KL20 2026 Adds Four New Focus Areas, Raising Total To Eight Sectors
PETALING JAYA, Aug 6 (Bernama) -- Kuala Lumpur 20 (KL20) 2026 will introduce four new focus areas: the creative economy, digital economy, digital gaming, and the third sector, in addition to the original priorities announced under KL20 2024.
Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the four new focus areas complement the original four priorities of green technology, agritech, manufacturing and automation, and Islamic finance.
“The expansion is in line with the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), which aims to increase economic complexity, strengthen high-growth and high-value industries, and generate more Made by Malaysia products and services.
“KL20 is a more focused intervention to showcase Malaysia’s economic strengths while exploring new sectors with the potential to become future drivers of economic growth,” he said in his keynote address at the KL20 2026 pre-launch event here on Thursday.
Akmal Nasrullah said KL20 2026 carries the theme “Activating Malaysia’s Tech Arsenal: An Open Ecosystem, A Focused Mission”, reflecting an ecosystem that is open to ideas, talent, companies and capital from both within and outside the country, while pursuing a clear national mission.
That mission is to build more high-technology companies, channel capital into productive activities and accelerate the journey of companies from the idea stage to the global marketplace.
Meanwhile, Akmal Nasrullah said KL20 2026 will take place across Penang, Johor Bahru, and Kuala Lumpur.
The events will be organised in collaboration with several key strategic partners, including Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the Retirement Fund (Incorporated) (KWAP), the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA), and the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA).
He said the series will begin with KL20 @ Penang 2026 on Sept 24, 2026, under the theme “Silicon Surge”, focusing on the semiconductor and electrical and electronics (E&E) sectors.
The programme will leverage Penang’s industrial strengths to reinforce Malaysia’s position as a regional hub for the chip design ecosystem and other high-value technologies.
“This will be followed by KL20 @ Johor 2026, to be held on Sept 29, 2026, at Iskandar Malaysia Studios under the theme “Creative Reimagined”, with a focus on the creative economy and digital gaming industry.
“Johor’s strategic location, supported by the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), presents opportunities to build global networks in gaming, animation, visual effects, digital content and creative technology,” he said.
The KL20 2026 series will culminate in KL20 @ Kuala Lumpur 2026 on Nov 5, 2026, bringing together the broader ecosystem of industry players, investors, policymakers and start-ups to discuss and advance development initiatives across all eight KL20 focus sectors.
“Through KL20, our goal is to establish Kuala Lumpur as Southeast Asia’s leading strategic start-up hub and position it among the world’s top 20 start-up ecosystems by 2030.
“We do not want Malaysia to be merely a market where technology is sold. We want Malaysia to be a country where technology is built, financed, tested and scaled,” he said.
Akmal Nasrullah said KL20 2026 is being rolled out at a time when the global economy continues to face geopolitical uncertainty and shifts in global trade supply chains, while the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is driving a new global technology cycle.
Against this backdrop, Malaysia’s economy has continued to demonstrate resilience, with advance estimates indicating that gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 5.8 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, up from 5.4 per cent in the first quarter.
He said that the manufacturing sector grew 5.9 per cent, supported by demand for E&E products and AI-related components.
“For the January-June 2026 period, Malaysia’s gross exports increased 27.5 per cent to RM971.6 billion,” he said.
-- BERNAMA