Malaysian Investment Experts Debate In An MMA-Style Showdown
Three investment experts in property, stocks and cryptocurrency asset classes duke it out in a debate on which is the best for 2025.
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During such uncertain times in the economic landscape, many who do (or don’t) invest their money for reasons of saving up for retirement, earn higher returns, or maybe even start a business, it’s difficult to say which asset class is the best at the moment.
Or are they all good?
CSI PROP, a leading real estate investment and research consultancy in Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong hosted Investment Showdown: The Ultimate Debate today where they pit three seasoned investment experts with specialised portfolios against each other in an MMA-themed debate, complete with an octagon ring.
The showdown took place at The Cage, a martial arts-themed restaurant and event space in LaLaport Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
No, there was no actual fighting involved (althought that would have been quite a sight) but the experts did throw jabs at each other in the form of comparing expertise and knowledge of their specialised asset classes which are property, stocks, and cryptocurrency.
In one corrner was Virata Gamany, Executive Director of CSI PROP, who advocates for foreign property investments, emphasising long-term growth and wealth preservation.
In the second corner, Alvin Vong, CEO of Equities Tracker Holdings Berhad represents the equities market, drawing on years of experience in equity analytics across Malaysia and South East Asia to share market insights.
The third contender Joe Lee, CEO of DefiDive and Magnr, rounds out the panel as the voice of cryptocurrency and digital assets, offering a look into a high-risk, high-reward field.
In a slight twist, former pro MMA fighter Peter Hugh Davis was the emcee and the debate was moderated (or should we say refereed) by George Wong, Country Manager for SEA New Markets and Regional General Manager of Operations at The Sandbox.
The showdown begins with the experts sharing why their asset class is the class for 2025
Gamany threw the first punch with why foreign property investments are the way to go by first highlighting that property is probably the safest investment for people from almost all income levels.
He then explained a situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when people spent most of their time at home with no holidays or shopping trips and other activities they had to sacrifice during the time.
“My tenants, they paid rent on time. Every single one of them because they made sure one thing is non-negotiable: their home,” Gamany said during the debate.
He continued to explain that in the last 10 years, the property market here in Malaysia did very badly and was making close to nothing. The reason for this was oversupply, and he quoted a media report which said there were 1.9 million homes empty in the whole of Malaysia.
Then, he shared his game plan which was to look for investment opportunities in other countries which was in an opposite situation Malaysia is in: an undersupply of properties.
“I haven’t bought properties in Malaysia for over a decade. Out of the 195 countries in the world, surely there’s one that’s the opposite of Malaysia. Instead of a 2 million oversupply, let me find one with a 2 million shortage. And then I narrow it down and the world’s your oyster.”
“You can set up your businesses here in Malaysia, send your kids to study in another country, and you can invest somewhere else like in one of those 195 countries where it actually makes sense” he said.
A counter punch by the champion of stock investments
Wong the moderator then passed the next turn to Vong, who champions stock investments, on the importance of liquidity.
“When people are forced to sell their property, it’s because of they lack the liquidity. Sometimes because they cannot sell fast enough due to the bad market. That’s why the liquidity factor is important.”
“Stocks are a much more liquid asset. Is liquidity much more important than long-term, secure homes?” Wong asked.
Vong said when it comes to stocks and crypto, what’s good is that it is highly fractionalised. He gave an example in a property context where you own a house with 5,000 bricks and you sell 5 bricks, you would still own 98% of the house.
He went on to explain that holding on to stocks as an investment has its downsides, such as banks not being very supportive to this asset class (trying to get a loan on a stock is difficult due to it being a high risk investment).
But, it’s still pretty much safe if you know the right stocks to buy such as from corporations sanctioned by the government such as Tenaga, which is very unlikely to collapse) as you won’t be at the mercy of a volatile market.
Crypto expert Joe Lee brings in a roundhouse kick to both asset classes
Earlier in the debate, Wong brought up the fact that crypto is the most accessible investment out of the other two. A person can invest as little as a few ringgit to millions, depending on their risk tolerance.
Crypto expert Lee started off by humorously highlighting how easy it is to send a photo across the world, and get confirmation of receipt, compared to sending over 5 dollars to a relative who lives overseas.
He then pointed out that cryptocurrency as an asset class today is 15 years old and continues to mature as time goes on.
“When you get an innovative asset class, there will be risks but that’s where I celebrate it to educate others of the risks involved. It’s not as scary as you might think”.
“Cryptocurrency is pushing the world forward in ways you’ve never seen before. Banks are looking to change their payment rails to run off cryptocurrency rails, which are far more efficient,” Lee said.
“Some of the world’s largest companies like Tesla are also adding Bitcoin to their treasuries,” he added.
He continued with saying sending money with cryptocurrency across borders won’t get charged and won’t be dominated by services like Western Union.
When asked if cryptocurrency is chasing the advancements traditional banking are making, Lee said he believes crypto is actually fighting against the traditional financial system.
“Cryptocurrency is giving banking no choice but to make their advancements quicker and at some point these two worlds might be able to converge so banks will use a lot of benefits that cryptocurrency has created,” Lee stated.
Investments can be daunting but it’s a good practice to participate in
Investing is important at any age as it’s an effective way to build your wealth by making your money work for you.
Holding cash and bank savings accounts are considered safe strategies but investing your money allows it to grow in value over time with the benefit of compounding and long-term growth.
Whether you invest in any of the asset classes above, or any other type of investment, it’s important to generate future income aside from just your day job.
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