Tag: Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – With Malaysia’s rapidly maturing digital creative industry — spanning animations, films and video games — emerging as a key driver of economic growth, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has announced a series of incentive programmes aimed at advancing industry development and enhancing the industry’s international competitiveness. 

First off, the ‘Digital Games Testbed Programme (DGTP)’ aimed at strengthening Malaysia’s games industry by providing RM3.5 million in funding to at least five Malaysian game development companies, each eligible for up to RM700,000. 

Open to Malaysian-owned games studios with a proven track record and a clear IP expansion strategy, DGTP encourages new game genres, enhances local studios, and fosters international partnerships to position Malaysia as a competitive game development hub.

Moreover, the ‘Animation Shorts Challenge’ programme, a competition-based initiative designed to strengthen Malaysia’s animation industry by nurturing high-quality digital content. Through structured competition and industry mentorship, this programme supports local creators in developing impactful animated short films, commonly called shorts, with strong Intellectual Property (IP) potential. 

The initiative is set to provide selected participants with expert guidance, bridging local talent with industry leaders to enhance skills, creativity and global market readiness. A total project fund of RM1.2 million will be allocated to support 12 trained participants and the development of 12 new animation short IPs. 

Lastly, the ‘Business in Metaverse Programme’ is designed to help Malaysian businesses leverage metaverse technologies for brand engagement and immersive commerce. With a total funding of RM1 million, this programme will support 200 businesses, each eligible to receive up to RM5,000 to implement metaverse-based marketing strategies. 

By integrating digital tools such as virtual storefronts, gamified marketing strategies, and branded digital assets, businesses can enhance customer engagement and increase brand visibility in the evolving metaverse landscape. 

MDEC Chief Executive Officer Anuar Fariz Fadzil described the digital creative industry as a ‘strategic economic industry with strong potential that continues to create high-value jobs, nurture local intellectual property while driving export revenue’. 

“Through these financial incentive programmes, we aim to strengthen the entire value chain — from talent development to market access — while positioning Malaysia as a globally competitive hub for digital content creation,” he said. 

“Often driven by passion and creativity, the digital creative industry attracts professionals who are deeply committed to their craft,” he added. 

“MDEC’s programmes are designed to support these talents by encouraging them to build on their strengths, explore innovative ideas and turn their passion into commercially viable content for local and global audiences.” 

Malaysia’s digital content market has grown substantially over the years, posting RM87.25 billion in revenue and RM11.18 billion in export sales, while creating gainful employment for some 11,154 Malaysians within this industry since 2011. 

Anuar was speaking at the Digital Creative Industry Engagement Session 2025, where MDEC officially launched the new funding initiatives aimed at empowering local studios and digital content creators across key segments such as games, animation and the metaverse. 

Anuar reaffirmed MDEC’s commitment to advancing all facets of the digital economy, including nurturing local innovation, supporting local industry players and building a resilient digital ecosystem while enabling jobs and opportunities. 

“The newly announced incentives are aimed at driving sustainable industry growth, attracting international investment and positioning Malaysia as a prominent player within the global digital creative landscape, which we already are,” he concluded. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has appointed global strategic communications leader, Burson, as its new public relations (PR) agency of record. This strategic appointment follows a competitive pitch process to identify a capable PR agency to work with collaboratively in strengthening MDEC’s communication strategies and stakeholder engagements. 

Burson was selected for its global reach, deep insights, and capability to support MDEC’s mission of accelerating Malaysia’s digital transformation. This partnership aims to strengthen MDEC’s communication efforts and reinforce its leadership in the digital economy. 

The collaboration between MDEC and Burson will also encompass a comprehensive range of services, including strategic media relations both locally and internationally, bespoke content creation, and reputation management. 

Over the course of the next three years, Burson will meticulously craft and execute communication strategies designed to amplify MDEC’s initiatives and engage effectively with diverse stakeholders, ensuring that MDEC’s messages resonate powerfully across all channels.

Justin Then, CEO of Burson Malaysia, said, “This appointment is a testament of the team’s ability to provide the deep actionable insights that MDEC requires from a global agency partner. We’re honoured to be handed this mandate to assist MDEC in advancing the national digital transformation agenda.”

Earlier this year, WPP Group announced the merger of its two largest communications agencies, Hill & Knowlton and BCW, to form Burson. The newly formed Burson, officially launched last month, now boasts over 6,000 employees in 43 markets worldwide. This merger creates an industry-leading, full-service communications agency focused on building and protecting reputation, honouring the legacy of Harold Burson, a pioneer in modern public relations and strategic communications.

Cyberjaya, Malaysia – The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has launched two new campaigns, the Go-eCommerce Onboarding and Shop Malaysia Online (SMO) campaigns, to help businesses leverage on new opportunities and to strengthen the agility of local businesses all the while reducing their operation costs. 

To be executed via a public-private co-funding model, the campaigns will see the government inject an incentive package worth RM200 million aimed at providing support to Malaysian businesses to enhance their sales capability in e-commerce and help boost their sales.

The campaigns go under the Belanjawan 2021 initiatives or the country’s National Budget for the year. 

The Go-eCommerce Onboarding campaign is an initiative to encourage the adoption of e-commerce and e-payment by local businesses. A further RM100m budget has been allocated for the program; its focus is to help local businesses widen their market reach via e-commerce and e-payment.

Meanwhile, the SMO campaign features sale campaigns to encourage online consumption. Through this, discount vouchers will be issued to consumers to be redeemed against their online purchases on participating e-commerce and e-payment platforms.

MDEC’s CEO Surina Shukri shared that they are attuned to the needs of the industry and businesses, thus the increased allocation this year to further provide the impetus for the growth of eCommerce and its ecosystem, in line with the goals of the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL) – a plan to accelerate the country’s progress as a technologically-advanced economy.

“Facilitating local businesses to go digital and online will ensure that they are able to future proof against potential aftershocks. By supporting Malaysian businesses, we will also ensure jobs and livelihoods are sustained. We are committed not to leave anyone behind and the welfare of the local businesses and people is our priority,” said Shukri.

Meanwhile, Aiza Azreen Ahmad, the chief digital business officer at MDEC, commented that they are fully committed to equip and enable Malaysian businesses to navigate and thrive through these business unusual times. 

“With strong support from the government, we aim to further catalyze the growth of e-commerce in Malaysia, with the goal for the country to be the largest market in ASEAN by 2025, in line with MyDIGITAL. Thanks to the support from all the partners and stakeholders, these campaigns were a runaway success in 2020. Public-private collaborations will be crucial and we look forward to more fruitful partnerships in the future,” said Aiza Azreen.

The campaigns are expected to benefit 300,000 local businesses, with 50,000 being newly onboarded. In terms of total gross merchandise value, it is targeted to exceed RM1b generating 10 million transactions. About 30,000 women entrepreneurs are also expected to benefit from this initiative to push the inclusivity needle further.

Both campaigns are scheduled to run from 1 July until 31 December 2021.