Kopi With YP: Your Minimalist Morning Brief, 9 Mar

Get up to speed and stay smart with the latest business, tech, and local news in under 2 minutes

Business

Oil prices slumped to a 2017 low after a bearish US supply report. US investors are also treading lightly in lieu of the expected Federal Reserve interest rate hike.

Kimly aims to raise $40 million in their kopitiam IPO, offering shares at 25 cents apiece. Trading on the Catalist board is expected to start on March 20.

Myanmar wants to modernize its banking system, in partnership with the World Bank. The plan includes overhauling four state banks with assets equivalent to a fifth of their GDP.
 

World

Malaysia reports highly contagious H5N1 bird flu from a backyard farm in Kelantan. All 26 birds have either been killed or destroyed.

Samsung will expand its US production facilities, with plans to open a new home appliance-making facility in the US.

Kim Jong Nam’s son appears in video to talk about his father’s death. The video emerged on Youtube, suggesting that his family has gone into hiding since the incident.
 

Local

Ministry of Transport sets higher target for train reliability, but warns us of the ‘hitches’ that are bound to happen in line with the North-South line signal system upgrade.

New vehicle emission scheme as part of NEA’s tighter standards to curb air pollution.

Khaw hints of increased transport fares in the future. He asked commuters to be “understanding” when fares have to go up.
 

Tech

Google trumps Amazon and Microsoft with Verizon announcing its move to Google’s G Suite for over 150,000 employees.

Uber’s reviewing its use of “Greyball”, as part of their program to identify users who violate the terms of service in their app.