KUALA LUMPUR: ASEAN will remain an attractive international investment destination over the long term, given its many attractive qualities.
These qualities, according to RHB Asset Management (RHB AM)'s managing director, Eliza Ong are mostly being driven by the region's young demographic, its strategic location in trade and its competitive wages.
"Malaysia stands to benefit from two very important linkages, namely the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative and its participation in the ASEAN community," said Ong during her opening address at Market Insights Forum 2017 earlier today.
"In fact, in the next decade, the Asean economic community could boost the region's economies by 7.1 per cent and generate 14 million jobs."
ASEAN is currently home to some 622 million people and is the third largest market in Asia and seventh in the world.
OBOR also has massive potential to push ASEAN and subsequently Malaysia, up the global economic chain given the Chinese government's commitment of investments of well over US$900 billion to build infrastructure networks in this region.
"To date, OBOR-related commitments for ASEAN, specifically in Malaysia, Phillipines and Indonesia amount to US$77 billion," said Ong, adding that there's more potential upside to that in the medium to long term.
Themed "Understanding the Business of Tomorrow", the one day forum at Hilton Kuala Lumpur focuses on trending topics concerning the integration of Asia, OBOR, Asean Economic Community, the New World Disorder and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Headquartered in Malaysia and with offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia, RHB AM today oversees RM54 billion of assets under management across equities, fixed income and alternative investments.