KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 4): Malaysia needs more small- and mid-cap listed companies to grow into national champions and regional leaders to strengthen the country’s capital market, Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said.

In his keynote address at The Edge Centurion Club Awards 2026 on Tuesday, Amir Hamzah said the success of these companies should be measured not only by earnings growth and business expansion but also by stronger valuations, greater institutional investor participation and higher investor confidence.

The Edge Centurion Club recognises Bursa Malaysia-listed companies with market capitalisations of between RM100 million and RM1 billion.

“Small- and mid-cap companies bring dynamism and excitement to the market, as investors look to them in search of tomorrow’s leaders and the potential for meaningful growth in value,” he said.

He urged the award recipients to build on their strong performance, saying there are still new markets to enter, new capabilities to build and greater heights to reach.

“Investor expectations are high, and so are the country’s ambitions, because Malaysia needs more companies capable of progressing from promising enterprises into national champions and eventually regional leaders,” he added.

Amir Hamzah said the Capital Market Masterplan 2026–2030 aims to expand Malaysia’s capital market from RM4.3 trillion in 2025 to at least RM5.8 trillion by 2030, with growth driven across companies of all sizes, including mid-cap firms.

He said initiatives such as Bursa RISE+ and MY Value Up are designed to help listed companies improve their visibility, strengthen investor engagement, articulate clearer growth strategies and adopt more disciplined capital allocation.

“RISE+ helps bring deserving companies into sharper focus. Better visibility can support fairer valuations and a lower cost of capital, especially for companies whose story is not well understood by the market,” he said.

“MY Value Up goes further by encouraging listed companies to articulate clearer growth strategies, measurable targets and disciplined capital-allocation priorities, while strengthening disclosure and investor engagement. Both reflect the same principle: higher valuation must be earned through stronger fundamentals, not promotion alone,” he added.

Amir Hamzah said the pursuit of growth must be matched by sound governance and ethical business practices, noting that investors are increasingly looking beyond the bottom line to how companies allocate capital, treat their employees and manage risk across the business cycle.

“Investors increasingly look beyond the bottom line to how a company allocates capital, treats its people and manages risk across a full cycle,” the minister said.