EPF Registers 441,846 New Members In 1H 2026; Membership Rises To 18.5 Mln

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) registered 441,846 new members in the first six months ended June 30, 2026 (1H 2026), bringing total membership to close to 18.5 million.

Bursa Malaysia Ends Lower Amid Geopolitical, Global Growth Concerns

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia ended lower on Monday as investor sentiment weakened amid renewed concerns over geopolitical tensions and global economic growth, an analyst said.

Celestica To Create More Than 2,100 Jobs In Malaysia Amid AI, Cloud Demand

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Celestica Inc is set to expand its workforce in Malaysia by more than 2,100 employees as global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and cloud computing continues to accelerate.

Kenanga IB Maintains Ringgit Forecast Of RM3.95 To US Dollar By Year-end

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd (Kenanga IB) has retained its ringgit forecast of RM3.95 to the US dollar by year-end, underpinned by resilient growth, a sustained current account (CA) surplus and record foreign-currency deposits.

PublicInvest Raises 2026 GDP Growth Forecast To 5.4 Pct On Strong 2Q Results

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s stronger-than-expected second quarter (2Q) economic growth has prompted Public Investment Bank Bhd (PublicInvest) to raise its 2026 gross domestic product (GDP) forecast to 5.4 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) from 4.6 per cent.

Malaysia's Current Account Surplus To Remain Firm At 2.1 Pct Of GDP In 2026 - Kenanga IB

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd (Kenanga IB) expects Malaysia’s 2026 current account to remain firmly in surplus, maintaining a forecast at 2.1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), compared with 1.6 per cent in 2025.

Ringgit Opens Higher Versus Greenback On Upbeat GDP Data

By Nurunnasihah Ahmad Rashid & Nur Athirah Mohd Shaharuddin

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- The ringgit opened higher against the US dollar, tracking Malaysia’s stronger-than-expected second quarter 2026 (2Q 2026) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 6.0 per cent, said an economist.

Penang Eyes Becoming Leading ASEAN Semiconductor Design Hub By 2040

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Penang plans to shift from its current dominance in assembly and testing activities towards high-value upstream activities such as chip design, system architecture and prototype development, in a bid to become a leading semiconductor design hub in ASEAN by 2040.

IHH Healthcare Aims To Nearly Double Hospital Beds In India To 10,000 By 2031

By Fatin Umairah Abdul Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) --  Private healthcare provider IHH Healthcare Bhd. plans to nearly double its operational hospital beds in India to about 10,000 by 2031 from around 6,100 currently, with an estimated investment of about US$250,000 (US$1=RM4.08) per bed.

TH Needs To Focus On Sustainable Returns, Prioritise Savings Of Pilgrims - Economist

By Nurunnasihah Ahmad Rashid

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) needs to focus on reasonable and sustainable investment returns commensurate with the level of risk that can be accepted, with the protection of the savings of prospective pilgrims remaining a priority, according to an economist.

Digital Ministry Studying Incentives To Promote AI Use In 2027 Budget - Gobind

PETALING JAYA, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- The government will focus on efforts to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, including exploring systems that can promote the wider use of AI tools, when tabling the 2027 Budget this October.

Institutional Maturity, Policy Consistency Pillars Of Economic Resilience

By Mohd Fharkhan Abdul Ghapar dan Nor Azeera Adam

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- The ability of national institutions to continue functioning professionally and the consistency of policies have become key strengths for Malaysia in maintaining economic resilience and investor confidence, despite the dynamic domestic political environment.