kuala lumpur: Despite sustained global uncertainty and external shock, Malaysia’s initial public offering (IPO) market is expected to remain resilient with ongoing listings throughout the year, said Bursa Malaysia Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar.
He acknowledged general turbulence in the global economy due to tariff fluctuations, policy changes and geopolitical tensions.
“With global headwinds and turbulence, we really don’t know what will come next, depending on what is being implemented and adjusted. But it’s important to build resilience between Malaysian companies and the broader economy.
“What’s important for us is to ensure that we create resilience amongst businesses in Malaysia. That’s what we need to do more,” he told reporters at Bursa Malaysia, Economic Club Kuala Lumpur and CIMB Roundtable.
Abdul Wahid said the heart of this effort is a public company transformation program launched three years ago to improve basics and performance.
“Currently, the program includes 326 companies, accounting for 64% of its total market capitalization. It focuses on five key areas: purpose-driven, improved performance, improved ethics, prioritizing environmental, social and governance, and deepening investor engagement,” he said.
Bursa’s chairman has expressed optimism about a strong foundation, allowing businesses to mitigate the effects of external shocks. “If listed companies continue to focus on basics and performance, we can minimize the impact of externalities,” he said.
Abdul Wahid also addressed concerns about how current uncertainty will affect the IPO pipeline.
“Last year, we successfully listed 55 companies. This year we target 60 companies. There have been 15 listed so far. Two in the main market and 13 in the ACE market.
He added that some companies have chosen to slightly delay the list due to current market conditions.
However, Abdul Wahid added that he remains optimistic and that as market conditions stabilize in the coming months and external development becomes clearer, many of these companies will move forward with IPOs.
Regarding the issue of US tariffs and sector-specific impacts, he said the impact differs between industries.
“Current impacts are still minimal as there are many exemptions in sectors such as electronics. However, volatility and policy changes create uncertainty, especially in terms of production and order flow.”
Looking forward to Malaysia’s participation in the trade debate in Washington on April 23, Abdul Wahid reiterated the importance of maintaining a balanced diplomacy and trade stance.
“It is important for Malaysia to continue its position as a neutral country that is not in line with a single bloc. We must engage with all parties and continue to expand our ASEAN and bilateral trade ties. The decisions on international negotiations must be based on Malaysia’s national interests.
