Malaysia’s proactive measures and favourable investment policies have strategically positioned it well in the global foreign direct investment landscape, according to the United Nations Trade and Development World Investment Report 2024.
Among others, Malaysia adopted a dedicated visa facilitation service for strategic investors identified by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority .The nation is also implementing fast-track “green” lanes and simplified processes to ease investment, it said. “The Asean region has long been proactive in adopting strategies and policy measures to support investment. These efforts have intensified in recent years, accelerating during the pandemic, with an increase from six new investment facilitation measures in 2019 to 28 in 2020.“These included the introduction of online facilities, e-application systems and streamlined administrative processes, reflecting a strong regional commitment to digitalising and simplifying investment procedures,” it said.
The World Investment Report 2024 said the rapid expansion in the sustainable finance market has brought about the parallel growth of national sustainable finance measures in the Group of 20 and the largest developing economies, including Malaysia.The report said that in total, FDI inflows to South-east Asia remained stable, with an increase in merger and acquisition sales.However, it said this gain was countered by a US$64 billion fall in the value of international project finance deals.