From time to time, Corporate Malaysia has surprised me with its disclosure initiatives. While the rapid progress in transparency by Corporate Malaysia has been showcased by, say, Malayan Banking Berhad and IOI Corporation Berhad which upload their entire AGM proceedings to YouTube, and by Mega First Corporation Berhad and Catcha Digital Berhad which make their result briefings accessible to the public, I was still flabbergasted by Axteria Group Berhad which may have set a new standard for AGM minutes[1]. Perhaps, this reflects why Malaysia is ranked ahead of most emerging markets in corporate governance[2].

[1] As could be seen in the company’s minutes for its 2022 and 2023 AGMs, which have been made available on its website.

[2] For example, the Asian Corporate Governance Association ranked Malaysia as the fifth best among 12 Asia-Pacific countries, behind only developed countries, with its ranking dragged down mainly by the government and public governance factor. The country was also ranked third in corporate governance among 16 emerging markets by FTSE Russell, and this is echoed by IdealRatings, whose ESG methodology shows that companies listed on Bursa Malaysia usually fare well in the governance factor.