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Agenda
March 29
9am-9.30am: Opportunities in New York – Empire State Development
9.30am-10am: U.S. Banking Services – HSBC
10am-10.30am: Opportunities in Michigan – Michigan Economic Development Corporation
10.30am-11am: U.S. Tax, Site Selection, Supply Chain Resilience – Ernst & Young
11am-11.30am: Opportunities in Florida – Enterprise Florida
11.30am-11.45am: SelectUSA Services & 2022 SelectUSA Investment Summit Information
11.45am-12pm: U.S. Business Visas – U.S. Embassy Singapore, Consular Section
March 30
9am-9.30am: Opportunities in Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Developemnt
9.30am-10am: Legal Incorporation, Immigration Laws, CFIUS, U.S. Export Controls – Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
10am-10.30am: Opportunities in Ohio – JobsOhio
10.30am-11am: U.S. Market Entry Strategies – Tractus Asia
11am-11.30am: Opportunities in Wisconsin – Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
11.30am-12pm: Investment Success Stories
12pm-12.30pm: Select Global Women in Tech (SGWIT) Program
With growing ethical awareness on the economic, environmental and social footprint that we leave behind, the emphasis on ESG (short form for “Environmental, Social and Governance”) by corporations, stakeholders including investors and customers, and even governments alike has been gaining traction globally and locally.
However, while the concept of ESG is a lofty one, to date, there is no internationally accepted definition of ESG. With the lack of standardization of baseline or criteria on ESG, ESG remains a nebulous concept, the ambiguity of which may pose a challenge for compliance.
This article by Tay & Partners examines how Malaysia is faring so far.
The Ministry of Defense on 9 March 2022 announced that there will only be one SOP but nine guidelines as Malaysia transitions into the COVID-19 endemic phase.
The single SOP in the ‘Transition to Endemic’ phase has been simplified from the 181 SOPs that were enforced by the National Recovery Plan and will still be enforced under Act 342 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, 9 March, 2022 – FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, together with SME Association of Malaysia, recently released the results of a joint survey titled ‘Levelling Up the Logistics Strategy for SMEs in Malaysia’.
According to the survey, the majority of Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are seeking opportunities in international trade within the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, especially within Southeast Asia and East Asian markets such as China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Survey respondents also identified other markets of interest including those in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.
More than half (58%) of the respondents indicated they are looking at expanding their business presence, while the remaining respondents (42%) remain cautious, indicating business expansions are not on their cards. Over half (54%) cited sustaining sales as their key priority for the first half of the year, amid the continued impact of the pandemic. One-third (34%) of SMEs want to focus on enhancing operational efficiencies so that their businesses remain sustainable and operational costs are optimized. The remaining SMEs (12%) will adopt a wait-and-see approach in view of the changing business environment.
[Left to Right: SC Chong, Managing Director of FedEx Express Malaysia and Ding Hong Sing, President of the SME Association of Malaysia]
“Our joint survey with SME Association of Malaysia showcases valuable insights into the current mindset and intent of small to medium businesses in Malaysia. We at FedEx Malaysia are already adapting and digitizing with agility to better support these businesses in scaling up cross-border commerce capabilities. As an essential service provider, FedEx has operated throughout lockdowns, prioritising our customers’ recovery and e-commerce growth. We are committed to help minimise disruptions to their supply chains, in and outside of Malaysia,” said SC Chong, Managing Director of FedEx Express Malaysia. “Our global network helps ensures timely delivery within Asia, as well as the U.S., Canada and Europe, further offering Malaysian businesses the reliability, affordability and customer-focused support they depend on,” added Chong.
Commenting on the survey results, Ding Hong Sing, President of the SME Association of Malaysia, said, “Malaysian SMEs are shifting focus to markets within the APAC region, with intra-Asia trade burgeoning because of rising e-commerce transactions, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. For SMEs looking to expand their market outreach, there is a prevailing optimism despite the current intense competition in the e-commerce marketplace, economic uncertainty and government restrictions being introduced. We believe that there are pockets of opportunities present within the e-commerce sector which will continue to experience an upward trajectory.”
Conducted at the end of 2021, the joint survey saw participation from 383 Malaysian SMEs, with the majority of them recording up to RM10 million in turnover in 2021. Over 70% of the companies registered an average of 200 shipments per month last year through e-commerce activities, utilising a mix of logistics services to ship via air and land.
In addition to this joint survey, both entities have collaboratively rolled out the SME Alliance program which provides e-commerce logistics solutions to SMEs looking to level up their international shipments. This strategic alliance offers various benefits and privileges for members of the SME Association of Malaysia throughout the year. For more information, please visit https://smemalaysia.org/fedex/.
Kuala Lumpur, 8 March 2022 – Malaysia gained new economic growth with RM306.5 billion worth of approved investments in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors in 2021. The country remained an attractive investment destination for global and regional business expansion as total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Domestic Direct Investment (DDI) numbers exceeded expectations with stellar performance in 2021, increasing to 83.1 per cent from the achievement attained 2020.
Malaysia’s manufacturing sector secured projects worth RM195.1 billion for 2021 compared to the RM91.3 billion it gained in 2020 – a major increase of 113.7 per cent. These achievements will offer 74,575 job opportunities, whereby 28,698 are managerial, technical, supervisory and skilled (MTS) positions.
The electrical and electronics (E&E) industry received the most investment opportunities, with 94 approved projects worth RM148 billion. Besides the E&E industry, Malaysia attracted high levels of approved investments in other industries, including basic metal products (RM19.4 billion), chemicals and chemical products (RM5.8 billion), rubber products (RM5.8 billion) and food manufacturing (RM5.4 billion).
