Contemporary Issues in Finance, Investment and Banking in Malaysia

This book is a collection of research works by experienced academics focusing on the current issues of fintech and cryptocurrency in the context of Malaysia. The book aims to fill the gap in the extant literature on the topic in Southeast Asia. The book starts with a discussion on the role of monetary policies in the advent of the current trend where cryptocurrencies are being used more widely as a medium of exchange compared to conventional fiat money. It then goes on to provide a comparative analysis for beginners regarding the differences between cryptocurrencies and stocks, considering facets such as ownership, methods of exchange, volatility, regulation, and their interconnectedness. Also discussed are the factors influencing on-line investment options using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) review method, a comparison of Islamic banking products and conventional fintech. The book ends on an analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Malaysian stock market. This book is a valuable read for undergraduate students, postgraduate students, academicians, researchers, and professionals working in the economics, finance, and banking industries, particularly in Southeast Asia.

Zulkefly Abdul Karim (Dr.) is a Professor at the Center for Sustainable and Inclusive Development Studies (SID), Faculty of Economics and Management. He received a Ph.D. degree in Economics from the University of Southampton, the United Kingdom, in Mac 2011. His research interests have concentrated on Applied Macroeconomics, Econometrics Modelling (time series and panel data), monetary and financial economics, public sector economics, and international trade. Up to date, he has published more than 100 articles in a refereed journal. Some of his publications have been published in WOS-SSCI impact factor journals such as Finance Research Letters (Q1), Technological and Economic Development of Economy (Q1), International Journal of Finance and Economics (Q2), Economic Research (Q2), Sustainability (Q2), Journal of Asia Pacific Economy (Q3), Singapore Economic Review (Q3), European Review (Q4), Global Economic Review (Q4), and Applied Economics Letters (Q4). He also has published in high-quality WOS-ESCI, and SCOPUS indexed journals, such as Journal of Asia Pacific Business, Economies, Studies in Economics and Finance, Journal of Financial Economics Policy, Macroeconomics and Finance in Emerging Market, Journal of Economic Cooperation and Development, Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, Southesat Asian Journal of Economics, Economies, Asian Academy of Management Journal of Accounting and Finance, Asian Academy of Management Journal, International Journal of Business and Society, and ext. In terms of the research grant, up to date, he has been conducted 23 research projects, with a total cumulative funding is more than RM1 million. He was also actively involved as a subject matter expert in various government agencies and institutions such as Ministry of Finance Malaysia, Malaysian Examination Council, Central Bank of Malaysia, Ministry of Health Malaysia, and Public Service Department. He has also been appointed as visiting scholar, trainer, guest lecturer, and visiting professor in many universities.

Ruzita Abdul Rahim is an Associate Professor of Finance and Investment at the Faculty of Economics and Management, UKM and currently is the Chairperson of the Centre for Global Business and Digital Economy (GLoBDE) Studies. Her areas of specialization are corporate finance including in international issues, and also investment. In term of publication, she has been contributing to the literature on capital structure, behavioral aspects of pricing in the initial public offerings (IPOs), mutual funds and common stocks, and hedging of the foreign exchange exposures. With the (r)evolutionary development of financial technology (fintech), she is recently developing an immense interest in the technology, cryptocurrency and blockchain and has started working on the conceptual and application aspects of these technologies in both Finance and Investment.

Wai-Yan Wong is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Management at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. She obtained her Bachelor’s, Masters’, and Ph.D. degrees in Finance from Universiti Sains Malaysia. She has 8 years of research experience and 5 years of teaching experience. Her research interest is in the area of corporate finance and corporate governance. She has published in Finance Research Letters, Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, International Journal of Managerial Finance, and Development Policy Review. She was the recipient of the USM Fellowship Scheme during her Masters and Ph.D. studies. She is a life member of the Malaysian Finance Association.

Siti Farah Dilla Zakaria, is a senior researcher affiliated at Tun Ismail Mohamed Ali Distinguished Chair (YTI-UKM) in the area of finance and investment. She obtained her Master of Business Administration (MBA) specializing in Human Resource Management from the Graduate School of Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM-GSB). Her research interest is in the area of Personal Financial Planning and Human Resource Management. She has 8 years of working experience in academic research area and technical editorial for numerous books published from UKM Press. She has also been more than 5 years of teaching experience in finance course.