The Malaysia Digital Economy Week held from 9 to 15 January 2022 in the Malaysian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, has seen the signing of 16 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between Malaysian and international tech companies.
The MoUs signed include some of Malaysia’s most prominent tech companies across various technology sectors, including DroneTech, Islamic and conventional FinTech, and Blockchain.
The companies involved in the MoUs include Aerodyne, Accubits, ASC, ASDAM Digital, CALMs Technologies, CreateWills, DistiChain, Examus, FREYA Capital, Galaxy Racer, Gulf Business Machines, Global Psytech, Grayscale Technologies, HID Global, KGiSL Information Systems, National General Insurance, Numa Solution, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), The Noor and Valeuble DMCC.
“These MoUs signify ongoing global interest in Malaysia’s digital technology innovations and the country’s robust digital economy ecosystem. Malaysia is a leading nation in various emerging technology industries – we received top ranking in the Global Islamic Fintech (GIFT) Index while our DroneTech innovators are globally recognised players.
“The signing of these MoUs will not only allow our tech companies to expand their reach internationally but spotlight the strength of our digital ecosystem. It also contributes towards our national agenda in establishing Malaysia a regional digital hub, in line with the goals of the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL) and the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP),” said YB Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima TPr Haji Annuar bin Musa, Minister of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia.
The Digital Economy Week also saw the launch of Crafting Batik Girl, an artbook on the award-winning animated short Batik Girl.
Animation Champions Present New Works
The Digital Economy Week also saw the launch of Crafting Batik Girl, an artbook on the award-winning animated short Batik Girl. Produced by The R&D Studio with support from MDEC, Batik Girl tells the story of a girl coming to terms with loss and grief through the Malaysian traditional art of batik painting.
The artbook explores the process of creating the short that has won awards in The USA, Japan and Chile and being an official selection in 28 international festivals around the world.
“In many ways, Batik Girl is the culmination of MDEC’s journey in the digital creative content industry, which started with the development of Saladin: The Animated Series. Through intervention and initiatives by MDEC in the form of catalytic programmes, grants, and industrial support, the local digital creative content scene has since grown into a thriving industry worth US$1.67 billion (RM7 billion).
“We are proud and privileged to have supported The R&D Studio throughout the development of Batik Girl and can’t wait to see what the studio has to offer going forward,” said Mahadhir Aziz, CEO of MDEC.
Apart from Batik Girl, the Malaysia Digital Economy Week also saw the launch of several exciting content from one of Malaysia’s leading animation company, Durioo. The company prides itself on producing quality Islamic essence cartoons and videos catered to Muslim children worldwide.
Mina Mila is one of Durioo’s many exciting new series coming in 2022.
At the event, Durioo introduced five new series; Little Ammar, Mina Mila, The Zehni, Polytako and Bubu Lala. On top of these, Durioo will also be launching its own streaming platform called Durioo+ in the first quarter of 2022. The company is also planning to launch Durioo Games to round off its complete offering to millions of Muslim children around the world.
“The Muslim population makes up about 25 per cent of the world’s constituents. Durioo is not merely carving a niche with its unique offerings, but tapping into a fast-growing segment, all from our home base in Malaysia. We are proud to be a partner with Durioo and will continue to do our utmost in ensuring Malaysia accelerates itself towards becoming the digital hub of ASEAN,” added Mahadhir.
