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IJM Corp Bhd’s management is defending the company’s value and outlining plans to accelerate the unlocking of its assets, following Sunway Bhd’s conditional voluntary takeover offer of RM3.15 per share. In an independent advice circular (IAC) released on Friday, M&A Securities Sdn Bhd advised IJM shareholders that the offer is “not fair and not reasonable.” Following the advisory, IJM group chief executive officer Datuk Lee Chun Fai said the company is considering a restructuring plan that could see several of its business segments spun off into separate pure-play listed entities. The move is intended to better reflect the group’s underlying value and address the holding company discount currently applied to IJM’s share price. Lee said the existing conglomerate structure makes it difficult for individual business segments to be properly valued by the market. “When everything is put into one basket — highways, construction projects, profitable units and also operations that are not performing as strongly, such as our Indian business — the valuation tends to average out,” he said during an interview at IJM’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya. He noted that IJM’s construction division is performing strongly, supported by projects including data centres and the New Pantai Expressway (NPE2) extension. However, these strengths may not be fully reflected in the group’s overall valuation under its current structure. According to Lee, spinning off business segments into standalone listed entities may be the most effective way to unlock the company’s true value. However, the proposed restructuring would depend on the current board remaining in place. If major shareholders — including the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), and Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) (KWAP) — choose to accept Sunway’s takeover offer, the restructuring plan may not proceed. M&A Securities noted that Sunway’s offer represents a 46.1% to 51.4% discount to the estimated value of IJM shares, which it placed between RM5.84 and RM6.48 per share. The decision now rests with shareholders, who must determine whether to accept the takeover offer or allow the current management team time to unlock the group’s asset value through restructuring.

OGX Group Bhd, a new ACE Market-listed company, has secured RM72 million in confirmed orders as of January 13, 2026, boosting its expansion plans in East Malaysia. Managing director Tan Suan Loong said the orders, spanning business and education sectors in Sabah, are part of the company’s strategy to strengthen its presence in the state. “Demand in Sabah is growing, and we have secured several projects to support that growth,” he said at OGX’s post-listing press conference. Tan added that the company anticipates strong growth over the next 12 to 24 months, driven by ongoing expansion and new project acquisitions. OGX Group made its ACE Market debut at 28 sen per share, a seven-sen discount to its IPO price of 35 sen, with 6.67 million shares traded. Tan noted that geopolitical developments may temporarily affect the share price, but he is confident it will eventually reflect the company’s fundamentals and growth potential. The company plans to use IPO proceeds to expand its facilities, including a new site near its Bukit Jelutong, Selangor location, expected to be operational by mid-2027. OGX is also exploring opportunities to broaden its brand portfolio, with potential European and Chinese partnerships expected within six to 12 months.

Hong Leong Bank Islamic (HLB Islamic) has launched a refreshed consumer brand identity as HLB Islamic, along with its new initiative, Hayat @ HLB Islamic. HLB Group CEO Kevin Lam said the rebranding aims to strengthen the bank’s Shariah-compliant offerings and position HLB Islamic as a key growth engine, while providing a unified gateway for financial solutions across the Hong Leong Financial Group. Dafinah Ahmed Hilmi, CEO of HLB Islamic (centre left), and Kevin Lam, Group Managing Director and CEO of HLB (centre right), unveiled the refreshed identity of HLB Islamic and introduced Hayat @ HLB Islamic, the bank’s new proposition centered around wealth stewardship. “The transition to HLB Islamic allows us to connect more deeply with our diverse customers and scale our Shariah-compliant franchise as a primary growth driver,” Lam said. “By aligning our Islamic banking identity with the HLB brand, we make our solutions more accessible, intuitive, and digitally integrated.” Lam added that HLB Islamic aspires to be Malaysia’s preferred gateway for wealth management, offering customer-centric, value-based financial solutions that lead in innovation. HLB Islamic CEO Dafinah Ahmed Hilmi explained that Hayat @ HLB Islamic reflects a shift in how the bank approaches financial services, focusing on long-term wealth stewardship. “We design solutions around our customers’ life stages, making financial planning simple, seamless, and intuitive,” she said. The launch aligns with the bank’s vision of “Timeless Principles Guiding Tomorrow’s Wealth”, introduced during its 20th anniversary in December 2025, emphasizing sustainable and responsible wealth management for customers’ long-term financial security.

Malaysia should continue its diplomatic engagement with the United States while maintaining transparency in its manufacturing and supply chains and further diversifying trade, an economist advised. The remarks follow the US decision to launch Section 301 investigations into structural excess manufacturing capacity in several economies, including Malaysia.                       IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan. Mohd Sedek Jantan, director of investment strategy and country economist at IPPFA Sdn Bhd, explained that Section 301 probes are a procedural step the US typically takes before imposing trade measures. “These investigations do not automatically lead to tariffs,” he said. “They allow Washington to assess whether certain manufacturing policies or production levels create burdens on US commerce, particularly after the Supreme Court invalidated earlier emergency tariffs.” Mohd Sedek noted that Malaysia’s exposure to the probe is moderate, as it focuses on manufacturing sectors that form key components of Malaysia’s exports to the US, such as electronics, semiconductors, and machinery. He added that the main risk lies in closer scrutiny of supply chains rather than broad tariffs. “The investigation could accelerate supply chain restructuring across Asia and ASEAN,” he said. “Companies may rethink where they locate production, leading to greater diversification within the region rather than concentrating output in a few countries.” He also highlighted that this development presents both risks and opportunities for Malaysia. While sectors like electronics and electrical products, semiconductors, machinery, and intermediate manufacturing could face increased scrutiny, the country could also benefit as multinational companies consider Malaysia a stable and neutral hub for regional production. “If trade measures are imposed, impacts are likely to be sector-specific, mainly affecting supply chains linked to these industrial segments rather than Malaysia’s exports broadly,” Mohd Sedek said. He emphasized that ASEAN cooperation will be critical, as many supply chains operate across multiple countries in the region. “Better coordination on rules of origin and supply chain transparency can help address US concerns while keeping ASEAN an attractive and trusted manufacturing base,” he added.