Credit : Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's X
KUALA LUMPUR, October 29, 2026 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said that the true measure of Bursa Malaysia’s success lies not in its numbers but in the confidence it has built and the economic opportunities it has created, as the exchange celebrated its 50th anniversary on Thursday night.
In a post shared on X after attending the celebration, Anwar described Bursa Malaysia as an important institution in the development of the country’s economy and capital market. He noted that the exchange had grown from 264 listed companies worth RM12.7 billion in 1976 to more than 1,100 companies today, with a market capitalisation of more than RM2 trillion.
“However, behind these figures, the real measure of Bursa Malaysia’s success lies in the confidence it has built and the economic opportunities it has created,” he wrote in Malay. He said good governance, transparency and fairness must continue to be strengthened so that the capital market is not only trusted by investors but also opens more room for local enterprises to grow.
Anwar added that, in facing geopolitical uncertainty, technological change and the global energy transition, the MADANI Economy framework would remain the foundation for strengthening economic resilience, raising competitiveness and ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth. He ended by wishing the exchange well for the next five decades as a trusted institution and a catalyst for the nation’s prosperity.
Call for more regional champions
Speaking at the 50th anniversary gala dinner at the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, called on Bursa Malaysia to help more Malaysian companies grow into regional champions, Bernama reported. “I would like to see more mid-tier companies grow, list and become regional champions. Too many good companies stay small for too long,” he said.
“Bursa has a role in helping them take that next step. If it succeeds, we should see more Malaysian businesses grow, more good jobs created and more Malaysians holding a stake in the country’s progress,” he added. According to The Star, he also said that any company asking Malaysians to invest in its business must be ethical, and that “Malaysians who save and invest should be able to trust the institutions behind the market.”
The Prime Minister said Malaysian companies would need to move up the value chain in semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and digital technology and compete confidently abroad. He noted that Bursa is home to the global benchmark for crude palm oil futures and that about 80 per cent of the securities listed on the exchange are Shariah-compliant, The Star reported.
Five decades of growth
In his welcoming remarks, Bursa Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Abdul Farid Alias said the incorporation of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange on December 14, 1976, marked an important step in charting the country’s path for economic growth, The Sun reported. The exchange was demutualised in 2004, turning from a member-based organisation into a market operator, frontline regulator and listed company. “That ability to adapt has kept Bursa Malaysia resilient and relevant through fifty years of change,” Farid said.
Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, Bursa Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Fad’l Mohamed and Securities Commission Malaysia chairman Datuk Mohammad Faiz Azmi were also present at the event, according to Bernama.
Source : Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s X (https://x.com/anwaribrahim/status/2115827446050390518), with additional reporting from Bernama, The Star, The Sun and the Prime Minister’s Office.
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