10/02/2026

BIZ & FINANCE TUESDAY | FEB 10, 2026

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Malaysian Paper

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Foreign investors net buyers on Bursa for fifth successive week KUALA LUMPUR: Foreign investors remained net buyers on Bursa Malaysia for a fifth consecutive week, recording a modest RM15 million in net foreign inflows, roughly similar to the RM12.8 million recorded a week earlier, according to MBSB Invest ment Bank Bhd. For the week ended Feb 6, foreign investors were net buyers on only one of four trading days, despite low trading activity due to the Thaipusam holiday. The sole inflow was on Friday (RM132.3 million). “The top three sectors that recorded net foreign inflows were financial services (RM162 million), plantation (RM37 million) and construction (RM34.2 million). “Local institutions recorded a net outflow of RM36.2 million following two consecutive weeks of net buying, while local retailers turned net buyers after nine consecutive weeks of net selling, recording RM21.2 million in net inflows,” MBSB said. It noted that average daily trading volumes declined broadly, with local retailers down 19.7%, local institutions down 17.7%, and foreign investors down 23.5%. – Bernama

Manufacturing sector sales in 2025 reach RM1.97 trillion

Subsequently, the sales value per employee registered RM69,502 (5.3%), while the average salaries and wages per employee was RM3,756, up by 1.3% year-on-year. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the sales value in the manufacturing sector grew by 5.8% year-on-year, achieving RM509.5 billion (Q3 2025: RM500.1 billion, 3.5%). The increase was supported by the food, beverage & tobacco (9.8%); electrical & electronic products (11.7%), and non-metallic mineral products, basic metal & fabricated metal products (4.4%). Meanwhile, the number of em ployees during the quarter improved 1.1% (Q3 2025: 1%), while salaries & wages paid went up 2.3% . Summarising the overall per formance for 2025, Mohd Uzir said, “The sales value of the manu facturing sector reached RM1.97 trillion, surged 4.2% as against in 2024 (4.6%). “During the year, the number of employees rose by 1.1% (2024: 1%) to record a total of 2.4 million persons, while salaries & wages rose by 2% (2024: 1.5%) to RM101.2 billion.

December 2025 (November 2025: 8.9%), along with manufacture of basic metals (6.5%), and the manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery & equip ment (5.3%). Besides that, domestic-oriented industries rose by 0.7% compared with the preceding month. On the number of employees, Mohd Uzir stated, “There are 2.4 million persons recorded in this sector during December 2025, augmented by 1.1% (November 2025: 0.8%). The addition was mainly driven by the food, beverages & tobacco (1.9%); electrical & electronic products (1.7%); and non-metallic mineral products, basic metal & fabricated metal products (1.2%) sub-sectors. “On a month-on-month basis, the number of employees in this sector increased 0.1%.” Salaries and wages paid in the manufacturing sector posted an expansion of 2.5% (November 2025: 1.9%), amounting to RM9.1 billion in December 2025. Salaries and wages paid surged by 7.7% compared with RM8.5 billion in the previous month.

TMR CEO Omar Hisham Talaat Moustafa said: “The signing of this agreement marks an important step for TMR as we diversify our portfolio with Marrybrown. We appreciate the opportunity to work with an iconic Malaysian brand with a strong halal heritage and see this as a natural extension of our strategy to introduce best-in-class global concepts into our communities. Marrybrown’s proven global franchising model, strong halal positioning and international expansion align closely with our long-term vision.” The partnership also establishes Marrybrown’s broader regional ambi tions to expand across Africa and the GCC, while exploring opportunities in Central Asia and selected European markets. In Egypt, plans are underway to open 100 new outlets over the next 10 years, with an initial rollout of six outlets in Cairo targeted for 2026. (November 2025: 7.7%) and 5.3% (November 2025: 3.4%), res pectively. On a month on month basis, the sales value shrank by 0.5% from RM169.4 billion recorded in November 2025. “The sales value growth of export oriented industries, which rep resented 70.4% of total sales, improved 6.8% in December 2025 (November 2025: 4.6%). The per formance was predominantly attri butable to the increase in the manu facture of computer, electronics & optical products at 13.3% (November 2025: 11.1%). This was followed by manufacture of vegetable & animal oils and fats which grew 11.1% (November 2025: 6.5%), as well as manufacture of electrical equipment (9.5%). Compared with the preceding month, export-oriented industries contracted 1% (November 2025: - 2.9%). Domestic-oriented industries increased by 5.6% in December 2025, after registering 4.6% growth a month ago. The increase was contributed by a rise in the manufacture of food processing products at 9.6% in

PETALING JAYA: The sales value of the manufacturing sector in December 2025 amounted to RM168.6 billion (up 6.4% year-on-year) and RM1.97 trillion, an increase of 4.2% (2024: 4.6%). Disclosing this yesterday, Chief Statistician Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the growth of sales value in the manufacturing sector was primarily driven by electrical and electronic products, which expanded 12.6% in December 2025 (November 2025: 10.8%). The growth was supported by the food, beverage & tobacco, and non metallic mineral products, basic metal & fabricated metal product sub-sectors, which increased 10.4% o Up 4.2% from previous year, December value hit RM168.6 billion, driven by E&E products

Marrybrown expands global franchising presence to Egypt PETALING JAYA: Marrybrown, a Malaysian halal quick-service res taurant brand, recently signed a franchisee agreement with Talaat Moustafa Retail (TMR), a subsidiary of Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG), Egypt’s largest listed real estate and hospitality conglomerate, signifying Marrybrown’s expansion to Egypt. moment in Marrybrown’s inter national growth, and our partnership with TMG brings together two organisations with a shared ambition for scale, quality, and long-term value creation,” CEO Daniel Chan said.

This agreement establishes a framework for long-term collaboration, combining Marrybrown’s global brand strength and franchising expertise with TMG’s deep local market knowledge, and the company’s expertise in hospitality and commercial projects. Marrybrown currently operates more than 500 outlets across 16 countries with a strong presence throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Africa, East Asia, Oceania and parts of Europe. Marrybrown said its entry into Egypt underscores the brand’s continued focus on expanding across the Middle East and Africa, posi tioning Egypt as a key pillar of its global growth strategy. “Egypt represents a pivotal

From left: Marrybrown founder Datuk Lawrence Liew, group executive director Datuk Joshua Liew, Omar Hisham and Johor State Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee chairman Lee Ting Han.

Execution speed decisive factor in Malaysia’s AI, technology push: Expert PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s push into artificial intelligence (AI), semi conductors and digital infrastructure is emerging as a key growth engine for 2026, positioning the country to navigate global economic uncertainty while reinforcing its status as a regional technology hub. growth of data centre infrastructure. Multi-billion-ringgit projects are bolstering export resilience and strengthening Malaysia’s technology supply chain, even as global trade and geopolitical risks persist. country’s ability to capture AI’s full economic upside. two to ten times,” he added. Chmiel said technology rarely destroys job roles overnight – it first replaces, changes tasks, which then reshapes roles and ultimately replace roles. “That is exactly what we are seeing across knowledge work today.” versus poor. It is augmented versus unaugmented. People who design systems will outperform those who work inside them,” Chmiel said.

“The first and second industrial revolutions replaced muscle power. The AI Revolution is replacing brain power, is replacing decision-making. This transition is faster and is more disruptive because it directly reshapes knowledge work, but also happens at a much faster speed,” Chmiel said. “AI will not take your job. But someone using AI will. Depending on the sector, productivity gaps could be

He emphasised that national strategies, such as the New Industrial Master Plan 2030, will hinge on how quickly policies are implemented and how effectively businesses adopt AI. “Policy strength alone is not enough. Competitiveness will depend on how fast businesses and the workforce adapt,” Chmiel said.

In a press statement yesterday, Georg Chmiel, serial entrepreneur, board member of the World Digital Chamber and founder of Chmiel Global Advisory, said Malaysia is entering a decisive phase where execution speed will determine the

Unlike past industrial shifts, the AI era is creating a divide between workers who can leverage AI systems and those who cannot. “The new class divide is not rich

ACCA’s latest Global Economic Outlook projects Malaysia’s economy will expand 4-5% this year, supported by strong semiconductor exports, rising AI investments and the rapid