Ringgit rebound opens digital upgrade window for Malaysians, says economist
The ringgit’s steady rise this year, now trading around RM4.13 to the US dollar, its strongest in more than a year, is doing more than just lifting investor sentiment.
Barjoyai Bardai of Malaysia University of Science and Technology said it has opened a window for Malaysians to upgrade their digital devices, software, and cloud tools at a noticeably lower cost.
“When the ringgit strengthens against the US dollar, the cost of imported goods and services priced in US dollars, such as laptops, smartphones, software subscriptions, and cloud services becomes cheaper for Malaysian buyers,” he told FMT.
He said small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and households are paying less for digital tools such as Microsoft 365, Adobe Creative Cloud and AWS services.
Barjoyai said imported hardware including routers, servers and IoT (internet of…
