Local businesses
looking to tap opportunities in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone
(JS-SEZ) can look forward to quicker bank account openings, green-lane
financing, halal advisory services, and more.
The Singapore Chinese
Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI) and Maybank Singapore on Thursday
(Jul 17) inked a pact to promote economic development, investment and trade –
with the massive 3,571-square-kilometre zone as a strategic focal point.
Some 5,000 SCCCI
corporate members can benefit from capacity-building programmes in the areas of
sustainability, halal advisory and financial services, aided by Maybank’s
dedicated JS-SEZ desk, a joint media release indicated.
Additionally,
the bank will offer tailored solutions such as green-lane financing, trade
finance, cash management as well as environmental, social and governance-linked
products.
The two parties
will also collaborate on initiatives such as meetings, visits, conferences,
workshops and networking events.
The memorandum
of understanding was signed at the SCCCI-Maybank Mid-Year Business Forum:
Outlook 2025, held at the business chamber’s auditorium.
Speaking in
Mandarin at the event, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang
urged businesses to explore beyond traditional markets and better understand
emerging ones – across regions such as South-east Asia and Africa – to
find new growth areas.
SCCCI president
Kho Choon Keng said: “In the face of an increasingly complex and rapidly
changing business landscape, strong financial capabilities and deep regional
insight are critical.”
Noting the
bank’s dual-market advantage in Singapore and Malaysia, Maybank Singapore chief
executive Alvin Lee reaffirmed the group’s commitment to supporting businesses
with banking solutions while identifying “twinning opportunities for expansion”
into the JS-SEZ.
With South-east
Asia poised to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030, the region
offers significant growth opportunities, with Malaysia positioning itself as a
key investment hub for Singaporean businesses due to its diversified economy,
SCCCI and Maybank said in the joint statement.
Source: The
Business Times (Maybank,
SCCCI join forces to power up Johor-Singapore SEZ - The Business Times)
17 Jul 2025
July 24, 2025
