26/09/2025

BIZ & FINANCE FRIDAY | SEPT 26, 2025

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SME Bank XCESS 2025 projected to generate RM45m potential sales KUALA LUMPUR: Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia expects SME Bank XCESS 2025 – this year’s edition of its annual flagship business-matching event – to generate potential sales of up to RM45 million, with more than 180 business sessions scheduled. Chairman Datuk Muslim Hussain said SME Bank is pleased to bring together 500 local entrepreneurs with 20 buyers from Asean countries. “This platform creates opportunities for business negotiations and serves as a bridge to broaden access to regional markets and to strengthen Malaysian entrepreneurs’ global presence,” he said at the SME Bank XCESS 2025 launch here yesterday. Officiating at the event, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said the platform is a clear example of how government and development financial institutions (DFI) collaborate to advance the nation’s economic development objectives while empowering SMEs. “It is more than just a networking event. SME Bank XCESS 2025 opens up opportunities for Bumiputera entrepreneurs and micro, small and medium enterprices to participate in international business matches, expand markets and build strategic relationships among industry players. “With financial support, strategic colla borations, and capacity building, our entre preneurs will be able to create a greater impact, not only in terms of profit, but to advance Malaysia’s economic excellence internationally,” he said. Muslim said the annual business-matching event is a clear testament reaffirming SME Bank’s developmental mandate as one of Malaysia’s leading DFI and a proud member of the Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd (BPMB) group to support SMEs advancement across the nation. Since its inception, XCESS has organised more than 1,800 business sessions, engaged about 150,000 SME participants, and colla borated with about 150 strategic partners. Last year’s XCESS generated potential sales of RM177.87 million. In conjunction with the launch of XCESS 2025, SME Bank and BPMB, together with Exim Bank, will form a tripartite collaboration via a trade credit takaful facility, reflecting BPMB group’s efforts to strengthen the DFI ecosystem. “SME Bank will provide financial financing and Exim Bank financial support with risk protection. This facility is also extended to BPMB customers, thus strengthening our mandate to drive national development and high-impact financing,“ Muslim said. – Bernama

Johor powers Asia-Pacific’s data centre boom o State’s rise reflects Malaysia’s strategic positioning in digital economy: Frank Knight report

PETALING JAYA: Johor has firmly established itself as Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing data centre hub, with aggregate supply nearly doubling over the past 12 months to 5.8GW as of second-quarter 2025, according to the latest Knight Frank Asia-Pacific Data Centre Report. Backed by strong government support and the rollout of Malaysia’s national Data Centre Planning Guidelines, Johor is anchoring Asia Pacific’s record-breaking expansion, which saw nearly 13GW of new project announce ments in first-half 2025 – a 160% increase year-on-year. Knight Frank Malaysia head of research and consultancy Amy Wong said Malaysia, Johor in particular, is emerging as an important hub for digital infrastructure in the region. “We are seeing strong growth momentum, especially with the rise of cloud adoption and AI-driven demand, which speaks to the market’s solid fundamentals. Looking ahead, ensuring that resources keep pace with this rapid growth will be key to sustaining momentum and reinforcing Malaysia’s role as a strategic base for long-term digital invest ment.” The report showed that for Johor, supply doubled to 5.8GW, with 260MW of take-up, 61% of which came from social media platforms. Vacancy stood at just 1.1%, reflecting power and planning constraints. Furthermore, the report stated that Johor’s rise reflects Malaysia’s strategic positioning in the digital economy. In the first half of 2025 alone, the market recorded 260MW of leasing activity, with demand overwhelmingly driven by social media (61%) and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. The vacancy rate stands at just 1.1%, one of the lowest in the Asia-Pacific, underscoring the urgent need for power capacity and careful planning to meet surging demand. Knight Frank Malaysia land and industrial solutions director Chelwin Soo said Johor’s trajectory has been nothing short of remarkable. “In just 12 months, supply has nearly doubled to 5.8GW, supported by strong government planning guidelines and investor

Wong: Strong momentum.

Soo: Remarkable growth.

Howard: Decisive factor.

appetite. With vacancy levels as tight as 1.1%, the future expansion will be contingent upon power availability and sustainable growth. “Johor is fast maturing into a prime hub, attracting not only social media platforms but also AI and cloud providers who see Malaysia as a long-term strategic base.” The report also noted that the govern ment’s proactive stance – through national guidelines and policy support – is enabling developers and investors to navigate land and energy challenges more effectively. This alignment has positioned Malaysia at the centre of hyperscaler decision-making, as providers seek locations that strike a balance between long-term runway and immediate scalability. Across the region, Knight Frank’s report noted that technology giants and investors continue to deploy record capital. In 2025 alone, hyperscalers, including AWS, Microsoft, Google and Meta, have committed over US$160 billion (RM674 billion) globally, with a significant share flowing into Asia-Pacific markets. Infrastructure funds and private equity groups are also partnering with operators to accelerate time-to-power deployment, parti

cularly in Tier 1 hubs where grid capacity remains a binding constraint. Knight Frank Asia Pacific head of data centres Fred Fitzalan Howard said the sheer scale of new projects highlights how critical the Asia-Pacific has become in the global digital infrastructure landscape. “Operators are being asked to build facilities that can flexibly support both cloud and AI workloads, which is now a decisive factor in site selection. Locations like Johor that combine supportive policies with sufficient power runway are in a strong position – but ensuring synchronisation between technology evolution and energy supply remains the ultimate challenge.” While Tokyo, Melbourne, Seoul and Mumbai continue to attract strong activity, Knight Frank’s report noted that Johor’s rapid rise, coupled with Malaysia’s national-level alignment, makes it a focal point in the Asia Pacific data centre ecosystem. With capacity tight and demand acce lerating, the next wave of investment will depend on how effectively Malaysia and the region can synchronise technological needs with energy availability – building infrastructure that is both flexible and future-ready.

Agrobank expects 140% jump in deposits by end of Mega Million 2.0 Campaign PUTRAJAYA: Agrobank expects its deposit products to grow by 140% by the end of the Mega Million 2.0 Campaign in October, said its president and group CEO, Datuk Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah Raja Hussin. bank’s wide range of products, while also encouraging Malaysians to adopt a savings habit to secure their financial future. “To further enhance this cam

paign, every entry from Sept 1 to Oct 31, 2025, will receive double participation points, increasing the chances of winning prizes. “To date, 160 winners have already received prizes, including cars, cash, and gold,” he added. He noted that six lucky winners have taken home cars, including a Mitsubishi Xpander, Proton S70, and Perodua Myvi. “What’s even more exciting is the grand prize – a Ford Ranger Raptor, which will be awarded to one lucky winner during the final draw,” he said. The Mega Million 2.0 Cam paign, which runs from Nov 1, 2024, to Oct 31, 2025, is open to both new and existing Agrobank customers, with total prizes ex ceeding RM2.5 million. – Bernama

He said the campaign, launched on Nov 1, 2024, has received an encouraging response, with a noticeable increase in subscriptions to the bank’s products. “For instance, deposit pro ducts have already grown by 118%. Additionally, Ar-Rahnu financing has seen an increase of over RM600 million, while AgroCash-i Personal Financing approvals have sur-passed RM2 billion,” he said during the prize giving ceremony yesterday for the third round of the Mega Million 2.0 Campaign. Also present was COO Zahid Ahmad Zawawi. Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah said the campaign has played an essential role in promoting Agro

The winner of a Mitsubishi Xpander, Yek Chu Tiing (second, left), at the prize-giving ceremony for the third round of the Mega Million 2.0 Campaign. – BERNAMAPIC