Malaysia
Southeast Asia · Kuala Lumpur · MYR (Malaysian Ringgit)
Economy & industry overview
Malaysia is an upper-middle-income open economy in Southeast Asia with a nominal GDP of approximately USD 422 billion in 2024, driven by a diversified base of manufacturing, services, and commodities. The country is a major global exporter of electrical and electronic products, palm oil, liquefied natural gas, and petrochemicals. The services sector accounts for over half of GDP, while manufacturing, particularly semiconductors and integrated circuits, remains a critical driver of export earnings. Malaysia operates one of the most active equity markets in ASEAN, with Bursa Malaysia hosting over 1,000 listed companies. The government's Madani Economy framework targets structural transformation, fiscal consolidation, and movement up the technology value chain.
Key sectors
Learn everything about Malaysia →Macro
| GDP nominal, USD | $421.97B |
| GDP growth real, annual | 5.1% |
| Inflation annual | 1.8% |
| Population people | 33.4M |
| GDP per capita USD | $12,613 |
| Market cap total listed, USD | $470.00B |
| Market cap / GDP | 111.4% |
| Unemployment | 3.3% |
| Listed companies | 1,000 |
| Exchange | Bursa Malaysia (KLSE) |
Data year: 2024. Sources: World Bank (GDP, GDP per capita), IMF Article IV Consultation 2025, Bursa Malaysia Annual Report / Media Release January 2025, Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Securities Commission Malaysia Annual Report 2024, FocusEconomics Malaysia, Statista (Inflation rate Malaysia 2024), Human Resources Online (Labour Force Statistics December 2024), Wikipedia – Economy of Malaysia, CEIC Data – Malaysia Market Capitalization.
Latest news
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Other Southeast Asia markets
Indonesia
Thailand
Philippines
VietnamLargest listed companies
The biggest companies on the main local exchange, by market capitalisation.
| # | Company | Sector | Market capUSD | US listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank)MAYBANK · KLSE | Banking / Financial Services | $24.40B | — |
| 2 | CIMB Group Holdings BerhadCIMB · KLSE | Banking / Financial Services | $16.00B | — |
| 3 | Public Bank BerhadPBBANK · KLSE | Banking / Financial Services | $19.00B | — |
| 4 | Tenaga Nasional BerhadTENAGA · KLSE | Utilities / Energy | $13.00B | — |
| 5 | IHH Healthcare BerhadIHH · KLSE | Healthcare | $15.00B | — |
| 6 | Petronas Chemicals Group BerhadPCHEM · KLSE | Chemicals / Petrochemicals | $11.00B | — |
| 7 | Hong Leong Financial Group BerhadHLFG · KLSE | Banking / Financial Services | $9.50B | — |
| 8 | RHB Bank BerhadRHBBANK · KLSE | Banking / Financial Services | $5.50B | — |
| 9 | YTL Corporation BerhadYTL · KLSE | Conglomerate / Infrastructure | $8.00B | — |
| 10 | Press Metal Aluminium Holdings BerhadPMETAL · KLSE | Materials / Aluminium | $9.00B | — |
| 11 | Axiata Group BerhadAXIATA · KLSE | Telecommunications | $5.20B | — |
| 12 | Maxis BerhadMAXIS · KLSE | Telecommunications | $7.00B | — |
| 13 | Genting BerhadGENTING · KLSE | Gaming / Hospitality / Plantations | $4.80B | — |
| 14 | Genting Malaysia BerhadGENM · KLSE | Gaming / Hospitality | $4.20B | — |
| 15 | Sime Darby Plantation BerhadSIMEPLT · KLSE | Plantations / Palm Oil | $4.50B | — |
| 16 | Sime Darby BerhadSIME · KLSE | Conglomerate / Industrial | $3.20B | — |
| 17 | IOI Corporation BerhadIOICORP · KLSE | Plantations / Oleochemicals | $4.30B | — |
| 18 | Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (KLK)KLK · KLSE | Plantations / Oleochemicals | $4.00B | — |
| 19 | Telekom Malaysia BerhadTM · KLSE | Telecommunications / Digital Infrastructure | $4.60B | — |
| 20 | MISC BerhadMISC · KLSE | Shipping / Energy Transportation | $5.00B | — |
| 21 | Petronas Dagangan BerhadPETDAG · KLSE | Oil & Gas / Downstream | $4.10B | — |
| 22 | AmBank Group (AMMB Holdings Berhad)AMBANK · KLSE | Banking / Financial Services | $3.00B | — |
| 23 | CelcomDigi BerhadCDB · KLSE | Telecommunications | $5.80B | — |
| 24 | YTL Power International BerhadYTLPOWR · KLSE | Utilities / Technology | $7.50B | — |
| 25 | Hong Leong Bank BerhadHLBANK · KLSE | Banking / Financial Services | $8.50B | — |
| 26 | Inari Amertron BerhadINARI · KLSE | Technology / Semiconductors | $2.80B | — |
| 27 | Dialog Group BerhadDIALOG · KLSE | Oil & Gas / Services | $2.50B | — |
| 28 | Hartalega Holdings BerhadHARTA · KLSE | Healthcare / Rubber Gloves | $2.30B | — |
| 29 | Top Glove Corporation BerhadTOPGLOV · KLSE | Healthcare / Rubber Gloves | $1.50B | — |
| 30 | Kossan Rubber Industries BerhadKOSSAN · KLSE | Healthcare / Rubber Gloves | $1.20B | — |
US-traded ETFs
Funds listed in the US that give exposure to this market, the simplest route for many US investors.
| ETF | Scope | Expense ratioannual % | Exposure% of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| EWMiShares MSCI Malaysia ETF · BlackRock (iShares) | Single-country | 0.50% | 100% |
| VWOVanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF · Vanguard | Broad EM | 0.08% | 2% |
| IEMGiShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF · BlackRock (iShares) | Broad EM | 0.09% | 2% |
| GMFState Street SPDR S&P Emerging Asia Pacific ETF · State Street (SPDR) | Regional | 0.49% | 5% |
| ASEAGlobal X - FTSE Southeast Asia ETF · Global X | Regional | 0.65% | 15% |
| FEMSFirst Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund · First Trust | Broad EM | 0.80% | 3% |
Local exchange & access
| Exchange | Bursa Malaysia |
| Code | KLSE |
| Website | www.bursamalaysia.com |
| Currency | MYR |
Local broker access
Foreign investors can access Bursa Malaysia through international brokers offering ASEAN market access (e.g., Interactive Brokers, Saxo Bank, POEMS by Phillip Capital). Local brokers such as Maybank Investment Bank, CIMB Securities, Public Invest, RHB Investment Bank, and Hong Leong Investment Bank offer direct market access. A Central Depository System (CDS) account is required for direct share ownership on Bursa Malaysia. Foreigners may open CDS accounts through authorised depository agents.
Global brokers with foreign-market access
- Interactive Brokers — Direct access to 90+ markets worldwide, including many emerging exchanges.
- Saxo Bank — Multi-market access across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
- Charles Schwab (Global) — Foreign ordinary shares on select markets; US-listed ADRs and ETFs.
- Fidelity International Trading — International stock trading on a number of developed and emerging markets.
Listed for convenience only. Not a recommendation. Available markets, fees and onboarding rules differ by broker and by your country of residence.
Relocation & residency
Investment visa / residency programme
Grants Long-stay renewable visa (5-year, non-PR, non-citizenship)
Malaysia's primary residency-by-investment programme is Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H), which allows foreign nationals to obtain a long-stay renewable visa. The programme was revamped in 2021 with stricter financial requirements, including minimum fixed deposit placements. There are three tiers (Silver, Gold, Platinum) with fixed deposit requirements ranging from RM 500,000 to RM 1,000,000 (approximately USD 106,000 to USD 213,000 at prevailing rates), plus minimum offshore income and liquid asset thresholds. It grants a 5-year renewable multiple-entry visa, not permanent residency or citizenship. Malaysia does not operate a formal citizenship-by-investment programme.
Minimum investment: $106.00K
Need help applying? Specialist investment-migration advisers such as Henley & Partners.
Foreign-investor access
Malaysia has a relatively affordable cost of living compared to Western nations and Singapore. Kuala Lumpur is the main expatriate hub. MM2H visa holders may not work locally unless holding a separate work pass. Healthcare is of high quality and widely available. The official language is Bahasa Malaysia; English is widely spoken in business and urban contexts.
US-listed ADRs & cross-listings
Companies from this country whose shares also trade in the US, investable in a normal US brokerage account.
| Company | US ticker | Local ticker | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIMB Group Holdings Berhad | CIMDF | CIMB | CIMB Group trades on the US OTC market under the ticker CIMDF (ordinary shares) and also as CIMBY (ADR). Provides OTC access to Malaysia's second-largest banking group. |
| Genting Berhad | GEBHY | GENTING | Genting Berhad trades on the US OTC market as GEBHY. Provides OTC exposure to Malaysia's largest gaming and hospitality conglomerate with international resort operations. |
| IHH Healthcare Berhad | IHHHF | IHH | IHH Healthcare trades on the US OTC market under IHHHF. The company is also listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX: Q0F), offering an additional avenue for international investors. |
| Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) | MLYBY | MAYBANK | Maybank trades in the US OTC market as an ADR under the ticker MLYBY. It is not listed on a major US exchange but is accessible via OTC Markets for US investors seeking direct exposure to Malaysia's largest bank. |
| Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad | PCHEMF | PCHEM | Petronas Chemicals trades on the US OTC market as PCHEMF. It is a Petronas subsidiary and Malaysia's leading listed petrochemicals producer. |
| Top Glove Corporation Berhad | TPVG | TOPGLOV | Top Glove trades in OTC markets in the US. It is also listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX: BVA), providing broader international access to the world's largest rubber glove manufacturer. |