Invest Malaysia 2024 Hong Kong attracts 350 investors with AUM of over US$3 trillion

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia Bhd, which hosted Invest Malaysia 2024 (IM2024) in Hong Kong as part of its Invest Malaysia series, attracted over 350 investors, including those from fixed-income, equity, and private equity sectors, with combined assets under management (AUM) of over US$3 trillion (US$1 = RM4.333).

IM2024 in Hong Kong marks the third major financial city in Bursa Malaysia’s engagement session with equity investors across the region.

In a statement today, Bursa Malaysia highlighted that the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) had appreciated by 12.7 per cent year-to-date as of Sept 11, 2024, and looks set to grow further on the back of Malaysia’s strong macroeconomic indicators.

These indicators include solid gross domestic product growth, rising investments and exports, and a currency that is at its strongest in 18 months.

In his keynote address at IM2024, Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, highlighted Malaysia’s industrial reform policies, focusing on the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) and the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR).

Tengku Zafrul also referenced Malaysia’s National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), designed to sharpen the sector’s competitive edge, and the Green Investment Strategy (GIS), which aims to attract sustainability-themed investments in propelling the nation’s resilient growth.

The minister said that through the NSS, Malaysia is building on its strengths in the back-end process and Outsourced Assembly and Testing (OSAT) components of the global industry value chain to move into higher-value activities like integrated circuit design, advanced packaging, and equipment manufacturing.

Tengku Zafrul emphasised that investors, whether in industries or the stock market, are looking for two key factors — clarity of policies and the strength of policy implementation.

“Our efforts on both fronts appear to have paid off, judging from the 18 per cent increase in approved investments for the first half of 2024 and the 12.7 per cent rise in our equity market over the past year.

“Coupled with our strong economic fundamentals, Malaysia is fast becoming the preferred regional destination for high-quality investments under the MADANI economic framework,” he said.

IM2024 in Hong Kong focused on the investment opportunities under the NSS and GIS, both aimed at enhancing Malaysia’s long-term industrial resilience and sustainability while positioning the country as a regional leader in green manufacturing and technology.

These initiatives are expected to enhance Malaysia’s competitiveness as a trading nation. Investors’ confidence has also been bolstered by MITI’s efforts to improve the ease of doing business, along with strong public-private collaboration to address key issues, such as ensuring the skilled industrial talent pipeline.

Bursa Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift stated that Invest Malaysia continues to be a leading platform for the global investment community to fully appreciate Malaysia’s growing position as an attractive and sustainable investment destination.

He added that the next Invest Malaysia event will be organised in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, on Sept 26, 2024, to highlight the investment opportunities in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone. – BK