PETALING JAYA: As Malaysia prepares for Budget 2027, the conversation should look beyond immediate economic measures and consider how to strengthen the foundations that will support long-term wealth creation, preservation and investment, said Gambit Group CEO Datuk Clifford Hii.
“There is no denying that Malaysia’s financial ecosystem has evolved significantly over the past decade. Malaysians today have access to a wider range of investment products and asset classes – thanks to the digitalisation of financial services. At the same time, the growth of digital assets and emerging financial technologies is creating new opportunities for investors and businesses,” he noted.
Hii said the next stage of this development, however, should not be measured by access and innovation alone.
“As forms of wealth available to Malaysians continue to diversify, we need to strengthen the infrastructure around how that wealth is planned, managed, protected and transferred.”
He continued, “The first priority we hope for in Budget 2027 is the continued development of Malaysia’s wealth management ecosystem. The key areas that the government currently puts focus on are encouraging competitiveness and quality investment. These key areas present an opportunity to strengthen the wider ecosystem around wealth creation and preservation.”
For example, he added, supporting professional wealth management, trustee and asset management services.
When this is fully established, an environment that encourages long-term capital is also vital, as we want to remain local and foreign investments in the country,” he said.
“Greater financial planning should also form part of this effort. With social media remaining one of the channels used by most Malaysians for news and information, we have a vast amount of financial information available, and it has grown significantly over the last 10 years. However, we must remember that greater access to information does not necessarily mean we make better financial decisions,” said Hii.
He said that there is an opportunity to financial education around diversification, risk management, long-term investing and wealth preservation. This is particularly important as younger investors become increasingly active in financial markets and gain access to a wider range of investment products.
“The second priority is ensuring that the growth of digital wealth is accompanied by trust, governance and investor protection. As of 2025, regulated digital asset exchanges recorded RM17.14 billion in trading value, which is up from RM13.93 billion in 2024, while the number of digital asset investors increased by approximately 29% during the year,” said Hii.
These developments clearly show that digital assets are becoming a more established part of the financial conversation. Naturally, as participation grows, the focus should move towards building trust around the infrastructure supporting these assets. This aligns with the Budget 2027 consultation’s focus on digitalisation and innovation, however, the next step should also be ensuring that innovation is supported by strong governance, Hii stressed.
“Regularity and governance protects the overall ecosystem and strengthens regulatory clarity, custody and investor protection. Investors need confidence that their assets are properly safeguarded, and businesses need clear frameworks within which they can innovate and operate responsibly,” he said.
The same kind of principle applies to the development of tokenisation across capital markets. As new forms of digital ownership emerge, the government should continue encouraging responsible innovation and ensuring that governance and transparency remain the focal point to the development of the ecosystem,” he added.
The third priority is wealth preservation and succession planning.
“We saw that in late 2025, there were about RM13.3 billion in unclaimed funds and RM90 billion in frozen assets, showing how widespread this issue already is.
“The way wealth is held is becoming increasingly diverse and has been for a long time. For example, they may have a combination of property, conventional financial assets, private investments as well as digital assets, each with different considerations around ownership, custody and succession,” Hii said, adding that this creates a greater need for Malaysians to think and plan their wealth both in terms of accumulation as well as the overall protection and eventual transfer.
“As we continue to support this key area, for example, with our Hybrid Asset Trust structure, a solution designed to integrate both traditional and modern asset classes under a single trust framework. The government should also further strengthen awareness around succession planning and the structures available to families and business owners to manage and preserve their assets over generations,” said Hii.
Budget 2027 can build on these foundations by supporting quality investment, responsible financial innovation and stronger wealth planning capabilities, he added.
Of course, Hii said, technology will continue to change how wealth is created, managed and accessed.
