
05:16 versus its previous forecast of a RM399.6 million net profit.
05:21 The research house which kept its sell call on Capital A
05:25 also cut its FY2024 to FY2025 earnings projections by 31.6% to 63.9%, respectively,
05:34 while lowering its target price to RM0.85.
05:38 Capital A shares fell 0.57% to RM0.865, valuing it at RM3.6 billion.
05:50 Property developer Avalan, formerly known as MCT,
05:54 has re-designated its non-independent, non-executive director, Apollo Belotanko,
05:59 as the group's executive director and chief executive officer, effective January 1, 2024.
06:06 He succeeds Teh Heng Chong, who has resigned to pursue his personal interest.
06:12 Teh was appointed to the company's board as executive director and CEO on March 4, 2019.
06:18 According to the group's annual report, Apollo first joined the board as a non-independent,
06:23 non-executive director in January 2019.
06:27 He was appointed to the positions of executive director and chief operating officer in March 2019
06:34 before being re-designated to non-independent, non-executive director in December 2022.
06:40 Chairman Tan Sri Abimusa Asaari said in a statement
06:43 that Apollo brings with him a wealth of both technical and management experience,
06:48 having been with Ayala Land for close to 30 years,
06:52 and responsible for the development of five townships covering almost 5,500 acres.
06:58 Shares of Avalan closed 2.1% lower at 23.5 cent a day,
07:04 giving the group a market capitalization of RM342.39 million.
07:09 Ringgit.