11/04/2026

BIZ & FINANCE SATURDAY | APR 11, 2026

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Bandar Cassia – mainland Penang’s rising business node o Transport connectivity, infrastructure push cited as pull factors for investments in township in Batu Kawan Ho Chin Soon Research dis closed that the three-decade growth arc from 1995 to 2025 indicated that Penang’s “locational centre of gravity is heading south-east to wards Bandar Cassia”. Ling said, adding that PE Land would also be establishing their 35,000 sq ft regional office there. Regus could also open its eighth Penang workspace in Bandar Cassia, with PE Land in discussions with parent company IWG.

Lada strengthens Langkawi’s profile in Johor, S’pore through strategic B2B engagement PETALING JAYA: The Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) is intensifying its regional growth strategy through a high-impact business-to-business (B2B) engage ment initiative. By bringing together Langkawi’s tourism innovators and key hosted buyers, the initiative serves as a cornerstone of Lada’s mission to elevate the island’s visibility in short haul markets while fostering the professional collaborations nece ssary for sustainable tourism growth. The importance of this engage ment is underscored by the deep rooted travel links between Langkawi and its southern neigh bours such as Johor and Singapore which remain vital drivers of the island’s economy. These markets continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience and, as of third-quarter 2025, Lang kawi recorded 52,867 visitors from Johor and 48,119 from Singapore. To capitalise on this momentum, the B2B programme acts as a dedicated engine for growth, allowing industry players to move beyond general promotion and into the identification of strategic partners who can actively expand Langkawi’s marketing reach. By facilitating these direct, face-to face engagements, Lada creates a productive environment for business negotiations and the development of joint travel packages. This colla borative approach allows service providers to align their offerings with precision, responding to the evolving demands of modern travellers with greater agility. As these partnerships solidify, they unlock access to higher-value segments, including the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) sector, premium family travel and niche special interest groups. Building on these professional synergies, the resulting cross-border packages further enhance Langkawi’s regional appeal by offering travellers more structured, seamless and value driven experiences. Such curated offerings provide the commercial depth required to encourage longer stays and drive repeat visitation, which is essential for a sustainable tourism ecosystem. These efforts align with the national agenda, directly supporting the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign and reinforcing the “Naturally Langkawi” brand on the global stage. The success of this strategy is further supported by direct con nectivity between Langkawi, Johor and Singapore, which remain key drivers of visitor arrivals. When paired with targeted promotional efforts, this accessibility ensures that Langkawi maintains a strong competitive position in the regional landscape. Collectively, these initiatives represent a significant step towards achieving Langkawi’s target of 3.65 million tourist arrivals by 2026.

PE Holdings Sdn Bhd, which owns the Design Village and 40 acres of landbank, is planning further development on its re maining 10 acres, including resi dential, commercial and hospi-tality components. Group CEO Joanna Ling said its upcoming Capstone Corporate Suites comprises a 36-storey office tower with 395 office units developed by PE Hospitality (Penang) Sdn Bhd, a member of PE Land. It targets businesses that support manufacturing and industrial activity in the area, especially small and medium enterprises and multinational firms operating within nearby industrial parks. “We are confident in Batu Kawan’s future as a business desti nation for multinational and corporate tenants looking for a newer and premium office building,”

strategic national intervention to lower entry barriers, catalyse domestic investment and strengthen the country’s semiconductor supply chain. “Our goal is to build a new generation of local semiconductor champions, and currently, Malaysia remains heavily reliant on foreign direct investment in the semi conductor sector and must increase domestic intellectual property (IP) ownership to ensure long-term competitiveness. “By owning the IP, we ensure that the wealth created by Malaysian talent stays in Malaysia and strengthens our position in the global semiconductor industry,” he added. – Bernama Capstone Corporate Suites is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2028 and has a gross development value of about RM500 million. Units will be priced from RM828,000. For its upcoming residential parcels, Ling said the developments are designed around intergenera tional living, with an emphasis on shared spaces and community interaction. “We design with three generations in mind, with a lot of common spaces so families get together with their grandchildren.” She added that the master plan incorporates walkable green spaces linking developments, and includes sustainability features such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting and centralised waste systems. Bandar Cassia is emerging as a key central business district, accor ding to property experts. Infra structure connectivity means easy access through the Second Penang Bridge and the North-South Ex pressway, including Penang Sentral and Penang International Airport. Meanwhile, editor-in-chief of Weekly Echo and former CEO of Bernama Datuk Yong Soo Heong, who also gave a presentation at the forum, praised the present and the past chief ministers for their vision in driving Penang’s growth. He cited Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow as saying: “The future of Penang is in Prai, and the future of Prai is in Batu Kawan.” Forum participants included Fiabci Malaysian Chapter president Dr Yu Kee Su and immediate past president Datuk Firdaus Musa, Fiabci Penang Branch chairman Datuk Khor Siang Gin, PEPS president Subramaniam Aru mugam, Henry Butcher Malaysia (Penang) managing director Dr Jason Teoh and MIEA Penang Branch chairman Jerome Ng.

Ű BY T.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Bandar Cassia,” he said during an exclusive business forum on main land Penang’s emerging business and property trends at the Design Village in Batu Kawan recently. Ho said that multiple alignments remain in the planning stage, indicating longer-term expansion potential beyond the initial rail rollout, including a proposed bus rapid transit system that is still under consideration. Ho noted that Bandar Cassia township is well-planned and attractive for manufacturing, com mercial, office, residential, edu cational, and even shopping uses. “This is the pull factor for investments,” he said, adding that these elements would accelerate development in northern Penin sular Malaysia.

SEBERANG PERAI: Transport rollout and infrastructure momen tum are pushing business focus in Penang to the mainland part of the state, with Bandar Cassia emerging as a key node. Ho Chin Soon Research CEO Ishmael Ho said the current focus on the Mutiara LRT Line, backed by the federal government under the Penang Transport Master Plan, includes a planned stop at Penang Design Village when the line is extended to Seberang Perai. “The next phase of the Mutiara LRT Line would extend to the main land, where transport alignments and planned corridors point to future growth areas, especially

Ling (centre) together with speakers of the business forum and PE Holdings management team.

MyChipStart set to boost Malaysia’s IC design capabilities GEORGE TOWN: The government is intensifying efforts to position Malaysia higher up the to costly EDA software and shared facilities at Penang Silicon Design @5km+ in Bayan Lepas, here.

“IC design is a highly complex and capital-intensive field, involving expensive electronic design auto mation (EDA) tools, skilled talent and high costs to bring a chip from concept to prototype, which can reach up to US$100 million (RM3.98 million). “This poses a major barrier for startups,” he told reporters after launching the MyChipStart pro gramme here yesterday. Sim said the programme would be implemented under the 13th Malaysia Plan, with an annual allocation of about RM17 million to support local companies at various stages of development, from ideation to validation and testing. Assistance would include access

Sim said these tools would be centrally located and shared among qualified companies, rather than being individually owned, to ensure efficient use of resources and that firms would undergo an evaluation process, including proof of concept and market viability, before receiving support. Sim said Malaysia currently has only about 20 to 30 IC design companies, highlighting the need to grow the ecosystem and develop more local champions in the sector. He stressed that MyChipStart is not merely a funding initiative but a

semiconductor value chain through the MyChipStart programme, which aims to nurture local integrated circuit (IC) design companies. Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin said the initiative is anchored in the National Industrial Master Plan 2030 and the National Semiconductor Strategy. The deputy minister said these initiatives place emphasis on upstream activities such as semiconductor and IC design, moving beyond Malaysia’s traditional strengths in assembly, testing and packaging.