06/01/2026

BIZ & FINANCE TUESDAY | JAN 6, 2026

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Johor: Data centre projects go through rigorous assessment

Alpha IVF expands in Indonesia with satellite clinic in Medan KUALA LUMPU R : Fertility care specialist, Alpha IVF Group Bhd has established its Medan Satellite Clinic, marking the group’s third city presence in Indonesia, following Jakarta and Surabaya. The satellite clinic model is designed to capture early-stage demand, deepen patient engage ment, and optimise downstream referrals into the group’s established IVF centres in Malaysia, while main taining disciplined capital de ployment. In a statement yesterday, it said, the group’s Indonesia rollout has been executed in a structured and phased manner, with Jakarta serving as the operational headquarters since May 2025 and Surabaya commencing operations in August 2025. Together with Medan, it added, these locations form a growing multi-city referral and engagement network, providing Alpha IVF Group with broader geographic coverage, im-proved patient funnel visibility, and enhanced conversion potential, without the need for heavy upfront capital investment. Alpha IVF Group managing director Datuk Dr Colin Lee Soon Soo said: “We are approaching the completion of our planned satellite clinic rollout in Indonesia, with three clinics now operational and a fourth under planning. “Each satellite clinic is strate gically positioned as a regional access point, strengthening patient engagement while optimising refer rals into our core IVF centres. “This capital-efficient model allows us to scale with discipline, maintain clinical consistency, and generate strong visibility on patient con-version, supporting sustainable earnings growth over the medium term.”

threshold, including Immersion Cooling (either single-phase or two-phase) and Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling (DCD), which record WUE values ranging from 0.05 to 0.2. In addition, he pointed out that there are cooling technologies that do not directly use water, such as Chilled Water with CRAH (Dry Coolers), DX CRAC (air cooling), and In-Row or Close-Coupled Air systems, which only use minimal water for domestic purposes like toilets and kitchens. He noted that if data centres still require water as a cooling medium, the technical committee would instruct the project consultants to explore alternative water sources, instead of relying solely on existing treated water. “In some cases, data centre developers have been asked to use treated recycled water from sewage treatment plants for cooling purposes. For example, Bridge Data Centres and Com putility Technology (Malaysia) have adopted this approach,” he added. He also said that certain data centre projects have been directed to collaborate with Johor Special Water to provide alternative water sources suitable for cooling tower systems, without affecting the treated water supply for public use. – Bernama

o Special technical committee studies feasibility of each development holistically and thoroughly, particularly regarding water and electricity supply needs, before approval

JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor state govern ment ensures that every data centre project in the state is thoroughly and rigorously evaluated before approval is granted. State Public Works, Transportation, Infrastructure and Communications Com mittee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh, said a special technical committee has been established to assess the feasibility of each data centre development project holistically, particularly regarding water and electricity supply needs, utility issues, and the suitability of the development zone. He added that the committee comprises representatives from all relevant technical departments and agencies at both the state and federal government levels. Among the key aspects assessed by the committee is the Water Usage Efficiency (WUE) of the data centres and the total water KUALA LUMPU R : Foreign investors were net sellers of Asian equities for the week ended Jan 2, 2025, offloading US$1.05 billion (RM4.27 billion) across the eight markets tracked by MBSB Investment Bank Bhd (MBSB IB). In its Fund Flow Report, MBSB IB said the bulk of the outflows came from India, South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand, while the other four markets saw net inflows. The sell-offs reflected profit-taking and concerns over regional economic indicators, as global market volatility weighed on investment sentiment. MBSB IB said Taiwan saw the largest net foreign inflow last week at US$1.04 billion, marking its second consecutive week of inflows, while the Philippines saw a marginal net foreign inflow of US$4.4 million, snapping five consecutive weeks of outflows. PETALING JAYA: Private equity and private credit manager Crewstone International Sdn Bhd has completed a structured, multi tranche RM20 million investment into Vince Group, as part of an ongoing strategic partnership in Malaysian property develop ment. Vince Group is a Malaysian real estate platform with a focus on en bloc acqui sitions and development execution, which aligns with Crewstone’s preference for operating partners with demonstrable delivery capability and monetisation visibility. As at November 2025, Vince Group has recorded sales exceeding 800 units and generated about RM435 million in gross development value (GDV) across its active projects. During this period, reported revenue increased from RM18 million to RM28 million, alongside an expansion in operational capacity across development lines. The group also maintains receivables of approximately RM17.5 million across

required for the entire development project. “Many are concerned about the development of data centres in Johor due to the belief that data centres consume a large amount of water to cool their equipment, which could affect the capacity of treated water available,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday. “Johor has set a WUE threshold of 1.8, which is the same standard as Singapore. Even if a data centre achieves a WUE below 1.8, approval still depends on the availability of sufficient water,” he added. However, he emphasised that compliance with the WUE standard alone does not guarantee approval. It also depends on the availability of water resources in the area concerned. He further explained that there are various modern cooling technologies capable of achieving much lower WUE values than the set Meanwhile, Indonesia posted its 13th straight week of foreign inflows, with net inflows totalling US$124.4 million, while Vietnam recorded a second straight week of net foreign inflows, totalling US$61.8 million. Foreign investors reversed course to become net sellers in South Korea, recording outflows of US$316.6 million. India recorded the largest net foreign outflow at US$1.72 billion last week. In addition, foreign investors turned net sellers in Thailand, recording outflows of US$20.8 million after two consecutive weeks of inflows. In Malaysia, foreign investors continued to be net sellers of domestic equities for a fourth straight week, with outflows of RM904 million, 65% wider than the previous week. Foreign investors were net sellers on every trading day, with the largest outflow recorded on Wednesday (RM270.0 million), followed by

Foreign investors offloaded US$1.05 billion net in eight Asian bourses last week: MBSB IB

Tuesday (RM261.7 million), Friday (RM232.4 million), and Monday (RM140.0 million). “The top three sectors that recorded net foreign inflows were Telecommunication & Media (RM16.6 million), Industrial Products & Services (RM14.8 million), and Technology (RM8.1 million). “Meanwhile, the top three sectors that recorded net foreign outflows were Financial Services (RM482.8 million), Utilities (RM258.2 million), and Plantation (RM75.9 million),” it said. MBSB IB said local institutions recorded net buying for the seventh consecutive week, with net inflows totalling RM924.1 million, while local retailers were net sellers for the fifth consecutive week, with a net outflow of RM20 million.

The average daily trading volume saw a broad based increase: local retailers by 3.6%, local institutions by 18.1%, and foreign investors by 1.5%, it added. – Bernama Crewstone International completes RM20m structured investment into Vince Group The Medan clinic is expected to attract patients from North Sumatra and neighbouring provinces, inclu ding Aceh and Riau.

completed and construction-stage pro jects. Vince Group has identified a near-term development pipeline with an estimated GDV of about RM880 million across three projects, alongside preliminary planning for additional joint-venture developments in 2026. These potential projects were assessed as part of Crewstone’s investment structuring and risk evaluation process. “Our approach is to deploy capital in a structured and disciplined manner, working with operators who demonstrate execution capability and commercial realism. This investment reflects our focus on governance, visibility, and repeatable delivery rather than speed alone,” said Crewstone International’s managing director and CEO, Izmir Mujab. Vince Group founder Datuk Vincent Nee said, “Crewstone’s participation brings structure, governance, and long-term alignment to our development plans. The partnership supports disciplined execution as we progress through our pipeline.”

The transaction reflects Crewstone International’s licensed, compliant, and execution-led approach to deploying structured capital into scalable Malaysian real estate platforms.