FX.co ★ Malaysia Current Account Surplus Widens in Q2

Malaysia’s current account surplus widened markedly to MYR 10.8 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up from MYR 2.7 billion in the same period a year earlier, largely on the back of a much stronger goods balance. The goods surplus more than doubled to MYR 40.7 billion from MYR 16.0 billion, underscoring a robust performance in external trade.

The services deficit edged up to MYR 0.7 billion from MYR 0.5 billion, mainly reflecting higher spending on travel, manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others, and telecommunications, computer and information services. These increases more than offset reduced expenditure on transport, insurance and pension services, and other business services.

By contrast, the primary income deficit widened sharply to MYR 27.2 billion from MYR 9.5 billion, as both investment income and compensation of employees posted larger declines. The secondary income deficit narrowed, improving to MYR 2.1 billion from MYR 3.2 billion.