Channel NewsAsia reported RM88.83 billion (about S$28.1 billion) in approved investments in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone from January 2025 through June 2026, providing an early measure of the initiative's project pipeline.
The outlet cited a joint statement issued after the first meeting of the Johor-Singapore Cooperation Ministerial Committee (JSCMC). It said the total covered projects within the remit of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA). The committee met in Singapore on Nov. 2, CNA reported.
CNA said projects worth RM40.3 billion, equivalent to about 45% of the approved total, had reached implementation. The report also tied 12,796 jobs to the projects and put projected employment from approved projects at 28,755 potential positions. CNA did not explain whether 12,796 counted filled posts or another jobs measure, and gave no number for how many of the projected positions had been filled.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim gave a separate figure of RM132 billion for JS-SEZ investments in Parliament on Oct. 9. The parliamentary record does not define the period, approval status, basis or scope of Anwar's figure, so the totals cannot be directly compared.
Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) says the bilateral agreement seeks to draw international investors through smoother goods transport, easier movement for people between the two countries and deeper regional commercial ties. Malaysia's Finance Ministry says eligible new investments in qualifying manufacturing and services may qualify for a 5% corporate tax rate for up to 15 years. Eligible knowledge workers may qualify for a 15% tax rate for 10 years, the ministry says.
Anwar told Parliament that he and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong planned to launch the zone's master plan and blueprint by the end of 2026. The committee agreed to hold a joint investment forum by the first quarter of 2027, CNA reported.
