Trading company in Malaysia

Malaysia is a multi-cultural country with a history of cosmopolitanism. English is commonly used in both daily life contexts and professional/administrative contexts. It should not be much of a difficulty for foreign investors to communicate with locals in English.

Malaysia is situated right on the Malacca Straits, the main gateway connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, which gives it a huge advantage in trade traffic. The local trade infrastructures are also of excellent condition, and there is already an existing well-established financial sector in the country.

In addition, Malaysian consumers are quite easygoing and generous, accepting new products with clear brand requirements, guaranteed quality and price are not the deciding factors.

On the other hand, it can be frustrating to conduct business in Malaysia at times, in part because of corruption. The country only scored 47 on Transparency International 2018 ranking of Corruption Perceptions Index, meaning there are still major transparency issues in the country.

The local government still retains some policies which prefer ventures by indigenous Malaysian to foreign investors. It is important to understand these challenges first before you invest in a business in the country to prevent negative surprises.