KUALA LUMPUR: Young Malaysians say financial anxiety is pushing them toward investing, not away from it, and many who believe they can’t afford to start already can.
A new joint survey by Moomoo Securities Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Youth Economic Forum (YEF) found that 84% of respondents say economic concern has made them more likely to invest, challenging the assumption that cost-of-living pressure is pushing youth away from long-term financial planning.
Young YEF respondents are not retreating from investing amid economic uncertainty.
Instead, many report stronger investment intent, but a significant gap remains between willingness to invest and confidence in knowing how to begin.
The survey was conducted among attendees of the 2026 Youth Economic Forum, organised by the Perdana Fellows Alumni Association. YEF is a national youth economic platform bringing together policymakers, corporate leaders, industry experts and emerging youth voices to debate Malaysia’s economic priorities and future direction.
As to key findings:
- Young Malaysians want to make their money work harder for them: The survey found that 84.0% of respondents are more likely to invest because of economic concerns. Only 6.3% said such concerns make them less likely to do so.
- Gap between perceived affordability and reported capacity to invest: Among respondents who cited insufficient funds as their main barrier, 58.3% said they could nevertheless set aside at least RM100 a month.
- A measured approach to risk: Nearly half of respondents (46.1%) described their risk appetite as balanced. They are comfortable with some market fluctuation while remaining cautious about high-risk investments. Another 32.5% identified as conservative, while 16.5% described themselves as aggressive investors.
- A misconception around starting amounts: Some 41.7% believe they need between RM100 and RM499 to begin investing, despite many digital investment platforms offering lower entry points.
- A need for clearer financial education: Social media is the most common source of investment learning, cited by 62.1% of respondents, compared with 34.0% who cited formal education. Only 42.2% feel confident about how fees affect returns, while 31.6% understand what a brokerage account is and how to open one. More than three quarters (75.2%) said clearer, simpler information would increase their confidence to start.
Moomoo Malaysia acting CEO Dennis Jee (pic) said these findings point to an important gap between people’s willingness to invest and their confidence in navigating the process.
“The opportunity is not just about giving people more sophisticated tools. It is also about making those tools and the information behind them easier to understand and use.
“For Moomoo Malaysia, this is why investment education is treated as core to the platform rather than a supplementary feature: confidence built on genuine understanding is the only kind that holds up in a volatile market,” he added.
At the same time, he said, greater access does not remove the need for good investment judgement as investors still need to understand the strategy, assumptions and risks involved.
“We believe that while AI can make investing more accessible, investors should still be equipped to make their own judgement.
“Starting small and investing consistently can help young adults build long-term financial habits, provided they understand the risks and make decisions that suit their own goals.”
The survey was conducted among 206 attendees of the 2026 Youth Economic Forum between Sept 15 and 30.
Respondents skew young, with 83.0% aged 18 to 24.
The survey reflects the views of participating YEF registrants and is not intended to be nationally representative of Malaysian youth.
Percentages have been rounded and may not total 100%.
