Malaysia ECF needs to ride out initial phase of gaining critical mass: Jason Best

In June 2015, Malaysia made a landmark move to be the first among Southeast Asian markets to legislate equity crowdfunding (ECF). While a set of guidelines is in place to regulate the six licensed ECF platform operators, it is noteworthy that the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has been vocal about its intention to let the market develop itself, rather than pulling the reins too hard on the players. Crowdfund Capital Advisors co-founder and principal Jason Best shares with DEALSTREETASIA his insights on what to expect in the nascent stage of developing ECF in Malaysia, and how the players and the regulator can work to move the needle on the industry. He was also a panel speaker at the recent Responsible Finance Summit 2016 in Kuala Lumpur. Edited Excerpts.