“While we are pleased with the investments secured to date and we recognize that this is a very challenging year, our team is committed to going full force for the rest of 2015. With a solid foundation laid down over the past three and a half years, Greater Kuala Lumpur named as a Competitive City as part of the 11th Malaysia Plan, and the game changing Principal Hub incentive from the federal government, we are confident and will push harder to secure MNCs that are keen to set up their regional base of operations and supply chain management hubs.”

Of the total approved and committed investments and high-skilled regional jobs created by MNCs investing in Greater Kuala Lumpur, RM1.38 billion and 3,856 regional jobs have been realized respectively. Based on the realized high-skilled regional jobs, more than 86% are held by locals, affording Malaysians with regional job opportunities. This will provide local talents to build capabilities through knowledge transfer, insights, experience and skills, and provide exposure to global markets and work opportunities. In addition, the MNCs in Greater KL have created new office space of 385,600 sq ft, equivalent to 7 times of a football field, increased fund flows through Malaysia and spurred the usage of local ancillary services.

InvestKL’s Chairman Datuk Seri Michael Yam said that the MNCs who have already set up their RHQs in Greater Kuala Lumpur are tributes to Malaysia’s value proposition, not only as an investment destination but for its vibrant eco-system as a regional home for business and livability. He added that, “with the establishment of a single market through the ASEAN Economic Community and the tireless efforts put in by the InvestKL team to help MNCs set up their regional offices, the country’s capital is proving to be an increasingly attractive entry point to the ASEAN region for global MNCs.”

Continuing, Datuk Zainal Amanshah commented that, “What draws MNCs to Greater Kuala Lumpur is not just our business-friendly environment and ready pool of world-class talent. It is also the commitment by our government in transforming the city into a Top 20 Livable City internationally, with initiatives such as the MRT well underway and Greater Kuala Lumpur’s vibrant culture and heritage. Taken as a whole, these factors strengthen the Greater Kuala Lumpur proposition in this part of the world and allow us to remain the choice base for MNCs’ regional expansion in Southeast Asia.”