01/11/2025

BIZ & FINANCE SATURDAY | NOV 1, 2025

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SIBS 2025 generates RM8.17b in potential deals

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to the China market through a series of trade events and strategic partnerships in October, underscoring its confidence in the market and plans to strengthen regional connectivity. Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) airlines chief commercial officer Dersenish Aresandiran said China remains a cornerstone of the airline’s international growth strategy, reflecting its sustained investment and focus on the market. “China remains a cornerstone of our international strategy, and our partnerships here reflect our long term commitment to the market. In the first half of 2025, we carried close to 250,000 passengers from China with load factors above 80%, underscoring the strong demand for our premium services.” He added that beginning this month, Malaysia Airlines will increase its Xiamen flights to four times weekly and resume daily Chengdu services in January 2026, bringing its China network to seven gateways and up to 60 weekly flights. “These expansions, alongside our new collaborations with leading partners in the market, will further strengthen our position as the gateway of choice for Chinese travellers connecting through Kuala Lumpur to Southeast Asia, Australasia and beyond,” Dersenish said. The airline’s Malaysia Airlines Trade Gala held in Shanghai on Oct 15 brought together government officials, corporate partners and travel agents to celebrate its longstanding ties with China and SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Inter national Business Summit 2025 (SIBS 2025) concluded with RM8.17 billion in potential transactions, streng thening Selangor’s position as one of Southeast Asia’s leading business and investment hubs. The four-day summit, held on Oct 8–11 at the Kuala Lumpur Con vention Centre, was hosted by the Selangor state government and organised by Invest Selangor Bhd. The ninth edition featured 740 exhibition booths and 581 exhibitors from across the Asia-Pacific region, as well as participation from 10 Malaysian states. SIBS 2025 comprised six flagship components: the Selangor Investment and Industrial Park (SPARK), Selangor Asean Business Conference (SABC), Selangor International F&B Expo (SIE F&B), Selangor Smart City & Digital Economy Convention (SDEC), Selangor Aerospace Summit (SAS), and Selangor International Care Summit (SICS). Each segment brought together industry leaders, innovators and policymakers to discuss opportunities in trade, investment, and technology. The summit drew 56,938 visitors from 89 countries, along with 179 speakers and 5,810 conference attendees, underscoring its growing international profile and role as a regional platform for knowledge exchange. SPARK 2025 recorded the highest potential transaction value at RM6.96 billion, followed by SABC RM844 million, SIE F&B RM96.97 million,

o Ninth edition of Selangor International Business Summit reinforces state’s position as a leading regional business and investment hub SDEC RM208 million, SAS RM52.07 million and SICS RM5.1 million. Among the key highlights of SIBS 2025 were the signings of memo randums of understanding (MoUs), underscoring the summit’s role as a catalyst for strategic investments and cross-industry collaboration. A total of seven MoUs were signed between Invest Pahang’s strategic partners with investing companies during SPARK 2025, the highest by any participating state. These included a RM130 million agreement for the Jerantut Square

CTRM, Skyways Technics forge MRO partnership PETALING JAYA: CTRM Testing Laboratory Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Composites Technology Research Malaysia (CTRM) Sdn Bhd, signed a long-term service level agreement with Skyways Technics Asia Sdn Bhd to boost aircraft maintenance and repair capabilities in the Asia Pacific region. The partnership is for the repair of radomes, which are aircraft nose cones that protect radar and communication systems. Radomes are made of nearly 30 layers of laminated prepreg material in a honeycomb structure. These require specialised equipment and expertise to maintain. Under the agreement, Skyways Technics Asia, which is part of the global maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services provider Skyways Technics, will utilise CTRM’s autoclave facilities and composite repair expertise to enable these repairs to be carried out locally. This partnership allows faster turnaround times, improved cost efficiencies, and reduces reliance on overseas services. It also supports Malaysia’s goal to become more self-sufficient in aerospace MRO and strengthens the Asia Pacific aerospace supply chain. CTRM, a subsidiary of DRB Hicom Bhd, is Malaysia’s leading aerospace composites manu facturer and a key supplier for global aircraft programmes. Denmark-based Skyways Tech nics operates hubs in Malaysia and other countries and offers aircraft maintenance, repair, and spare parts. Jeremy Chan of Mindwave Studio said, “It’s exciting to see the variety of innovation coming to Selangor each year. The summit provides endless possibilities for collaboration and growth.” from South Korea and Hayat Technologies, worth RM1.85 million, to introduce and localise assistive device technology and innovation in Malaysia. Overall, the MoUs signed during SIBS 2025 covered a wide range of sectors, including advanced manu facturing, logistics, renewable energy, and tourism development, and the digital economy, all of which are expected to generate sustainable investments, create new jobs and strengthen industry value chains across Malaysia. Participants and investors lauded SIBS for its conducive business environment and net working value. “It’s a very good opportunity to have a clear view of Malaysia’s industrial potential and its strong ecosystem,” said Christophe Vleic, JLL Appraisal & Property Services Sdn Bhd.

product innovation and international market expansion. The partnership focuses on knowledge exchange and long-term business growth. Under SDEC 2025, an MoU between Oppstar Bhd and AsicAI Co marked a major milestone in advancing AI-driven IC design and semiconductor solutions, supporting Selangor’s mission to build a world class deep-tech ecosystem valued at RM50 million. The event also saw Xendit Malaysia launch its brand showcase, reaffirming its commitment to helping SMEs and startups accelerate digital adoption through financial technology innovations. Meanwhile, SAS featured a RM50 million MoU between Pecca Aviation Services Sdn Bhd (PASSB) and Betamek Research Sdn Bhd. This partnership combines Betamek Research’s expertise in electronics engineering and design with PASSB’s capabilities in aircraft cabin interior solutions to advance innovation in aerospace technology. At SICS, Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor signed MoUs with UniUni

Development Project, which aims to promote urban regeneration and commercial growth in central Pahang. Another notable partnership saw Worldwide Holdings Bhd, through its energy arm Worldwide Energy Development Sdn Bhd, collaborate with Ace Gases Sdn Bhd and SKS Coachbuilders Sdn Bhd on a RM20 million green hydrogen hub in Batang Kali, Selangor. The initiative integrates renewable energy generation, hydrogen storage, and mobility applications, aligning with Selangor’s green energy transition and Malaysia’s decarbonisation goals. During SABC 2025, a memo randum of agreement between Malaysia Chamber of Commerce Indonesia and Asiosasi Badan Usaha Pelabuhan Indonesia, valued at RM844 million, was exchanged to strengthen business relations in the maritime and port sectors. At SIE F&B 2025, Anramin Industry (M) Sdn Bhd and Noh Jubril Educational Concept Ltd signed an MoU valued at RM100,000 to enhance cooperation in education,

Malaysia Airlines strengthens China market presence with new tie-ups, expanded routes

Malaysia Aviation Group managing director and Malaysia Airlines CEO Datuk Captain Izham Ismail and Dersenish together with leading China trade partners.

outline its next phase of growth. The event followed a strong performance during China’s Golden Week holiday from Oct 1 to 8, where the airline recorded over 95% load factor across its China network and carried more than 6,000 outbound passengers to Malaysia and other destinations. An exclusive media and partners engagement was held in Chengdu on Oct 21, providing a platform to discuss the upcoming daily Kuala Lumpur Chengdu flights. Operated by Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 737-8 aircraft, the service will offer 2,436 weekly seats to support tourism, business and student travel between both countries.

driven personalisation for travellers within Alipay+’s ecosystem. Additionally, a partnership with UnionPay International will enhance payment accessibility for customers across Malaysia Airlines’ channels while supporting joint destination marketing initiatives. Meanwhile, a renewed agreement with Chengdu Spring Travel under Malaysia Aviation Group’s broader China growth strategy will expand the airline’s footprint into secondary markets through Firefly’s scheduled services from Chongqing and Macau, complemented by joint promotional efforts ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026.

During the same period, Malaysia Airlines formalised four key memo randums of understanding with prominent Chinese partners to strengthen collaboration in travel distribution, payments and digital innovation. The partnerships include Trip.Biz, which will recognise Malaysia Airlines as its preferred airline partner for SME and corporate travel across 25 markets, alongside integration of the MHcorporate portal into its platform. The airline also signed with Ant International (Alipay+) to collaborate on digital payment solutions, marketing campaigns and data