KUALA LUMPUR: JP Morgan said on Tuesday that it would boost its staff numbers in Malaysia by 65 percent by the end of 2014 in an effort to expand into Southeast Asia. The statement from JP Morgan Treasury Services said that “staff strength would run in parallel to its growing global corporate bank presence in the country.” AT present, JP Morgan has some 120 employees in Malaysia, making it one of its largest offices outside the United States. “The increase in its headcount would also be in line with its proposed multimillion dollar investment to support the firm's solution innovation agenda over the next three years,” it said. The announcement also comes as the Malaysian government seeks to increase foreign investment in the country, and the banking and investment sector is one of the industries being pushed by the central government.