KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 23): The strengthening of the ringgit is not expected to have a significant impact on Malaysia’s export performance and trade balance, said Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah. He said the country’s trade balance increased by 9.2% to RM151.8 billion in 2025, recording a surplus for 28 consecutive years since 1998. “The ringgit’s strengthening reflects strong economic fundamentals, including resilient export performance, a continuous trade surplus, and sustained external demand for Malaysia’s goods and services. “Malaysia’s trade balance performance remained strong even when the ringgit was at RM3.80 against the US dollar during the implementation of the ringgit peg from 1998 to 2005,” he said in a Dewan Negara question-and-answer session on Monday. Therefore, these strategic measures are expected to support efforts to maintain the trade surplus and subsequently achieve export growth of 5.8% annually during the 13MP.

Source: The Edge Markets February 23, 2026 04:28 UTC