Federal and Sarawak agencies have jointly mobilised more than RM950 million for Sarawak's enterprise ecosystem from January to October 2026, according to the Sarawak Economic Development and Coordination Committee (SEDCC). The figure brings together support across agencies, including financing facilities, training, capacity-building and market access. It is not an announcement of a single new grant that every business can apply for. SEDCC said its coordination links government agencies, government-linked companies, financial institutions and the private sector so their programmes complement one another. For local firms, the relevant support still depends on the individual facility or programme; the statement does not set out a new application window or a per-business entitlement. A separate SME competitiveness master-plan collaboration between the state Ministry of International Trade, Industry and Investment and Unimas Holdings Sdn Bhd covers digitalisation, innovation, financing, markets and business capacity. The report describes an exchange of agreement documents, not a completed rollout of new services.

Sarawak’s planned Trade and Tourism Office in Pontianak, Indonesia, is expected to begin operating around mid-2027, The Borneo Post reported on October 5. The state has identified a building for the office, which must be renovated before it can open. Sarawak’s deputy premier and minister for international trade, industry and investment said the eventual chief executive appointment requires approval from the Indonesian government. He gave the update after the Welfare Micro-Entrepreneur Awards ceremony in Kuching on Sunday; the report does not name the ceremony’s specific venue. Renovation and approval remain outstanding, so mid-2027 is an expected start, not a confirmed opening date.

The seven-storey DUBS building on Jalan Ong Tiang Swee in Kuching is expected to be completed in November 2026, The Borneo Post reported on October 5. Work began in 2024. The two-block project has a reported cost of RM90 million, including an RM80.23 million Sarawak government grant. Plans list 87 commercial office units, 11 retail units, DUBS’ corporate office, a multipurpose resource centre and parking. At the chamber’s 40th anniversary gala in Kuching on Sunday, the Premier said the state was prepared to assist with the building. The report gives no additional assistance amount or revised completion schedule, so November remains the reported target.

Sarawak employers are being told that non-resident worker applications now take about 60 days to process, down from 191 days. The figure is a reported improvement, not a promise that every application will be approved within two months. Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department for Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring Datuk Gerawat Gala gave the update at an industry session in Miri on Sept 30. The Foreign Worker Transformation Approach, or FWTA, brings recruitment procedures onto a digital platform involving both state and federal agencies. For businesses planning staffing in Kuching and elsewhere in Sarawak, the important distinction is between a shorter processing period and a completed approval. Different agencies still have their own procedures, and the platform is being introduced in phases. Domestic helpers are currently being addressed, with expatriates to follow. Gerawat asked employers to raise application problems with FWTA or the Immigration and Labour Management Unit, ILMU, so they can be referred to the relevant agencies. A dedicated email channel was raised by industry representatives, but the announcement did not provide an address or confirm its launch. The next practical test is whether the shorter turnaround holds across those remaining phases. Employers should not treat the 60-day figure as a new guaranteed deadline, or assume that the proposed email channel is already available.

Sarawak-based United Asiapac Energy Bhd made its debut on Bursa Malaysia’s ACE Market on Monday, opening at its initial public offering price of 35 sen a share. The listing gives the oil-and-gas services company more room to expand its well-intervention business in East Malaysia and beyond. Its services cover work such as well integrity, fishing and plug-and-abandonment operations for upstream operators. The company said its IPO raised RM47.83 million. It plans to use part of the proceeds for new equipment, workforce expansion and engineering capability. The firm has completed more than 200 projects since 2021, according to the company’s listing information reported on Monday. For Sarawak, the development is also part of the state’s push to bring more Bumiputera companies into the capital market. United Asiapac is the first of a state target of three Sarawak Bumiputera companies listed on Bursa Malaysia by 2030.

Sarawak to launch SAMUDAH platform to streamline business-to-government dealings The Sarawak government will soon introduce the SAMUDAH Management System, a coordinated digital platform designed to improve communication and issue-resolution between businesses and government departments. Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg said the system will provide a structured mechanism for resolving business-related issues, with clearly recorded data to help policymakers identify and address system-level problems. His speech was read by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian at the opening of the SHEDA Property Expo 2026 at voco Kuching. The initiative is part of a broader push under the 13th Malaysia Plan to streamline government delivery. It will complement the Integrated Results-Based Management (IRBM) system, which manages the performance of 13MP commitments including the construction of 20,000 affordable homes. Location: Kuching

Zecon Renewables has landed a RM328 million contract for Sarawak's first agrivoltaics solar project. [image: 1784865967672-zecon-solar-contract.jpg] Source: DayakDaily The contract covers a 100MWac solar photovoltaic facility at Kota Petra Green Technology Park. Zecon Bhd said its wholly owned subsidiary, Zecon Renewables Sdn Bhd, received the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contract from Zecon Renewables (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd. Location: Kota Petra Green Technology Park, Sarawak Details: The job includes the solar plant, grid connection facilities, site infrastructure, earthworks and a proposed 130-metre bridge across Sungai Serai. The project is backed by a 30-year power purchase agreement with Syarikat Sesco Bhd. Commercial operation is scheduled by Dec 31, 2027. This is not something people will feel overnight, but it is a sizeable energy project for Sarawak. Source: DayakDaily What do you think?

Kuching-based brewery 1602 says it has been cleared after a police investigation, and its seized beer products and merchandise have been returned. [image: 1784164007384-1602-brewery.jpg] Source: The Borneo Post The Borneo Post reported that the Attorney-General's Chambers reviewed the investigation findings and confirmed the case did not involve a smuggling offence. 1602 managing director Dato Sri Vincent Lee said the returned goods allow the company to resume normal production, sales and business operations. What happened Police carried out an operation at the company's warehouse in Kuching on July 3, following instructions from Bukit Aman's Wildlife Crime Bureau/Special Intelligence Investigation Unit. Lee said the company had cooperated with police and provided its licences and tax-related documents covering brewing, wholesale and sale. The case had been investigated as a suspected smuggling offence under Section 135 of the Customs Act 1967. Location: Kuching, Sarawak Details: 1602 says no smuggling offence was found, and seized products have been returned. Source: The Borneo Post What do you think?