Malaysia’s high-flying drone industry grounded by regulation

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Hello reader,

Recently while I was on vacation in the UK, my ears became familiar with a certain buzz in the air. No, it didn’t come from the massive bumblebees of the mystical Caldey Island or even the flies that swarm most beer-soaked tables in the bustling market streets of London.

The sound, in fact, came from drones. I saw them often enough that it wasn’t surprising to find the UK at the top of the Drone Readiness Index. Developed by consultancy Drone Industry Insights (DII), the index compares drone regulations in various countries.

Landing at no. 21 is Malaysia, which jumped eight spots from last year to be among the highest-placed nations in Southeast Asia in 2023.

While that certainly isn’t bad, today’s featured piece argues why Malaysia has plenty of room to improve, especially since it’s the home of Aerodyne and Meraque, which rank first and 18th, respectively, among the world’s drone service providers.

Given that Malaysia requires a host of different government organizations to sign off on drone operations, our premium story highlights the need for a unified body to deal with both drone approvals and investments as well as how the slow pace of legal reforms has left a cloud hanging over the burgeoning industry.

Today we look at:

• The regulatory barriers slowing down Malaysia’s drone industry
• Singapore-based Aspire’s expansion plans in the Asia Pacific after turning profitable
• Other newsy highlights such as how SEA’s green dreams have gone up in smoke and Binance’s legal woes in the US

— Shravanth

P.S.: If you’re an entrepreneur looking for funding, fill out this form to get your company featured on our list of fundraising startups.

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The Malaysian drone conundrum

Image credit: Timmy Loen

It’s pretty staggering how many regulatory hoops Malaysia’ drone operators need to pass through in order to get their operations off the ground.

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