Malaysian-Finnish Business Council MFBC

Information about Malaysia to the international community and like-minded Malaysians. A informative website dedicated to publishing news and lifestyle articles for living better in Malaysia. Local insight with a global perspective. The site is managed by long-term expats in Malaysia, and the content is contributed from a diverse group of insightful international and local writers.

expatgomalaysia.com

The sister website, Eat Drink KL, publishes independent restaurant reviews and feature articles about places to eat and drink in KL and Selangor.

eatdrink.my/kl

Other Business Councils and Chambers in Malaysia

Malaysian-Swedish Business Association

Malaysian Danish Business Council

Malaysia Norway Business Council (MNBC)

EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Malaysia Dutch Business Council (MDBC)

Malaysian German Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Malaysian French Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Swiss Malaysian Business Association

Malaysia Australia Business Council (MABC)

Malaysia New Zealand Business Council

American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM)

British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce

Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce

Malaysia briefly...

The Federation of Malaysia comprises of Peninsular Malaysia, and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo.

Geographic Location: Situated between 2º and 7º to the North of the Equator line, Peninsular Malaysia is separated from Sabah and Sarawak by the South China Sea. In the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia lies Thailand, and in the south, neighbouring Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak are bounded by Indonesia while Sarawak also shares borders with Brunei.

Area: 329,758 sqkm

Population: 32.6 million (2019)

Capital City: Kuala Lumpur (Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government)

People: Malays comprise 57% of the population, while the Chinese, Indian and Bumiputeras and other races make up the rest of the country's population.

Language: Bahasa Malaysia is the official national language in use, but English is widely spoken. The ethnic groups also converse in the various languages and dialects.

Religion: Islam is the official religion of the country, but other religions are widely practised.

Government: Malaysia follows the bicameral legislative system, adopting a democratic parliamentary. The head of the country is the King or the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, a position which is changed every five years among the Malay Sultanates. The head of government is the Prime Minister.

Weather: The country experiences tropical weather year-round. Temperatures are from 21ºC (70ºF) to 32ºC (90ºF). Higher elevations are much colder with temperatures between 15°C (59° F) to 25°C (77°F). Annual rainfall varies from 2,000mm to 2,500mm.

Main Holidays: New Year*, Hari Raya Aidiladha*, Federal Territory Day **, Chinese New Year *, Awal Muharam*, Maulidur Rasul*, Labour Day*, Wesak*, King's Birthday*, National Day* Deepavali# Hari Raya Aidilfitri* Christmas*

Note: (*) - National Holidays (**) - Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur & Labuan only (#) - except Labuan & Sarawak

Economic Profile: Manufacturing constitutes the largest single component of Malaysia's economy. Tourism and primary commodities such as petroleum, palm oil, natural rubber and timber are major contributors to the economy.

Distances to/from Malaysia: London, United Kingdom to Kuala Lumpur : 6,557 miles (10,552 km)

Paris, France to Kuala Lumpur 6,483 miles (10,432 km)

Rome, Italy to Kuala Lumpur : 6,038 miles (9,716 km)

Stockholm, Sweden to Kuala Lumpur : 5,812 miles (9,353 km)

Berlin, Germany to Kuala Lumpur : 5,979 miles (9,622 km)

Madrid, Spain to Kuala Lumpur : 6,885 miles (11,079 km)

New York, USA to Kuala Lumpur : 9,400 miles (15,126 km)

Los Angeles, USA to Kuala Lumpur : 8,790 miles (14,144 km)

Vancouver, Canada to Kuala Lumpur : 7,944 miles (12,783 km)

Currency: The monetary unit of the country is Ringgit Malaysia and is written as RM. The exchange rate is valued at USD 1 = MYR 4.1720, EUR 1 = MYR 4.6578 (01 Nov 2019). Foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks and money changers.

www.bnm.gov.my/index.php?ch=statistic&pg=stats_exchangerates

Banking Hours: Most states: Monday- Friday: 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Saturday & Sunday: Closed (Some banks and its branches are opened Saturdays). Kelantan & Terengganu: Sunday - Wednesday :9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Thursday : 9.30 am to 4.00 pm. Friday/Saturday*/Public holiday: Closed

Post Office: Opening hours from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm daily, except for the first Saturdays of the month, Sundays, and public holidays when it is closed. In Kelantan and Terengganu the post office operates at the same time, but is closed on Fridays and public holidays.

Time: 8 hours ahead of GMT and 16 hours ahead of U.S Standard Time.

Electricity: Voltage is 220 - 240 Volt AC at 50 cycles per second. Standard 3- pin square plugs and socket.

Measurement and Weight: Malaysia follows the metric system for weight and measurement.

Telephone: Local calls can be made from public phones using shillings or prepaid cards. International calls can also be made using card phones or at any Telekom office.

Accommodation: Malaysia has a wide range of accommodation at competitive rates. International standard hotels, medium and budget hotels, youth hostels are just some of the types of accommodation available.

Information about Finland and Doing Business in Malaysia

Embassy of Finland, Kuala Lumpur

Finland and Malaysia established diplomatic relations in 1972. Finland has had a resident ambassador in Kuala Lumpur since 1988. The presence in Malaysia is well established and reflected in many contacts and in excellent relations between our two countries. The fiel of responsibility of the Embassy of Finland in Kuala Lumpur covers also Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines.

Head of Mission: HE Ms. Anne Vasara, Ambassador of the Republic of Finland to Malaysia

Deputy Head of Mission: Ms. Anni Anni Ståhl

Administrative Officer: Ms. Outi Hannula

E-mail: inquiries.KUL@formin.fi, sanomat.KUL@formin.fi

finland.org.my

Links to Finland

Useful links to a wide choice of information about Finland, including the government and administration, education and culture gathered and updated by the Finnish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

finlandabroad.fi

www.marketopportunities.fi/home/

Ministry For Foreign Affairs of Finland

The Embassy requests all Finnish citizens traveling in or moving to Malaysia to notify the Embassy. The travel notification includes personal data, contact info valid during the trip, and information about the trip. It can be made online on the Ministry for Foreign Affairs's webpage and the information given will only be used in case of an emergency or a crisis situation.

matkustusilmoitus.fi

Finland's Action Plan for Southeast Asia

Economic development in Southeast Asia is rapid and the region's political weight is growing both in Asia and globally. This Action Plan describes Finland's priorities in the region.

Ministry For Foreign Affairs Publications

Team Finland

Team Finland operates in Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei to strengthen the cooperation and bring more efficient use of resources, for the benefit of Finland and Finnish companies in the area. The goal is to make Finland a forerunner in a changing global environment.

The core of the Team Finland network consists of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, and the Ministry of Education and Culture as well as the organisations under their direction at home and abroad.

finlandabroad.fi

Business Finland

Business Finland is the Finnish innovation funding, trade, investment, and travel promotion organization, headquartered in Helsinki. Business Finland is fully owned by the Finnish Government. Business Finland employs 600 experts in 40 offices globally and in 20 regional offices around Finland.

The primary goal of the new Business Finland is to offer a smooth, joint service path for our customers in Finland and abroad when their customers need innovation funding, advise in growing internationally, investing in Finland or bringing visitors to Finland.

Business Finland’s mission is to catalyze new growth and create opportunities for Finland through innovation and international expansion. The strategy is twofold: enabling global growth for companies and creating world-class business ecosystems and competitive business environment for Finland.

Business Finland is part of the Team Finland network.

www.businessfinland.fi/en

Business Finland Malaysia Trade Center

Business Finland Malaysia Trade Center also answers requests for Singapore, Philippines and Brunei, and coordinates them through our local official partners.

1, Jalan Pinang, Level 30, 31 & 32, Menara Prestige, 50450 Kuala Lumpur

Pekka Laitinen, APAC Regional Manager
pekka.laitinen(a)businessfinland.fi

Mohamed Farid, Senior Adviser
mohamed.farid(a)businessfinland.fi

Taking Your Business Abroad from Finland

Finnvera is a Finnish state-owned financing company and the official export credit agency for Finland. Finnvera helps to promote Finnish exports by providing companies and banks financing exports with a broad range of services such as loans, credits and guarantees.

www.finnvera.fi/eng/

The European IPR Helpdesk

The European IPR Helpdesk is the official IP service initiative of the European Commission providing free-of-charge, first-line advice and information on Intellectual Property (IP) and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). The service is targeted at researchers and European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) participating in EU-funded collaborative research projects. In addition it addresses SMEs involved in international technology transfer processes.

http://www.southeastasia-iprhelpdesk.eu

"IP Insider" is the blog of the China and ASEAN IPR SME Helpdesks, two projects co-funded by the European Commission, which provide free information and services for European Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to both protect and enforce their intellectual property rights (IPR) in China and Southeast Asia respectively. The IP Insider blog provides practical information on how you can develop your business’ IP strategy with simple, cost-effective measures.

www.youripinsider.eu

IPR Heldesk's ASEAN country factsheets: