JOHOR BARU: Johor Corp (JCorp), the principal development institution and a leading economic enabler for Johor, has established its maiden sustainable finance framework, the first of its kind by a Malaysian development institution with a diversified, multi-sector portfolio.
Maybank Investment Bank Bhd (Maybank IB) has been appointed as the sole sustainability structuring adviser for the framework.
In a joint statement, JCorp and Maybank IB said that in December 2025, MARC Solutions Sdn Bhd assigned a “Gold” impact assessment to JCorp’s framework through an independent second-party opinion, confirming its alignment with relevant local, regional, and global market guidelines.
JCorp and Maybank IB said that the framework serves as a forward-looking stewardship tool for JCorp and its group of companies, including operating companies, subsidiaries, special-purpose vehicles and joint ventures, to raise and deploy sustainable finance across its five core businesses encompassing wellness and healthcare, real estate and infrastructure, agribusiness, food and restaurants, as well as patient capital.
“It aims to ensure alignment between existing and future sustainable projects and JCorp’s overarching sustainability commitments,” said the statement.
Reflecting JCorp’s diversified portfolio, the framework covers a range of sustainability finance transactions (SFTs), including green, social, sustainability and sustainable and responsible investment sukuk, bonds, loans and financing, to support eligible investments that deliver measurable environmental and social benefits.
“The SFTs will support JCorp’s commitment to balance financial prudence with socio-environmental responsibility, in line with its Membina dan Membela (creating value and enabling sustainable communities) mission, which leverages financial assets alongside its shared social and environmental heritage.
“The framework aligns with prevailing market standards and outlines 10 eligible green and five eligible social use-of-proceeds categories, including green buildings, cities and infrastructure, energy efficiency, pollution prevention and control, affordable housing, food security and sustainable food systems, as well as socioeconomic advancement and empowerment,” said the statement.
JCorp president and chief executive Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim said the framework reflects the corporation’s long-term approach to capital allocation and responsibility.
“Sustainability is not an add-on; it is embedded in how we allocate capital, govern risk and steward assets. By anchoring our financing strategy in our Membina dan Membela mission, it guides how we deploy capital responsibly to deliver measurable outcomes for Johor and Malaysia,” he said.
Meanwhile, Maybank IB chief executive officer Michael Oh-Lau said JCorp’s sustainable finance framework brings rigour and credibility to financing sustainability initiatives, further amplifying the company’s impact as an investor across multiple industries.
“Maybank IB has supported the JCorp Group in achieving sustainable debt market milestones, including KPJ Healthcare
’s sustainability sukuk, a first for a healthcare issuer in Asean, and Johor Plantations’ pioneering integrated sustainable finance framework. Maybank IB is committed to advancing our clients’ transition to a more sustainable future, aligned with our ROAR30 strategies,” he said.
Maybank IB targets mobilising RM300bil over the next five years, having mobilised RM156.3bil from 2021 to the end of the third quarter of 2025. — Bernama
