Malaysia

Malaysia’s growing foreign trade is putting a strain on main ports, with delays in cargo handling being reported despite an increasing in throughput volume. This has prompted shipping firms and freight forwarders to call for greater investment in infrastructure.

Given that a major part of the government’s strategy for Malaysia’s economic development depends on a dynamic education sector, plans by one of India’s leading educational providers is to set up a new $180m university in Kuala Lumpur have been welcomed.

Malaysia’s banking sector is riding high with leading lenders posting strong results for the first half of the year and foreign players attracted to an increasingly liberalised financial environment.

Malaysia’s central bank has stepped in to lower the temperature of the real estate sector, restricting access to credit for those buying third or subsequent residential properties. However, authorities are playing down speculation over a bubble, describing the intervention as a measure to keep housing affordable.

With troubled weather patterns at home squeezing supply while demand from overseas grows, Malaysian rubber can command high prices on international markets these days.

Malaysia's national oil and gas giant Petronas plans to launch two major Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in November, Petronas Chemical and Malaysia Maritime and Heavy Engineering (MMHE), as part of a government initiative to transfer strategic assets to the private sector. The Petronas Chemical listing is set to become one of the biggest IPOs in Malaysian – and indeed South-east Asian – history.