Economy and market data

• Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) — official population, GDP, trade and labour statistics. dosm.gov.my · open data at open.dosm.gov.my

• Bank Negara Malaysia — central bank; Annual Report, Economic and Monetary Review, exchange rates. bnm.gov.my

• The World Bank — Malaysia — country overview and economic monitor. worldbank.org/en/country/malaysia

• 13th Malaysia Plan (2026–2030) — the government's five-year development plan. ekonomi.gov.my

Government and business agencies

• Government of Malaysia official portal — malaysia.gov.my

• Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) — mida.gov.my

• Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) — matrade.gov.my

• SME Corporation Malaysia — smecorp.gov.my

• Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) — company registration. ssm.com.my

• Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) — micci.com

• TERAJU (Unit Peneraju Agenda Bumiputera) — teraju.gov.my

Living in Malaysia

• ExpatGo — news and lifestyle for the international community in Malaysia. expatgo.com/my

Nordic and other business chambers in Malaysia

MFBC organises most of its events together with the other Nordic chambers.

Nordic

• Swedish Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (SwedCham, formerly MASBA) — swedcham.my

• Malaysian Danish Business Council (MDBC) — mdbc.org.my

• Malaysia Norway Business Council (MNBC) — LinkedIn

European

• EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EuroCham Malaysia) — MFBC is a founding member. eurocham.my

• Malaysian Dutch Business Council — mdbc.com.my

• Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC) — malaysia.ahk.de

• CCI France Malaysia (MFCCI) — mfcci.com

• Swiss Malaysian Business Association (SMBA) — smba.org.my

• British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (BMCC) — bmcc.org.my

Other

• American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) — amcham.com.my

• Malaysia Australia Business Council (MABC) — mabc.org.my

• Malaysia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (MNZCC) — mnzcc.org.my

• Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) — mccc.my

Malaysia at a glance

Geography and government. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and three federal territories: Peninsular Malaysia, and Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Land area about 330,000 km², between 1° and 7° north of the Equator. Kuala Lumpur is the capital; Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament. The head of state, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is elected for a five-year term from among the nine Malay rulers. The Prime Minister leads the government.

People. Population 34.4 million (DOSM estimate, 2026), of which about 90% are citizens. Among citizens, Malays make up 58.3%, other Bumiputera 12.3%, Chinese 22.1% and Indians 6.5%. Bahasa Malaysia is the national language; English is widely used in business. Islam is the official religion; other religions are freely practised.

Economy. GDP grew 5.2% in 2025 to RM2.03 trillion. Services and manufacturing together account for 82.5% of GDP. Malaysia is a major exporter of electrical and electronic products, and of palm oil, petroleum and natural gas. The World Bank classifies Malaysia as an upper-middle-income economy on the threshold of high-income status; reaching it is a stated goal of the 13th Malaysia Plan (2026–2030).

Practicalities

• Currency: Ringgit Malaysia (MYR, written RM). Current rates: bnm.gov.my

• Time zone: UTC+8, no daylight saving (six hours ahead of Finland in winter, five in summer)

• Climate: tropical, 21–32 °C year round; cooler in the highlands. Annual rainfall 2,000–2,500 mm

• Electricity: 240 V, 50 Hz; British-style three-pin (Type G) plugs

• Measurements: metric

• Public holidays: national holidays include New Year's Day, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Hari Raya Aidiladha, Labour Day, Wesak Day, the King's Birthday, Awal Muharram, National Day (31 August), Malaysia Day (16 September), Maulidur Rasul, Deepavali and Christmas. Dates of Islamic, Chinese and Hindu holidays move each year, and each state has holidays of its own.

• Working week: Monday–Friday in most states; Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu observe a Friday–Saturday weekend (Johor returned to Saturday–Sunday in 2025).

Exporting to Finland

MFBC members include Finnish companies operating in Malaysia and Malaysian companies doing business with Finland. If you are looking for a Finnish partner, distributor or customer, start with our member directory and Member Benefits.

Finland at a glance

• Population 5.6 million; capital Helsinki. Member of the European Union since 1995, the euro area since 1999 and NATO since 2023.

• Finland is part of the EU single market: goods cleared into Finland move freely to all 27 EU countries. It is also the natural gateway to the Nordic–Baltic region.

• Strong sectors: forest industry, machinery and engineering, ICT and software, cleantech and energy, maritime, health technology, education.

• Business language is English; contracts and public procurement documents are commonly available in English.

• Time zone UTC+2 (UTC+3 in summer) — five to six hours behind Malaysia.

Trade between Malaysia and Finland

Malaysia's exports to Finland are led by electrical and electronic products (about 60%), followed by metal manufactures, rubber products, processed food and chemicals. Bilateral trade was RM953 million in January–July 2025, with Malaysian exports up 21% year on year. Malaysia's mission in Helsinki has set a target of doubling exports to Finland by 2030.

EU–Malaysia Free Trade Agreement. Negotiations resumed in January 2025 after a 12-year pause; several chapters have been closed and both sides aim to conclude the agreement in 2027. Until it enters into force, Malaysian goods pay the EU's standard (MFN) tariffs — Malaysia left the EU's GSP preference scheme in 2014. EU–Malaysia agreement (European Commission)

Market access: tariffs, rules and product requirements

• Access2Markets — the European Commission's portal for exporters to the EU: tariffs by HS code, rules of origin, product requirements, import procedures, and a tool to report trade barriers. Start here. trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets

• Finnish Customs (Tulli) — import declarations, VAT and excise at the border, restrictions. tulli.fi/en

• Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto) — food, feed, plant and animal products: import conditions, labelling, border control. ruokavirasto.fi/en

• Tukes (Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency) — product safety, CE marking, chemicals (REACH), electrical equipment. tukes.fi/en

• Fimea — medicines and medical devices. fimea.fi/en

• Finnish Tax Administration (Vero) — VAT registration for foreign businesses, VAT on imports and distance sales. vero.fi/en

• Halal — halal certification in Finland is private, not state-run. For products that need recognised certification on the Malaysian side, check JAKIM's list of recognised foreign certification bodies at halal.gov.my.

Finding Finnish partners and customers

• MFBC member network — Finnish companies in Malaysia and their parent companies in Finland. Contact us for introductions.

• Finnpartnership — Finnish government programme that connects companies in developing countries, Malaysia included, with Finnish companies. Free B2B matchmaking service: register your company and what you are looking for; Finnpartnership circulates the request to Finnish companies. Also offers Business Partnership Support grants to Finnish companies that partner with you. Finnpartnership ran "Doing Business with Finland" seminars in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru in January 2026. finnpartnership.fi/en

• Finland Chamber of Commerce (Keskuskauppakamari) and the 19 regional chambers — Finnish importers and distributors are usually members of their regional chamber. kauppakamari.fi/en

• Finnish public procurement — all public tenders above national and EU thresholds are published on Hilma; foreign companies can bid. hankintailmoitukset.fi

Malaysian government support for exporters to Finland

• MATRADE — covers Finland from its Rotterdam office (Netherlands). Market intelligence, export advisory, trade fair participation. matrade.gov.my

• Embassy of Malaysia, Helsinki — kln.gov.my/web/fin_helsinki

• MIDA — for Malaysian companies investing abroad and for Finnish investors coming to Malaysia. mida.gov.my

Setting up a company in Finland

• Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) — company registration (Trade Register), trademarks and patents. A private limited company (Oy) needs no minimum share capital. prh.fi/en

• Invest in Finland — Finland's national investment promotion agency (Helsinki): free advice for foreign companies establishing in Finland. investinfinland.com

• Suomi.fi for companies — official guide to starting and running a business in Finland, in English. suomi.fi/company

• Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) — residence permits for entrepreneurs and specialists. migri.fi/en

Finnish representation in Malaysia

Embassy of Finland, Kuala Lumpur — covers Malaysia and Brunei. Ambassador H.E. Ms Anne Vasara; Deputy Head of Mission Ms Maiju Lepomäki.
Wisma Chinese Chamber, 5th floor, 258 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur · Tel. +60 3 4257 5789 · inquiries.KUL@gov.fi

Open Mon–Thu 8.00–16.30, Fri 8.00–12.15; consular service by appointment Mon–Fri 9.00–12.00.
finlandabroad.fi/malaysia

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Honorary Consulate of Finland, Penang — Honorary Consul Dato' Seri Jong East Full. Unit 8.1, 8th floor, Wisma Leader 8, Jalan Larut, 10050 Penang · Tel. +60 4 291 5916

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Honorary Consulate of Finland, Kota Kinabalu — Honorary Consul James Tsun Hyun Wong. c/o Uli Motors Sdn Bhd, Jalan Miniyak, off Mile 5.5 Jalan Tuaran, 88746 Kota Kinabalu · Tel. +60 88 431 336 / +60 88 431 337

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