The new Malaysian Government’s inaugural investor Conference themed Malaysia: A New Dawn (“the Conference”) was yesterday attended by over 1,200 institutional investors from 10 countries namely Malaysia, Brunei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States. The Conference conveyed the Government’s medium to long-term objectives on recalibrating the country and setting it on a new growth trajectory.
Lim Guan Eng, representing the Ministry of Finance as host of the Conference, said, “The major structural shifts to strengthen Malaysia bode well for the country’s political, social and economic resilience. In fact, with an expected GDP growth of around 5% in 2018, driven by domestic and external demand, Malaysia remains among the growing economies in the world today. We are confident that with fiscal consolidation and responsible management of our finances, Malaysia will be on a stronger and more sustainable growth path. Given our natural resources, strong professional workforce and highly sophisticated capital markets, the time to invest in Malaysia is now. I am excited for what the new Malaysia’s continuing growth story holds for her people, as well as for current and future investors.”
Discussions at the Conference were focused on Malaysia’s expected upward growth trajectory, as well as commitment to fiscal responsibility and institutional reforms. All these could further strengthen Malaysia’s standing as a preferred capital market, and its global leadership in Islamic finance. While headline risks posed by the US-China trade war and regional geopolitical tensions were also recognised during panel sessions, there was broad consensus that Malaysia was on the right recalibration track towards stronger and more sustainable growth.
