04/08/2026

BIZ & FINANCE TUESDAY | AUG 4, 2026

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Equinix expands Microsoft Azure connectivity in Malaysia

Funding Societies gets new financing facility from MDV KUALA LUMPUR: Funding Societies has secured a new working capital financing facility from Malaysia Debt Ventures Berhad (MDV), a subsidiary of the Minister of Finance (Incorporated) (MOF Inc), to support technology-driven and underserved Malaysian SMEs through its platform. The facility is structured as a multi-year facility and builds on a relationship between the two organisations that began in 2022, when MDV first participated on the platform to support Malaysia’s technology-based SMEs. MDV’s mandate is to support the growth of technology-based companies in Malaysia through flexible and specialised financing solutions. This enables businesses to move up the value chain and support their progression towards mid-tier company status, a key priority under Malaysia’s New Industrial Master Plan 2030. The facility advances this agenda by extending Funding Societies’ digital, alternative-data-driven financing to SMEs at a critical stage of their growth. Digital SME financing makes it possible to reach underserved SMEs at scale by leveraging alternative data, enabling faster turnaround times and reducing the cost of serving each financing account compared with conventional credit assessment. To date, Funding Societies has disbursed close to RM7 billion in financing to more than 10,000 businesses in Malaysia, while MDV has approved over RM14 billion in financing for more than 1,184 technology projects across various high-impact sectors since its establishment in 2002. Funding Societies Malaysia country head Chai Kien Poon said: “Financing a platform is a multiplier. One facility from MDV reaches thousands of businesses instead of one at a time. “For MDV, that is development financing doing what it is meant to do at the scale and speed Malaysia’s SME economy actually needs. “MDV has backed us since 2022, and we are grateful for that continued support – this is the next step in a long-term partnership.” Meanwhile, MDV chief business officer, Sharul Sazman Samaan said: “MDV’s continued partnership with Funding Societies reflects our confidence in the role of fintech platforms in widening financing access for technology-based SMEs. “By supporting an established platform with strong reach and digital financing capabilities, MDV is able to channel developmental capital more efficiently to businesses with smaller, faster-moving financing needs. “Through this facility, MDV aims to extend the reach of its financing support while helping more SMEs access the capital they need to grow and contribute to Malaysia’s economy.” Moving forward, MDV and Funding Societies will continue to explore opportunities to support the financing needs of technology-based and growth-oriented SMEs in Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR: Equinix Inc., a digital infrastructure company, has expanded availability of Microsoft Azure connectivity in its Inter national Business Exchange (IBX) data centres in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. In a statement yesterday, Equinix said the expansion strengthens its industry-leading cloud ecosystem, enabling enterprises to build distributed, low-latency, and resilient digital infrastructure to support AI innovation, modern applications, and business-critical workloads across Southeast Asia and beyond. As Malaysia accelerates its ambition to become an AI Nation by 2030 through initiatives such as the National Artificial Intelligence Office (NAIO) and MyDigital, demand for secure, resilient and highly inter connected digital infrastructure continues to grow. In 2025, the country secured RM87.4 billion in approved digital investments, driven by AI, data centers, cloud services and big data. Against this backdrop, secure, low latency cloud connectivity is becoming increasingly critical as organisations adopt hybrid multi cloud architectures to support AI and digital transformation. Equinix hosts one of Malaysia’s most interconnected cloud eco systems, providing access to key cloud service providers, including Microsoft Azure, Alibaba Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud. understanding (MoU) to help address Malaysia’s talent skills gap by developing the next generation of talent in energy technology, digitalisation, automation and sustainability, supporting the country’s transition towards a more sustainable and digital economy. The partnership aims to help bridge the gap between classroom learning and workplace expectations by giving students greater exposure to real-world industry needs in areas such as energy management, automation, digitalisation and sustainability. The collaboration comes as Malaysia accelerates its energy transition and industrial transformation. National initiatives, including the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 and the National Energy Transition Roadmap, are expected to create significant investment and employment opportunities, increasing demand for talent with capabilities in energy management, automation, digitalisation and sustainability. “As Schneider Electric marks 40 years in Malaysia, we remain committed to developing the talent and capabilities needed to support the country’s next phase of growth,” said Schneider Electric Malaysia country president Eugene Quah. “Addressing the talent skills gap

He added Microsoft Azure helps customers build flexible hybrid cloud environments with the security, scalability and reliability needed for AI innovation. “Private connectivity to Micro soft Azure through Equinix in Kuala Lumpur further extends these capabilities, helping organisations deploy and scale cloud and AI workloads with greater con fidence.” The announcement follows Equinix’s recent plans to develop KL2, its new AI-ready IBX data center in Cyberjaya. When fully built out, KL2 will provide capacity for more than 2,200 cabinets, helping organisations support next-generation AI, hybrid multicloud and data-intensive work loads while reinforcing Equinix’s long-term commitment to Malaysia’s digital economy. With Microsoft Azure connectivity available across more than 20 countries, including Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, in Asia Pacific, Equinix continues to streng then its position as one of the region’s most interconnected digital infra structure providers. By enabling consistent, private access to Azure across key business and cloud hubs in Asia-Pacific, Equinix helps organisations acce lerate hybrid multicloud strategies, simplify regional deployments and build resilient digital infrastructure closer to where users, data and opportunities reside.

o Expansion enables organisations to build scalable, low-latency and resilient hybrid multicloud infrastructure for AI

This gives enterprises the flexibility to architect secure hybrid multicloud environments, optimise application performance through private, low-latency connectivity, strengthen network resilience, and deploy AI and mission-critical workloads closer to users. It also enables organisations to maintain greater control over data and workload placement, helping them address evolving operational and regulatory requirements. “Malaysia is rapidly establishing itself as a strategic destination for AI, cloud and digital innovation, with Cyberjaya continuing to play an important role in the country’s digital infrastructure landscape,” said Equinix Malaysia managing director Cheam Tat Inn. “As businesses increasingly embrace hybrid multicloud and AI strategies, they need the flexibility to securely connect across multiple cloud environments while main taining the performance, resilience and scalability their operations depend on. “Expanding Microsoft Azure connectivity in Kuala Lumpur enables customers to build more resilient, high-performance digital

infrastructure while supporting data-intensive and AI-driven work loads. “This further supports Malaysia’s ambition to become a leading regional hub for AI innovation, digital services and the broader digital economy.” Beyond expanding cloud con nectivity, Equinix said, it is committed to supporting Malaysia’s digital ambitions through resilient and energy-efficient digital infrastructure designed to scale responsibly. As demand for AI and cloud continues to grow, it added, busi nesses are placing greater emphasis on digital infrastructure that balances performance, resilience and sustain ability while supporting evolving regulatory, operational and environ mental requirements. “As organisations evolve into frontier firms, Equinix and Microsoft are enabling Malaysian customers with the resilient, low-latency digital infrastructure and cloud con nectivity needed to accelerate AI adoption, modernise applications, and drive business transformation at scale,” Microsoft Asia corporate vice-president and chief technology officer Mark Souza said.

Schneider Electric, Sunway University to develop future-ready talent PETALING JAYA: Schneider Electric and Sunway University have signed a five-year memorandum of

Sibrandes (centre left) and Quah (centre right) exchange signed documents following the signing of a five-year MoU, witnessed by representatives from Sunway University and Schneider Electric Malaysia.

only academically strong, but also able to apply their knowledge confidently in fast-changing industries,” said Sunway Universiy president Professor Sibrandes Poppema. “This partnership with Schneider Electric will give our students greater access to industry expertise, applied learning and career exposure in areas that are increasingly important to Malaysia’s future. “We look forward to working together to strengthen the connection between education and industry, enhance graduate employability and create meaningful opportunities for our students, faculty and alumni.”

and advancing energy tech requires more than technology alone. It requires people who can combine engineering knowledge with digital fluency, sustainability awareness, and the ability to solve complex, real world challenges.” Through the collaboration with Sunway University, he added, they aim to provide students with greater exposure to industry challenges, technologies and expertise, helping them build capabilities that will support Malaysia’s energy transition and economic development. “Universities have an important role in ensuring that graduates are not

The five-year agreement provides a more structured platform for both organisations to expand collaboration and connect students more closely with evolving industry needs. Over the next five years, both parties will explore collaboration in curriculum advisory, industry knowledge exchange, graduate employability and alumni engagement. Together, the partnership aims to create stronger pathways between higher education and industry, ensuring graduates are equipped with the technical, digital, and sustainability-related capabilities that employers increasingly seek.