Moomoo Securities Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (Moomoo MY), a subsidiary of NASDAQ-listed Futu Holdings Ltd, expects AI to move from a supplement tool to a core driver of investment strategies for Malaysian investors.
“As markets grow more complex and information flows accelerate, investors are leaning on AI-powered tools not only to cut through noise but also to counteract behavioural biases and strengthen discipline,” Ivan Mok, CEO of Moomoo Malaysia told TNGlobal in an interview.
According to him, the digital investment platform has seen strong adoption of its AI Investment Assistant and advanced analytics, which help users simulate scenarios, identify risks, and discover opportunities faster.
“Over time, we expect AI to move from a supplemental tool to a core driver of investment strategies – much like algorithmic trading, has become institutionalized on the professional side,” he added.
Moomoo is a digital investment platform designed to help investors of all levels with professional- grade tools, in-depth market data, and expert insights.
Futu was founded in Hong Kong SAR in 2012 and listed on Nasdaq on March 8, 2019. With over 100 licenses and qualifications worldwide, Futu has established a presence in Hong Kong SAR, the United States, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia and New Zealand. It has more than 27 million users from over 200 countries and regions, information from its website showed.
In the interview, Mok also shared his views on Malaysia’s capital market, Moomoo’s plans and strategies moving forward, among others.
Below are the edited excerpts:
The Malaysian fintech market is highly competitive. How does Moomoo differentiate itself from established local brokerages and other digital-first platforms? What specific features or value propositions resonated most with Malaysian investors?
The Malaysian fintech space is vibrant and competitive, and that’s a positive sign of how quickly the market is developing which ultimately, benefits investors and the industry as a whole.
In Hong Kong and Singapore, Moomoo has become the benchmark for digital investing, and here in Malaysia we are building on that experience to deliver the same standard – combining global best practices with features tailored for local investors.
One of our key differentiators is the equitable access to information and resources we make available to investors. Tools such as Level 2 market data, advanced charting, multi-screen workstations, and AI-powered screeners were once the domain of institutional platforms, but we’ve made them intuitive and accessible to all.
What Malaysian investors tell us is that this levels the playing field and it gives them the confidence to make better-informed decisions without the barriers of high cost or unnecessary complexity.
We’ve also worked hard to ensure our platform is locally relevant while globally connected. Features such as Shariah-compliant stock filters and local money market options reflect the preferences of Malaysian investors, while seamless access to US, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China A-shares means they can diversify globally without juggling multiple platforms.
Pair this with innovations such as fractional shares, zero-fee eIPO subscriptions, Cash Plus with SmartSave, and competitive margin financing, and investors can manage their portfolios more effectively under one roof.
Equally important is the sense of community we’ve built into the experience. For a long time, investing could feel isolating – many people were deterred because they didn’t have a space to ask questions, exchange ideas, or learn from others.
The amount of false information and scams online makes it difficult for investors to know who or what to trust. MooCommunity was created to change that. It provides a safe space where investors can connect with real investors, share strategies, follow market discussions in real time, and learn directly from peers as well as experts.
This has turned investing from a solitary activity into a more collaborative and trustworthy journey, and it helps newer, younger retail investors in particular feel supported, better informed, and more confident in taking part in the markets.
Education is another cornerstone of our approach. Through MooLearn, paper trading, workshops, and events like our annual Moofest, we embed learning directly into the investment journey. For many of our local retail investors, this combination of knowledge, tools, and community is what makes investing feel less intimidating and more empowering because Moomoo is not just another trading app – it’s an ecosystem designed to give every investor the tools, knowledge, and community they need to participate with confidence in both local and global markets.
What’s your expectations moving forward? What kind of potential does the Malaysian market have moving forward? What kind of growth would you expect?
Malaysia’s capital market is at a very promising point. Retail investors today account for around 20 percent of Bursa Malaysia’s trading activity, compared to an average of just 18.8 percent before the pandemic.
While participation has normalized from the 2021 peak, it remains structurally higher, which tells us Malaysians are becoming long-term participants in the market rather than short-term entrants. That shift, combined with steady GDP growth and a digitally savvy population, gives me confidence in the long-term trajectory of the brokerage industry here.
One thing is clear: investors everywhere want the same fundamentals – reliable access, professional-grade tools, and the ability to diversify across borders.
What we’ve seen in the US, Hong Kong, and Singapore is that when investors are given those tools without unnecessary cost or complexity, account growth follows naturally. I believe Malaysia is on the same path.
Our expectation is not just that more Malaysians will enter the market, but that they will stay, grow, and mature as investors.
As technology lowers barriers and education improves confidence, we’ll see the same trend here that we’ve seen in other leading markets: individuals building global portfolios, trading with the same precision as institutions, and engaging in communities where knowledge and trust matter as much as execution.
In terms of growth, we hope to replicate the success we have in countries like Singapore and Hong Kong where we are the leading brokerage platform. We believe Malaysia’s retail investing penetration has the potential to match or exceed levels that we’ve seen in other mature markets such as Singapore, where close to one-third of the population engages actively in capital markets.
But growth is not only measured in user numbers – though we are proud to already serve over a million users in Malaysia, but in the quality of engagement.
If we can help an investor move from feeling uncertain and isolated to feeling supported, informed, and confident, then we are contributing to the evolution of Malaysia’s market. That, to me, is the real potential ahead: a market that is not only larger, but healthier, more inclusive, and more globally connected.
What were some of the biggest surprises or unexpected challenges you faced in the Malaysian market as compared to other markets like Singapore or Hong Kong?
Our biggest and most pleasant surprise was the speed of adoption among first-time investors. The reception amongst Malaysian investors surpassed our expectations – 100,000 within the first week, half a million in seven months, and now surpassing the million mark.
What became clear was that investors here are highly engaged, curious, and eager for smarter investing tools. That then translated into a faster scaling of our education and onboarding programs, from bite-sized tutorials to live webinars addressing common beginner questions.
The second was the early and strong appetite for global markets. In Singapore and Hong Kong, investors typically build a solid domestic base before venturing abroad. In Malaysia, however, our data showed that a large portion of new users engaged in international markets such as the US and China within weeks of onboarding, across key sectors such as energy and semiconductors.
This is a positive reflection of a globalised mindset amongst Malaysian investors, with diversification increasingly becoming a central part of their investment strategies.
The challenge and opportunity has been ensuring that investors not only have access but also the tools, insights, and confidence to navigate international markets. We’ve integrated AI to simplify global market research and invested heavily in educational formats that make cross-border investing less intimidating, and will continue expanding our AI-driven insights.
In your opinion, what are the main drivers behind this growing appetite for international markets, particularly the US and Hong Kong? Is it purely about seeking higher returns, or are there other factors at play, such as portfolio diversification or interest in specific global industries?
There are multiple factors guiding this upward shift in investor interest and uptake of global markets, and we see cross-border investing amongst Malaysian investors being largely driven by three converging forces:
– First, sector leadership lies overseas: Some of the world’s most transformative sectors, from AI and semiconductors to clean energy and biotech, are dominated by companies listed on US and Chinese exchanges. Motivations can differ. Some buy into the company’s direction and financial performance; some buy into their frontrunner potential in strategic sectors. Investors who want direct exposure to these growth stories must go beyond local borders, and as previously mentioned, one in every two Malaysian investors on Moomoo are actively engaged in international markets.
– Second, diversification is now a core discipline: With greater digital financial literacy, and through the collective effort of the investment landscape , investors have moved past the idea that diversification is optional. In fact, our data has shown that diversification is central to investors’ portfolio strategies. Investors are actively balancing domestic holdings with global equities, ETFs, and thematic plays to mitigate risk and capture returns in different market cycles.
– Third, technology has democratised access: The speed and reach of market information today means a retail investor in Kuala Lumpur can follow US earnings calls, Hong Kong policy updates, or sector-specific news as quickly as an institutional desk in New York. With platforms like Moomoo, real-time data, research, and insights are no longer barriers, and this accessibility has normalised international markets as part of everyday investing.
Ultimately, this isn’t about chasing yield alone. It’s about Malaysian investors becoming active participants in the global growth story – aligning portfolios with megatrends shaping the future while reducing concentration risk.
Moving forward, what are your plans to further empower Malaysian investors with global access? Are there any new markets, asset classes (e.g., bonds, forex), or features that you plan to introduce in the near future? If so, could you also provide the timeline to introduce these features/products?
Looking ahead, our focus is on continuously empowering Malaysian investors with broader, deeper, and more seamless access to global opportunities. We see strong demand not only for equities in the US and Hong Kong, but also for a wider spectrum of asset classes and markets.
These additions give Malaysian investors more ways to diversify beyond equities, from professionally managed mutual funds to structured products with tailored risk-return profiles. By integrating them directly into the Moomoo platform, investors can explore and act on these opportunities all in one platform, supported by our institutional- grade data, analysis, and education tools.
At the same time, technology will remain central to how we deliver this access.
Investors can expect more advanced analytical tools, educational content, and personalized features that help them make informed decisions across asset classes. We’re evolving our AI capabilities to go beyond broad market analysis, delivering insights that are specific to each investor’s goals, risk profile, and portfolio composition.
For example, an investor heavily weighted in tech will receive different risk alerts and opportunity signals than one focused on dividend stocks. As AI capabilities continue to develop and mature, we foresee greater opportunities to add value to the overall investor experience, from tailored sectoral and market insights, to personalized guidance and market analysis.
Financial literacy is central. We’re enhancing MooLearn, our platform with over 700 courses, with new modules to support investors at all levels.
Our 27-million-strong “Moo Community” will feature Malaysia-specific discussion threads for peer-to-peer learning on global markets. In-person events at our KL Eco City experience store and our annual Moofest will boost engagement.
As for timelines, we are committed to rolling out these enhancements progressively over the coming 12–24 months, in line with regulatory approvals and investor readiness.
What other trends do you expect in the investing community in Malaysia?
We see several trends emerging in the Malaysian investing community, many of which are already visible on the Moomoo platform and are consistent with global shifts in retail investing.
Firstly, as markets grow more complex and information flows accelerate, investors are leaning on AI-powered tools not only to cut through noise but also to counteract behavioural biases and strengthen discipline.
On Moomoo, we’ve seen strong adoption of our AI Investment Assistant and advanced analytics, which help users simulate scenarios, identify risks, and discover opportunities faster.
Over time, we expect AI to move from a supplemental tool to a core driver of investment strategies – much like algorithmic trading, has become institutionalized on the professional side.
Secondly, simply providing a gateway to global markets is no longer sufficient. Investors want platforms that act as partners in discovery – helping them identify sector rotations, track institutional flows, and screen for thematic opportunities like AI, clean energy, or healthcare innovation. The appetite is shifting toward building strategies that are more deliberate, data-driven, and globally diversified.
Thirdly, the rise of community-led knowledge networks. Peer-to-peer exchange in Moo Community has evolved from casual discussion into structured learning, where investors dissect earnings, compare approaches, and even track thematic trends collaboratively. This reflects a broader trend: retail investors are no longer passive recipients of information; they are co-creators of market intelligence.
Collective intelligence, amplified by digital platforms, is becoming an integral part of the modern investing experience.
More broadly, these trends point toward a retail community that is more global, more data-empowered, and more collaborative than ever before.