00:05let me now turn to Malaysia although the year 2025 was extremely challenging the
00:11domestic economy navigated it very well growth reached 5.2% while inflation
00:18remained low at 1.4% domestic demand stayed firm and exports showed
00:25resilience credit to the private non-financial sector grew by 5.4% with SME
00:32financing expanding by 5.9% of significance the ringgit steadily
00:39strengthened throughout 2025 continuing from 2024 the ringgit once again
00:46performed well last year appreciating against the US dollar and key trading
00:52partners global factors such as the dollar performance played a role but so did our
00:59domestic strength year to date this positive positive trajectory has
01:03continued although the recent developments are causing some movements and going
01:10forward the ringgit will remain driven by market conditions and global forces and
01:16towards this end by negara Malaysia is committed to ensuring and orderly markets
01:21this brings us to the outlook Malaysia enters 2026 from a position of strength to
01:28navigate the challenges ahead our strength lies in first the diversified growth
01:35drivers with cushions to preserve external sector strength second the healthy
01:42balance sheet positions among households and firms third the strong financial sector that
01:49supports the economy to grow and for the sufficient macroeconomic policy space both monetary policy and fiscal policy and
01:59fiscal policy and taking into account all these factors the nation economy is expected to grow at the resilient pace
02:07of between 4 and 5% in 2026
02:11now let's look at the drivers of growth household consumption remains a key anchor of growth
02:18income prospects are positive with continued income growth
02:22labor market remains firm with unemployment expected to remain near its decade low at around 2.9%
02:30targeted policy support are also in place to help Malaysians in need on investments the positive news is investment approvals
02:41levels continue to increase reaching to 427 billion ringgit last year while implementation rate for manufacturing projects remain high at
02:52around 85%
02:53clear policies and incentives diversified supply chain and strong infrastructure as well as skilled workforce are among the factors that
03:05attract investors
03:06we see private sector capacity expansion
03:10we see private sector capacity expansion gaining traction led by the ICT and the E&E industries
03:14we also see progress under the national master plans and major public investments including renewable energy and the transportation projects
03:24the realization of these investments will strengthen Malaysia's productive capacity for the future
03:31moving on to trade
03:35while the external conditions uncertain and challenging
03:40real exports growth is expected to be moderate at 2.8%
03:45despite the headwinds there are three three points that's worth noting
03:50one is that we have a diversified export base
03:54no single country accounts for more than 16% of our exports
03:58and across products
04:00Malaysia also exports different goods and services
04:03from commodities to advanced services
04:07number two
04:08rising data center investments
04:11lifting the ICT services exports
04:13with wider spillovers across industries
04:16and third
04:18supported by its deep roots and engages
04:21our E&E sector is well-positioned to gain from the global tech investment cycle
04:28not many countries can showcase such a diversified external sector
04:34annales
04:35nations
04:36solve rangers
04:48capital
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