06/03/2026

BIZ & FINANCE FRIDAY | MAR 6, 2026

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KUALA Paramount Corporation Bhd is rolling out RM1.1 billion worth of property launches in 2026 while stepping up efforts to monetise underperforming assets, as the group positions itself for stronger capital efficiency amid a structurally tightening supply environment. Backed by RM1.5 billion in unbilled sales as at Dec 31 2025, the property developer said earnings visibility remains intact despite a softer market in 2025, which saw industry transaction volumes ease slightly. Group CEO Jeffrey Chew said the residential market remains funda mentally supported by demand supply dynamics, noting that post Covid-19 pandemic housing com pletions have struggled to keep pace with transaction growth over the past decade. “Demand has expanded over the last 10 years, while supply completion has not kept up. In that sense, the property market remains promising,” he said at Paramount’s media briefing yesterday. For FY25, Paramount’s revenue slipped 9% to RM946.9 million from RM1.04 billion previously, reflecting a moderated launch pipeline. The group posted stable profit before tax of RM157.0 million, up from Ű BY DEEPALAKSHMI MANICKAM sunbiz@thesundaily.com LUMPUR: PETALING Alto Networks, a global AI cybersecurity solutions provider, has expanded its security ecosystem designed to protect this new industrial back bone. At Mobile World Congress 2026 held in Barcelona, Spain, the company unveiled collaborations with Nokia, U Mobile, Aeris and Celerway that allow enterprises to scale for sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) and secure the autonomous edge without com promising performance. Palo Alto Networks executive vice-president Anand Oswal said the company is establishing the secure foundation for the AI eco nomy through an extensive eco system collaboration. “By seamlessly integrating our AI-powered security services directly from the data centre into the most vital 5G and IoT networks globally, we are ensuring the AI Factory is secure by design. These partnerships enable us to create a secure digital infrastructure capable of managing the multi-terabit throughput required for training AI models,” he said. Palo Alto Networks and Nokia are positioning their proven data centre security to support the rise of European “gigafactories”. By combining Nokia’s AI data centre infrastructure with Palo Alto Networks’ industry-leading AI plat forms, customers can scale high performance AI workloads while meeting their data sovereignty needs. Nokia senior vice-president and general manager for IP networks Greg Dorai said in the race to build the world’s AI Factories, you cannot leave the door open at the infra structure layer. “Nokia and Palo Alto Networks jointly envision comprehensive architectural and operational frame JAYA: Palo

Palo Alto Networks collaborates with U Mobile, three other firms

Upon implementation, U Mobile will be the first Malaysian telco to have integrated SECaaS directly into its network infrastructure. By integrating next-generation firewalls and AI-powered security directly into its 4G and 5G infrastructure, U Mobile looks to provide customers with proactive, built-in defence against digital risks. With Aeris, Palo Alto Networks is working on a unified visibility for global IoT fleets. Mission-critical industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and utilities will now benefit from the ability to scale AI and 5G initiatives globally while reducing the attack surface of the billions of devices feeding data into the AI Factory. By integrating Aeris IoT Watchtower with Prisma SASE 5G, enterprises can apply data loss prevention and zero-trust policies to millions of wireless devices from a single point of control, closing the traditional security gap at the wireless edge. Palo Alto Network and Celerway Communication, meanwhile, will collaborate to extend the enterprise security perimeter to the distributed edge. First responders and remote teams will benefit from data centre class protection in the field. This integration with Celerway and Palo Alto Networks VM-Series next-generation firewalls enables

o US company and Malaysian telco team up on network embedded Security as-a-Service solution to boost protection against cyber threats works that expand security solutions from the network layer to workloads. “The validated architecture will allow our customers to build future proof, sovereign data centres. We aren’t just providing connectivity, we are protecting the physical and digital integrity of industrial digiti sation at scale,” he said. In addition, Palo Alto Networks is showcasing three additional part nerships at MWC Barcelona that extend security from telcos’ core infrastructure to deliver founda tional resilience through a unified partner ecosystem. Separately, Palo Alto Networks signed an MoU with U Mobile, Malaysia’s newest 5G network provider, to collaborate on a network-embedded Security-as-a Service (SECaaS) solution to protect customers from rising cybersecurity threats. RM156.9 million a year earlier, while net profit rose 16% to RM118.8 million. Earnings per share stood at 19 sen. Paramount declared a second interim dividend of 4.5 sen per share, bringing total FY25 dividend to 7.5 sen per share, equivalent to a dividend yield of 7.4%. The property segment recorded revenue of RM897.7 million, down from RM965.3 million in FY24, with segment PBT easing to RM126.4 million from RM144.0 million. Nevertheless, Paramount achieved RM1.03 billion in property sales in FY25, marking the fourth consecutive year sales exceeded the RM1 billion mark. Chew said this consistency reflects disciplined execution and product positioning in its core markets of Selangor, Penang and Kedah. In 2026, the group plans seven launches across these states, including new phases of The Atera in Petaling Jaya and Paramount Embun Hills in Penang, as well as new developments in Shah Alam and near Kulim Hi-Tech Park. It expects first-half sales mo mentum to track broadly in line with last year, noting festive overlaps and fewer active launches in early 2026. Beyond sales, Paramount is sharpening operational efficiency. The group said value engineering ini tiatives have generated savings of

At the MoU signing ceremony between U Mobile and Palo Alto Networks are, from left, U Mobile chief technology officer Woon Ooi Yuen and CEO Wong Heang Tuck and Palo Alto vice-president of worldwide service providers Dan Beaman and global account manager (5G/IoT/MEC) Tuna Toker.

mission-critical 5G edge devices to maintain a consistent, rigorous security posture and encrypted data

integrity, even when operating in high-mobility or harsh environ ments far from the central hub.

Paramount lines up RM1.1b launches in 2026 as it rejigs portfolio

On top of that, the group is exploring monetisation of selected hotel and retail assets to improve capital efficiency. Chew acknowledged that demo graphic shifts over the longer term could alter residential demand dynamics, prompting the group to prepare for diversification beyond pure residential development over the next two decades. However, he reiterated that pro perty development remains a localised business where Paramount retains competitive strengths. “Pro perty development is a very local business. We understand the autho rities, the bankers and the market here.” Meanwhile, its coworking arm Co labs Coworking expanded into Johor Bahru with a new outlet at Mid Valley Southkey, marking its first presence outside the Klang Valley. An upcoming flagship at Sunway Square, Sunway City in Petaling Jaya, will bring Co-labs’ footprint to 220,000 sq ft across 10 locations in the Klang Valley and Johor, strengthening its recurring income base. With a RM1.1 billion launch pipeline, RM1.5 billion in unbilled sales and a sharper focus on asset yields, Paramount enters 2026 aiming to balance growth with capital discipline in an evolving property cycle.

Chew speaking at Paramount’s media briefing. about RM13 million to RM14 million on selected projects, allowing it to either enhance product offerings or maintain pricing competitiveness. It is also targeting shorter develop ment cycles, aiming for about two to two-and-a-half years from land acquisition to first launch, and around five to six years for full project completion in selected cases. A quicker turnaround is expected to reduce interest and mobilisation costs while improving capital recycling. In parallel with its development push, Paramount is reviewing about RM900 million in non-core assets that

currently generate yields of roughly 1%. Chew said the group is pursuing a dual strategy of disposal or yield enhancement to lift returns closer to 6% over time. The remaining campus assets, valued at about RM400 million, are undergoing a rental restructuring, which could raise yields to 3%-4% in the near term and potentially to 6% within four years if not divested earlier. The earlier disposal of the Anson Campus generated RM75 million, with proceeds largely used to pare down borrowings.