Matrade chairman Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican.
PETALING JAYA: The Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) has extended Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican’s tenure as chairman of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) for another two years, citing his strong leadership and achievements.
Reezal Merican, who was appointed as Matrade’s ninth chairman in May 2023 on a two-year contract, has overseen record-breaking trade and investment performance. In 2024, Malaysia recorded its highest-ever approved investment value of RM378.5bil, while total trade surged to an all-time high of RM2.88 trillion.
“Because of the success of Matrade, I’m happy and pleased to announce that the chairman has met the key performance indicators,” Miti Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said during his speech at the launch of Madani Digital Trade (MDT).
“Incidentally, his contract is about to end. But I’m also pleased to announce that we have extended his term in Matrade for another two years,” he said, adding that this decision was based on Matrade’s performance during his tenure.
Meanwhile, Tengku Zafrul highlighted that MDT is a transformative initiative aimed at reshaping Malaysia’s trade landscape by accelerating digital adoption among businesses and exporters.
“As policymakers, our role is to ensure that businesses, especially exporters, embrace technology as much as possible to enhance productivity and expand their export potential,” he said.
He said while small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make up 97% of Malaysia’s commercial sector, many still lag behind larger firms in digital adoption.
Key challenges include high capital expenditure costs, limited digital literacy, and a lack of resources to engage directly with international buyers, he added.
To address these gaps, he said the MDT, which is powered by Nazsoft Tech Sdn Bhd, will serve as a digital-first trade facilitation system, offering SMEs access to big data analytics, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence to optimise their export processes.
“With its comprehensive suite of tools and resources, MDT is poised to be a game-changer in driving Malaysia’s export growth,” Tengku Zafrul said.
“For Malaysian companies and SMEs, it provides a one-stop digital solution to expand market reach, streamline export processes, access financial support, and leverage real-time business intelligence.”
Reezal Merican said the MDT will be “an added value” to Malaysian businesses, especially to the exporters.
He explained that among the key features of MDT are the single information portal for exporters.
“All the necessary information can be found on this platform – whether you’re looking for potential suppliers, premium buyers, exporters, or even export licences,” he said during his opening remarks.
