06/07/2026

BIZ & FINANCE MONDAY | JULY 6, 2026

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WTK to dispose of 3 Miri oil palm estates for RM221.5m

strongly last week, after a lacklustre week. Top warrants include SkyeChip-CC and SkyeChip-CM with over RM7 million and RM4.4 million turnover. To view the full list of structured warrants available on Bursa Malaysia, visit malaysiawarrants.com.my. Provided for Malaysian residents’ information only. This commentary has not been reviewed by the Securities Commission Malaysia. It is not an offer or recommendation to trade and is not research material. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. You should make your own assessment and seek professional advice. The warrants will not be offered to any US persons. Ministry drafting new Cooperatives Act to modernise sector BUTTERWORTH: The Ministry of Entre preneur and Cooperatives Development (Kuskop) is drafting a new Cooperatives Act to replace the Cooperatives Act 1993 as part of efforts to modernise and reform the governance of Malaysia’s cooperative movement. Its minister, Steven Sim Chee Keong, said the proposed legislation would provide greater flexibility for eligible cooperatives to undertake investments without requiring prior approval from the Malaysia Cooperative Societies Commission (SKM), while retaining appropriate regulatory safeguards to protect members’ interests. “We are currently drafting a new Cooperatives Act to replace the Cooperatives Act 1993. The objective is to reform and revitalise the administration of cooperatives in Malaysia. “For example, the new Act seeks to facilitate cooperative business operations and streamline investment criteria, conditions and approval processes,“ he told reporters after officiating the national-level National Cooperative Day 2026 celebration at PICCA @ Butterworth Arena on Saturday/ Also present was SKM chairman Lt-Gen (Rtd) Datuk Ahmad Norihan Jalal. Sim also announced two major reforms to the cooperative Ar-Rahnu sector, which will take effect this September, aimed at making Islamic pawnbroking services more trans parent, competitive and customer-friendly. Under the first reform, he said, the existing 2.5% fee imposed on the pledged asset value will be abolished, while the profit rates for Ar Rahnu services will be capped at 1% per month for cooperative members and 2% per month for non-members. The second reform will allow cooperatives offering Ar-Rahnu services to dispose of unredeemed pledged items through a tender process, in addition to the existing public and electronic auction methods, he said, adding that the move is expected to enhance transparency, lower implementation costs, and provide greater operational flexibility. “Whether through new legislation, lower costs, the abolition of fees or other improvements, these initiatives reflect Kuskop’s commitment to reducing bureaucracy and creating a more business-friendly environment for cooperatives,“ Sim said. Meanwhile, the minister said the national co-operative sector continued to record strong growth, with business revenue rising by almost 20% to RM82 billion in 2025, compared with RM68 billion the previous year. – Bernama

PETALING JAYA: Sarawak-based diversified group WTK Holdings Bhd’s wholly owned subsidiaries, Towering Yield Sdn Bhd, Bioworld Synergies Sdn Bhd, Biogreen Success Sdn Bhd and Borneo Agro-Industries Sdn Bhd have signed a conditional agreement with Trinity Capital Resources Sdn Bhd for the disposal of three adjoining oil palm plantation estates in Miri, Sarawak, for RM221.5 million. The disposals comprise three separate transactions. The first transaction involves the disposal of Towering Yield’s 1.95 million ordinary shares, representing 65% equity interest (being WTK’s entire equity interest) in Positive Deal Sdn Bhd, together with Bioworld’s 23.18 million redeemable preference shares, for RM27 million. Located along Batang Baram, Miri, the Positive Deal Estate has a total area of 2,148.7ha, of which 1,580.8ha are planted. The second transaction involves Biogreen’s disposal of Biogreen Estate, a plantation in Batang Baram District, Miri, together with its assets, to Trinity Capital for RM145.2 million. Biogreen Estate spans 4,698.2 ha, of which 3,422.8ha are planted. The final transaction involves Borneo’s disposal of Borneo Estate, a plantation in Kuala Baram, Miri, together with its assets, to Trinity Capital for RM49.3 million. Borneo Estate spans 849.6ha, of which 791.5ha are planted. Collectively, the three estates span abouty 7,697ha, of which roughly 5,795ha are planted. The disposals are expected to result in an estimated net pro forma gain of RM86.6 million to the group. The RM221.5 million represents a 5.7% premium, or RM11.9 million, over the aggregate independent valuation of the three estates. By disposing of the three estates to a single purchaser, the group can unlock additional value from operational synergies and economies of scale that the purchaser may realise. WTK executive director Francis Lai said the disposals represent a strategic opportunity for the group to realise value from plantation assets that are less aligned with its current operations. o Proposed transactions to generate estimated net gain of RM86.6 million to group

“Plantation remains an important and core business segment for the group, and this exercise forms part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen the quality, efficiency and resilience of our plantation portfolio, particularly as we continue to channel resources towards estates that are better integrated with our core operating regions.” He continued: “The RM221.5 million in proceeds will provide us with greater financial flexibility to support plantation development, replanting programmes and ongoing estate maintenance across our plantation operations, with RM185.6 million earmarked for working capital, RM27 million to repay borrowings, and the remainder for estimated expenses and taxes. “This will further strengthen our balance sheet and allow us to focus our resources on assets that deliver stronger operational performance and longterm returns. “As we move forward, we will continue to assess our asset base with the aim of unlocking value from non-core or less integrated assets, while allocating capital towards opportunities that complement our existing operations and support sustainable long-term earnings growth.” A key consideration for WTK behind the disposals is the geographical positioning of the three estates. Located at the northern tip of Sarawak, about 90km from the group’s nearest palm oil mill, the A view of WTK Holdings’ oil palm estates in Miri.

estates have incurred higher external transport costs and experienced deterioration in crop quality due to prolonged transit times. As a result, the estates are less integrated with the group’s milling infrastructure compared with its other plantation assets. In addition, the oil palms across the three estates have reached an average age of about 14 years and will require significant replanting investment in the coming years. Given their location, the group believes those investments would be better channelled towards higher-performing estates within its core operating regions. Following completion of the disposals, WTK will continue to operate about 26,421ha of planted oil palm across its remaining estates. Together with the group’s recent acquisitions of two oil palm plantations and one palm oil mill in April, as well as the disposal of sub-optimal assets in Miri and Bintulu, which was announced in May, the disposals are expected to enhance the overall quality and connectivity of WTK’s plantation portfolio, while supporting a more efficient operating base. The disposals are subject to the approval of WTK’s shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting to be convened, as well as approvals from the relevant authorities. The exercise is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027.

YTL Power back on investors’ radar, calls actively traded

Top warrants by value traded Warrant Value Issuer

by improving global risk appetite following reports that the US and Iran had stepped back from escalating tensions, supporting gains across regional equities. The pullback came on Tuesday despite continued signs of policy support from Beijing, after China’s central bank conducted overnight reverse repo operations to maintain ample liquidity in the financial system. However, the index advanced again on Thursday (+0.8%) and Friday (+1.3%) as technology, financial, and consumer names drove broad-based gains. On the back of last week’s rally, call warrant HSI-CWSI emerged as the top warrant in term of value traded with a turnover of RM21.9 million. The top HSI put warrant for the week was HSI PWR3,which recorded a turnover of

WARRANTS WATCH

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THE warrants market in Malaysia kicked off the first week of July with a 15.3% week-on-week (w-o-w) decline in total turnover to RM532.3 million as the Hong Kong market was closed on Wednesday in conjunction with the Hong Kong Special Admini strative Region Establishment Day. Warrants over Malaysian shares, which took up 38.2% of the market, contributed to the overall decline as their turnover dropped 17.4% w-o-w. The Hang Seng Index (HSI) rebounded strongly, surging 3% w-o w and recorded three green days out of the week’s three trading days. The index started the week on a bullish note as market sentiment was lifted

HSI-CWS HSI-CWSK HSI-PWR3 HSI-PWTT HSI-PWR8

I21.9 19.7 17.4 14.2 13.9

Macquarie Kenanga Macquarie Maybank Kenanga

25,000.00 26,000.00 22,000.00 26,000.00 21,000.00

28 Aug 2026 28 Aug 2026 30 Jul 2026 29 Oct 2026 30 Jul 2026

Call warrants YTLPOWR-C1R, YTLPOWR-C1U and YTLPOWR-C1L were the most actively traded warrants over the underlying. Other popular warrants include warrants over Zetrix AI, Inari Amertron and SkyeChip, as their underlyings rose 2.6%, 0.5% and 4.8% w-o-w, respectively. Notably, SkyeChip’s shares rebounded

RM17.4 million. On the local front, YTL Power International Bhd was back on the radar of investors, clocking in 7.6% gains to close at RM4.41 on Friday. According to a news report, YTL Power is exploring the listing of its data centre business next year which could unlock the full value of the business.