# Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI): Malaysia's Gateway for Trade and Investment

> MITI is Malaysia's federal ministry for investment, international trade and industrial policy — renamed from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 2023 — overseeing agencies like MIDA, MATRADE and MPC and driving the NIMP 2030 industrial agenda.

- Category: government
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-08-14
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/government/ministry-of-investment-trade-industry-miti

---

Look closely at the four letters and you will spot the trick: **MITI** used to stand for the Ministry of *International* Trade and Industry. Since April 2023 it has stood for the Ministry of **Investment**, Trade and Industry (Malay: *Kementerian Pelaburan, Perdagangan dan Industri*) — same acronym, one changed word, a slightly changed mandate. This is Malaysia's federal ministry for investment, international trade and industrial policy, and this page explains what it does, who runs it, and how it differs from its own agencies.

## What does MITI actually do?

MITI is a **policy ministry**, not a service counter. Its responsibilities span international trade, industry, investment, productivity, small and medium enterprises, development finance, the halal industry, automotive, steel and strategic trade. In practice that means MITI writes the rules and strategy for how Malaysia trades and industrialises, while the operational work — approving investments, promoting exports — sits with its agencies.

The ministry's stated vision is "Malaysia as the preferred investment destination, sustainable industrial and competitive trading nation." Its corporate philosophy runs through five values: Nation Before Self, Service With Dedication, Excellence In Endeavour, Success Through Team Work, and One Ministry One Aspiration.

## Why did the name change but the acronym stay?

For decades the ministry was the **Ministry of International Trade and Industry**. In April 2023 it was renamed the **Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry**, foregrounding investment as a priority. Because both the old and new names shorten to **MITI**, the familiar acronym was retained — which is exactly why so many people miss that anything changed.

The lineage runs deeper than that:

| Year | Milestone |
| --- | --- |
| April 1956 | Established as the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. |
| February 1972 | Renamed the Ministry of Trade and Industry. |
| 27 October 1990 | Split into two: MITI (international trade and industry) and KPDN (domestic trade and consumer affairs). |
| April 2023 | Renamed the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, keeping the MITI acronym. |

That 1990 split is why MITI and **KPDN** are separate ministries today: MITI handles international trade and industrial policy, while KPDN handles domestic trade and consumer affairs.

## What agencies sit under MITI?

MITI oversees a family of statutory bodies and government-linked companies that do the front-line work. Investors and exporters generally deal with these agencies rather than the ministry directly:

| Agency | Focus |
| --- | --- |
| **MIDA** — Malaysian Investment Development Authority | Investment promotion and evaluation |
| **MATRADE** — Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation | Export promotion |
| **MPC** — Malaysia Productivity Corporation | Productivity and competitiveness |
| **MIDF** & **EXIM Bank** | Industrial and trade financing |
| **SIRIM Berhad** & **Standards Malaysia (JSM)** | Standards, quality and certification |
| **MARii**, **MSI**, **HDC**, **MRM**, **NAICO** | Automotive, steel, halal and other sector bodies |

## Who runs MITI, and where is it based?

As of the **December 2025 Cabinet reshuffle**, MITI is led by **Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani** as Minister, with **Sim Tze Tzin** as Deputy Minister. The ministry's headquarters is **Menara MITI**, No. 7, Jalan Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, and its official website is miti.gov.my.

On the money side, MITI received an allocation of **RM1.898 billion** under Budget 2026 to lead delivery of the **New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030)**, the industrial blueprint guiding Malaysia's manufacturing and industrial direction.

## What's next

If you are pursuing a specific investment or export activity, the practical next step is the relevant **agency** rather than the ministry itself — MIDA for investment, MATRADE for exports. To understand where MITI fits among Malaysia's economic ministries, compare it with **KPDN**, the domestic-trade ministry it split from in 1990.

## Sources

- Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Malaysia) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Investment,_Trade_and_Industry_(Malaysia) (Wikipedia)
- MITI — History and Background — https://www.miti.gov.my/index.php/pages/view/10337 (Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI))
- MITI — Vision, Mission, Corporate Philosophy, Objectives and Functions — https://www.miti.gov.my/index.php/pages/view/2047 (Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI))
- Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry — official homepage — https://www.miti.gov.my/index.php (Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI))

---
Source of truth: https://github.com/negaraku-md/NegaraKu.md
License: CC BY-SA 4.0