Malaysia’s pipeline of initial public offerings is expected to get a boost from firms seeking capital for energy transition projects as Asia weans itself off fossil fuels, according to the top official at the local bourse.
Some of these are large companies and "as projects actually come through, where there are sustainable cash flows and generated income, they will be looking at capital markets to IPO,” Datuk Fad’l Mohamed, chief executive officer of Bursa Malaysia Bhd
., said at the Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit in Singapore. There are also enough investors in the market to support demand for sustainable assets, he added.
The local new-share sales market has been gaining traction, with 38 new listings so far this year. Bursa Malaysia is targeting 60 IPOs for 2025, after reporting 55 debuts last year.
While uncertainty from US tariffs has weighed on the stock benchmark index, making it among the world’s worst performers this year, Fad’l remained optimistic on the outlook for Malaysia’s markets. There’ll be "a lot more liquidity coming into the system,” likely in the fourth quarter, supported by high cash holdings by local fund managers and a recent interest-rate cut by Bank Negara Malaysia, he said.
A reshaping of global supply chains due to tariffs may also "open up new opportunities for partnerships or collaborations” for local companies, Fad’l said. - Bloomberg
