Credit : Bernama Business's X
ISTANBUL, November 1, 2026 – Malaysia highlighted opportunities for cooperation in semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), digital infrastructure, clean energy and the halal industry at the B57+ Business Leaders’ Summit 2026 in Istanbul, Türkiye, Bernama reported on Wednesday (November 4).
Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) chairman Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the five sectors were among the areas that could be explored further to strengthen economic ties between Malaysia and other countries.
He said Malaysia also offered international investors its strategic position as a gateway to the ASEAN market.
According to Bernama, Tengku Zafrul shared these points in a post on X about his participation in a panel session at the summit. The session also discussed the role of sovereign wealth funds in strengthening economic cooperation among developing countries.
Investment figures
Tengku Zafrul used the platform to highlight Malaysia’s investment performance. He said the country recorded RM431.1 billion in approved investments in 2025 and RM218.5 billion in the first half of 2026.
He added that 87 per cent of the 5,822 manufacturing projects approved between 2021 and June 2026 had reached various stages of implementation.
“These figures reflect investors’ confidence in Malaysia, but our work does not stop at attracting investments. Through MIDA, we are focused on ensuring that approved projects are actually implemented,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Quality jobs and technology transfer
Tengku Zafrul said the success of investment should not be judged only by the amount secured, but also by the quality jobs created, the technology transferred and the opportunities opened up for local companies.
“These are the benefits we want for Malaysians,” he said.
His message reflects a theme the government has stressed in recent years: that approved investment figures matter only if the projects are built, start operating and create work for Malaysians. Tracking implementation rates, such as the 87 per cent figure he cited, is one way MIDA measures whether approvals turn into factories and jobs on the ground.
About the summit
The B57+ Business Leaders’ Summit 2026 is an international business and investment summit held in Istanbul on October 31 and November 1. It aims to strengthen economic, trade and investment cooperation between member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and their international partners.
The OIC has 57 member states. For Malaysia, a long-standing OIC member, the gathering is a chance to market itself to investors from across the Muslim world, where its strengths in Islamic finance and halal certification are well known.
The sectors Tengku Zafrul named match the areas Malaysia has been promoting to foreign investors. The country is an established player in semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging, and has drawn large investments in data centres and cloud infrastructure in recent years. Clean energy and the halal economy are also priority areas in the government’s industrial and trade plans.
Tengku Zafrul, a former Investment, Trade and Industry Minister, now leads MIDA as its chairman. His remarks in Istanbul come as Malaysia seeks to widen its investor base beyond traditional partners, with OIC and Middle Eastern markets among those it is courting for trade and investment.
Source : Bernama
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