Hanoi (VNA) – Malaysia has emerged as Southeast Asia's most attractive investment destination among emerging markets, according to the latest 2026 Global Opportunity Index (GOI) report by the Milken Institute.
The report ranked Malaysia 23rd globally, the highest among developing Southeast Asian economies, underpinned by strong institutional quality and solid economic fundamentals.
Malaysia also impressed with its balanced development across all five GOI assessment criteria, with particularly strong performance in key pillars such as Financial Services (ranked 17th) and Business Perception (18th).
The GOI, an annual ranking assessing 101 variables across five categories - Business Perception, Economic Fundamentals, Financial Services, Institutional Framework, and International Standards and Policy - highlights Southeast Asia's growing role in global capital allocation.
According to statistics, six key growth markets in Southeast Asia attracted 8.2% of total capital inflows into emerging and developing economies between 2021 and 2024, with foreign direct investment (FDI) accounting for more than 70% of those flows.
Matthew Aleshi, Director of Geoeconomics at the Milken Institute and co-author of the report, noted that while Southeast Asia's growth story remains attractive, investors are becoming increasingly selective. He said global capital flows continue to shift towards high-growth emerging markets, with Southeast Asia being a major beneficiary of this trend.
According to the expert, countries that can maintain macroeconomic stability while deepening their financial systems and improving governance capacity will have the greatest advantage in attracting long-term investment./.
