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New Straits Times
18-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Economic resilience bolsters US investor confidence in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's economic growth of 4.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 (1Q 2025) is a positive indicator of resilience and broadly reflects the stable business environment experienced by members of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). In a statement to Bernama, AmCham chief executive officer Datuk Siobhan Das said the US business community continues to view Malaysia as a strategic hub in the region, and this momentum reinforces a positive investment outlook. She highlighted that the strong bilateral ties between Malaysia and the United States — built over more than five decades — remain vital, and the association anticipates continued US investment in Malaysia. "We also anticipate Malaysian corporate investment into the US to grow on the back of the strong gross domestic product (GDP) numbers," she added. Das noted that while GDP performance is one of many yardsticks used by US multinationals, their investment outlook is largely influenced by the ease of day-to-day operations. "What drives operational and growth decisions for US multinationals is the day-to-day experience, ensuring their business activities are not hampered by administrative bureaucracy and outdated, frequently changing rules and regulations. "Although economic indicators remain relevant, long-term American investments also depend on Malaysia's competitiveness within global value chains," she said. She noted that flexibility and adaptability to business models are critical, especially when companies need to shift production capacity quickly. This requires assurance that this can be done efficiently, cost-effectively, and simplicity in compliance with local regulations. Yesterday, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) announced that the Malaysian economy expanded by 4.4 per cent in 1Q 2025, driven by sustained household spending supported by favourable labour market conditions and government policies. BNM Governor Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour said the 1Q expansion was further supported by steady investment activity and continued export growth, particularly in the electrical and electronics sector and tourism.
Barnama
17-05-2025
- Business
- Barnama
Economic Resilience Bolsters US Investor Confidence In Malaysia -- AMCHAM
REGION - CENTRAL > NEWS By Nurunnasihah Ahmad Rashid KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's economic growth of 4.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 (1Q 2025) is a positive indicator of resilience and broadly reflects the stable business environment experienced by members of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM). bootstrap slideshow In a statement to Bernama, AMCHAM chief executive officer Datuk Siobhan Das said the US business community continues to view Malaysia as a strategic hub in the region, and this momentum reinforces a positive investment outlook. She highlighted that the strong bilateral ties between Malaysia and the United States — built over more than five decades — remain vital, and the association anticipates continued US investment in Malaysia. 'We also anticipate Malaysian corporate investment into the US to grow on the back of the strong gross domestic product (GDP) numbers,' she added. Das noted that while GDP performance is one of many yardsticks used by US multinationals, their investment outlook is largely influenced by the ease of day-to-day operations. 'What drives operational and growth decisions for US multinationals is the day-to-day experience, ensuring their business activities are not hampered by administrative bureaucracy and outdated, frequently changing rules and regulations. 'Although economic indicators remain relevant, long-term American investments also depend on Malaysia's competitiveness within global value chains,' she said.
The Star
01-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Sustained interest from US investors
American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer Datuk Siobhan M. Das. KUALA LUMPUR: There is sustained interest coming from the United States companies looking to invest in Malaysia amidst the US-China trade tensions. American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer Datuk Siobhan M. Das said the chamber sees interests coming from sectors where traditional investments were attracting. 'I think the attractiveness over the last five years which we have seen grow exponentially is still going to continue. It is a question of what will land in Malaysia. So I think the US-China tensions again go back to providing opportunities. 'The amount of investments that have landed in Malaysia is significant. 'The United States is probably the largest investor (in Malaysia) right now,' she told Bernama in an interview. Siobhan was a guest on Bernama TV's The Nation programme entitled In Focus: Malaysia-US Trade Relations hosted by Jessy Chahal yesterday. Currently, more than 600 American companies have a presence in Malaysia. Siobhan said that over the last five years, the sectors that had consistently attracted American investments were the ones of high value, high technology and sectors that required specialty and quality to come out of their investments, which Malaysia is perfectly placed to do. 'Malaysia is perfectly equipped to be able to deliver in that space. The sectors, including electrical and electronics of which semiconductors is a part of, remain paramount. 'Building on that medical technology, you have seen a massive influx of medical technology companies that are here, aerospace, chemicals, and information and communications technology, are growing as well,' she added. Beyond that, Malaysia has a lot of opportunities for new industries such as critical minerals. — Bernama
The Sun
01-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
AmCham: Malaysia receives sustained interest from US investors
KUALA LUMPUR: There is sustained interest coming from US companies looking to invest in Malaysia amid trade tensions between the United States and China. American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) CEO Datuk Siobhan M. Das said the chamber sees interest coming from sectors where traditional investments were attracting. 'I think the attractiveness over the last five years which we have seen grow exponentially is still going to continue. It is a question of what will land in Malaysia. So I think the US-China tensions again go back to providing opportunities. 'The amount of investments that have landed in Malaysia is significant. The US is probably the largest investor (in Malaysia) right now,' she told Bernama in an interview. Siobhan was a guest on Bernama TV's The Nation programme entitled 'In Focus: Malaysia-US Trade Relations' hosted by Jessy Chahal on Wednesday. Currently, more than 600 American companies have a presence in Malaysia. Siobhan said that over the last five years, the sectors that had consistently attracted American investments were the ones of high value, high technology and sectors that required specialty and quality to come out of their investments, which Malaysia is perfectly placed to do. 'Malaysia is perfectly equipped to be able to deliver in that space. The sectors, including E&E (electrical and electronics) of which semiconductors is a part of, remain paramount. Building on that medical technology, you have seen a massive influx of medical technology companies that are here, aerospace, chemicals and of course ICT (information and communications technology) are growing as well,' she added. Beyond that, Malaysia has a lot of opportunities for new industries such as critical minerals. According to Malaysia's trade performance report, trade with the US rose by 29.9% in 2024 to RM324.91 billion compared to 2023. Trade with the US accounted for 11.3% of Malaysia's total trade, with exports to the US in 2024 reaching a new record high, surging 23.2% to RM198.65 billion. Siobhan said AmCham's strength came from its ability to gather the information from its members and be able to convey them to the government while also working in collaboration with the government. Asked whether AmCham foresees any rollback or continuation of tariffs under future US administrations, she said that with negotiations and with the understanding that Malaysia is a good partner, there could be some break in the level of tariffs. 'These are very early days. We don't know which direction they are going to go. And a lot of times the tariffs will not necessarily be direct, it's not necessarily a direct negotiation. There are other factors in play. We will have to wait and see how the whole relationship develops,' Siobhan said. Earlier during the programme, she said ties between the US and Malaysia had been constantly resilient on the back of diverse economic relationships between both countries. She noted that the Malaysian government right now was being extremely pragmatic, and it was taking the right approach in understanding what the US needs, and trying to formulate what is the offering for a business match. 'And that is very pragmatic, and I congratulate the government for doing that. But I think there are things that we could be doing ourselves. 'It is what we can do on the ground here to make ourselves more competitive, to actually understand what we have in Malaysia, and to make sure that we are focused on those high-value areas, so that we are bringing the right investments into the right sectors, lowering the attrition rate,' Siobhan said.
The Star
01-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
AmCham: Malaysia receives sustained interest from US investors
American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) chief executive officer Datuk Siobhan M. Das KUALA LUMPUR: There is sustained interest coming from the United States (US) companies looking to invest in Malaysia amidst the US-China trade tensions. American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) chief executive officer Datuk Siobhan M. Das said the chamber sees interests coming from sectors where traditional investments were attracting. "I think the attractiveness over the last five years which we have seen grow exponentially is still going to continue. It is a question of what will land in Malaysia. So I think the US-China tensions again go back to providing opportunities. "The amount of investments that have landed in Malaysia is significant. The US is probably the largest investor (in Malaysia) right now," she told Bernama in an interview. Siobhan was a guest on Bernama TV's "The Nation" programme entitled "In Focus: Malaysia-US Trade Relations" hosted by Jessy Chahal yesterday. Currently, more than 600 American companies have a presence in Malaysia. Siobhan said that over the last five years, the sectors that had consistently attracted American investments were the ones of high value, high technology and sectors that required specialty and quality to come out of their investments, which Malaysia is perfectly placed to do. "Malaysia is perfectly equipped to be able to deliver in that space. The sectors, including E&E of which semiconductors is a part of, remain paramount. Building on that medical technology, you have seen a massive influx of medical technology companies that are here, aerospace, chemicals, and of course, ICT, are growing as well," she added. Beyond that, Malaysia has a lot of opportunities for new industries such as critical minerals. According to Malaysia's Trade Performance report, trade with the US rose by 29.9 per cent in 2024 to RM324.91 billion compared to 2023. Trade with the US accounted for 11.3 per cent of Malaysia's total trade, with exports to the US in 2024 reaching a new record high, surging 23.2 per cent to RM198.65 billion. Siobhan said AmCham's strength came from its ability to gather the information from its members and be able to convey them to the government while also working in collaboration with the government. Asked whether AmCham foresee any rollback or continuation of tariffs under future US administrations, she said that with negotiations and with the understanding that Malaysia is a good partner, there could be some break in the level of tariffs. "These are very early days. We don't know which direction they are going to go. And a lot of times the tariffs will not necessarily be direct, it's not necessarily a direct negotiation. There are other factors in play. We will have to wait and see how the whole relationship develops," Siobhan said. Earlier during the programme, she said bilateral ties between the US and Malaysia had been constantly resilient on the back of diverse economic relationships between both countries. She noted that the Malaysian government right now was being extremely pragmatic, and it was taking the right approach in understanding what the US needs, and trying to formulate what is the offering for a business match. "And that is very pragmatic, and I congratulate the government for doing that. But I think there are things that we could be doing ourselves. "It is what we can do on the ground here to make ourselves more competitive, to actually understand what we have in Malaysia, and to make sure that we are focused on those high-value areas, so that we are bringing the right investments into the right sectors, lowering the attrition rate," Siobhan said. - Bernama
