KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 (Bernama) -- The Government-linked investment companies (GLICs) deployed RM7.158 billion in patient capital to build the industries behind a 'Made by Malaysia' economy, where domestic enterprises own the higher rungs of global production rather than simply assembling products at its base.
This is the work of advancing economic complexity under the Government-Linked Enterprises Activation and Reform Programme (GEAR-uP), which is spearheaded by the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
“That capital works at two levels, namely, supporting the firms and technologies that generate high-value output, and developing the infrastructure that lets them operate at scale,” said MoF in its GEAR-uP progress report released today.
MoF noted that last year, advanced technology and the semiconductor sector received RM3.2 billion in capital, with GLICs allocating and deploying RM1.4 billion in 2025 to move Malaysia beyond testing and packaging into the higher-margin, intellectual property (IP)-rich segments of the value chain, supporting homegrown design firms and anchoring high-value technology transfer onshore.
Meanwhile, GLICs deployed RM1.8 billion in 2025 towards hyperscale data centres and automated logistics hubs across Malaysia's primary industrial corridors, providing the compute and supply-chain capacity that higher-value manufacturing depends on, it said.
“Other allocations included RM270 million for the energy transition, RM1.3 billion for Bumiputera enterprise empowerment, RM588 million for the venture and start-up ecosystem and RM1.8 billion for mid-tier scale-ups,” said MoF.
GEAR-uP was launched in 2024 to unlock RM120 billion over five years, driving socioeconomic reforms and accelerating Malaysia's industrial transformation.
The programme is anchored by six major GLICs: Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), the Retirement Fund (Incorporated) (KWAP), the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) and Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH).
-- BERNAMA