KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — The ringgit remains among the best-performing currencies in the region this year, supported by strong investment inflows and Malaysia’s economic fundamentals despite heightened global uncertainties, said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.
The local currency continues to record positive gains against the US dollar year-to-date and has also performed favourably against several regional currencies.
“Ringgit is still among the top-performing currencies in the region. Year-to-date, it remains positive against the dollar.
“More importantly for the ringgit is not just its performance against the dollar. It is about how it positions itself relative to other currencies worldwide.
"We are much better than a lot of other countries around the world,” he said during a session titled 'Balancing Fiscal Focus with External Risks' at Invest Malaysia 2026 today.
Amir added that the ringgit's strength was underpinned by continued investor confidence in Malaysia’s economy, reflected in strong foreign direct investment (FDI) and domestic direct investment (DDI) activities.
“We have reached the highest level of approved investments coming in. The Malaysian Investment Development Authority issued the first quarter numbers yesterday, and we are on track to deliver them.
“The FDI engine is working very well in attracting and providing support for the ringgit going forward,” he said.
The minister noted that domestic investments had also remained robust, with DDI slightly exceeding FDI in total investment in the country.
“Actually, DDI is slightly bigger than FDI. So, effectively, people like you, investors in the country, also doubled up on growth because they found segments that they want to grow,” Amir said.
Investments were increasingly aligned with the government’s priorities in high-growth sectors, including semiconductors, data centres, and artificial intelligence, helping to strengthen demand for the local currency.
“So long as we have these engines running along the way, the underlying economy still provides demand support for the ringgit,” he said.
While acknowledging that external developments could continue to create volatility in currency markets, Amir emphasised that Malaysia’s focus remained on strengthening economic fundamentals.
“Will there be volatility? Yes, of course, there will be volatility. But the more important thing for us to focus on is to make sure the fundamentals of the economy still work in the right form, which is what we are doing at this point,” he said.
