Malaysia launches De Rantau to accelerate digital economy

Malaysia launches De Rantau to accelerate digital economy

  •   Program set to benefit each local talents, foreign nomads
  • To position Malaysia as preferred electronic nomad hub in Asean

(From L-R) Ma. Sivanesan Marimuthu, deputy secretary general, Ministry of Communications and Multimedia of Malaysia; Zairil Khir Johari, Penang state executive councillor for Infrastructure and Transport; Annuar Haji Musa; and Mahadhir Aziz, CEO of MDEC, officiating the launch of DE Rantau in Penang The marketing communications and multimedia ministry (K-KOMM) has released DE Rantau, a programme aimed at establishing Malaysia as the favored digital nomad hub to boost digital use and promote electronic professional mobility and tourism across Malaysia.

In a joint statement along with Malaysia Digital Economic climate Corporation (MDEC), both parties said the program is intended to benefit both local abilities and foreign nomads.  

They added that will apart from the introduction of the DE Rantau nomad pass, which will assistance the facilitation of foreign digital nomads’ stay in Malaysia for a period of 12 months.

K-KOMM through MDEC will make a vibrant ecosystem that can support the digital nomad lifestyle in order to regain the balance in working and residing, they said.

K-KOMM minister Annuar Musa said the DE Rantau program,   aligned along with Malaysia Digital, can help solidify Malaysia’s way to becoming the preferred electronic nomad hub from the Asean region.  

“Despite facing close competitors with our neighbours, Malaysia has all the correct ingredients to be the majority of attractive choice to get digital nomads.

“While the particular digital nomad lifestyle is nothing brand new, it is the pandemic that will accelerated the trend associated with more people selecting to embrace the location-independent, tech-enabled life-style, allowing them to work plus live wherever their own hearts desire, ” said Annuar.

Driving this initiative, MDEC may oversee the development of digital nomad hubs plus comprehensive local ecosystems suitable for the digital nomad lifestyle.  

This will be done in collaboration with various industry gamers as well as the onboarding associated with digital nomads via outreach and understanding programmes and visa facilitation of SOBRE Rantau Nomad Complete, K-KOMM said.

The programme is expected to inject a total of US$1. 064 billion (RM4. 8 billion) to the local economy from the year 2025, K-KOMM said.

Applications for SOBRE Rantau Nomad Move will be open upon October. Click here to register.