KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s banking system remained resilient in October 2025, with Bank Negara reporting healthy liquidity buffers and stable asset quality.
The banking system’s liquidity coverage ratio stood at 147.5%, while both gross and net impaired loan ratios held steady at 1.4% and 0.9% respectively.
In its monthly highlight, Bank Negara said the loan loss coverage remained prudent at 126.4%, underscoring banks’ continued capacity to absorb potential shocks.
Credit to the private non-financial sector expanded at a steady pace of 5.7%, driven by sustained loan growth across both businesses and households.
Outstanding business loans rose 5.5%, supported by stronger demand for working capital among non-SMEs, while household loan growth was stable at 5.7%. Corporate bond growth, however, moderated to 5.8% from 7.3% in September.
Bank Negara noted that in October, headline inflation edged down to 1.3% in October from 1.5% previously. The decline was mainly due to lower inflation in non-core items, including reduced electricity costs linked to rebates and softer fuel prices.
Core inflation inched up to 2.2%, reflecting the fading of last year’s base effects in mobile communication services rather than renewed demand pressures.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s external sector continued to provide a strong lift, with exports surging 15.7% amid robust 26.5% growth in the electrical and electronics sector.
Imports grew 11.2%, driven largely by higher capital goods purchases related to data-centre investments. The trade surplus remained sizeable at RM19bil, only slightly below September’s RM20.2bil.
Bank Negara said global financial markets remained anchored by expectations of a US Federal Reserve (Fed) policy rate reduction in October, with the Fed delivering the anticipated cut at the end of the month.
The ringgit appreciated 0.5% against the US dollar, while the 10-year MGS yield rose marginally by four basis points.
The FBM KLCI declined by 0.2%, reflecting profit-taking among non-resident investors.
