JOHOR has set its sights on elevating at least five small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to be listed on international stock exchanges through a three-phase plan spanning from 2026 to 2040.
State youth, sports, entrepreneur development and cooperatives committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said the initiative is part of the state’s long-term vision to strengthen Johor’s position as a regional business hub.
“The vision for Johor is ambitious and to achieve it, we need a clear, long-term plan.
“In phase one, which runs from 2026 to 2030, the state will identify at least 10 high-potential companies in each district to receive focused support and guidance to help them grow and scale effectively.
“Through phase two, from 2030 to 2035, we plan to transform Perbadanan Usahawan Johor Sdn Bhd (PUJB) into a state venture capital company that will take calculated investment risks to help Johor businesses expand internationally,” he told StarMetro.
Mohd Hairi said the state government would identify and work towards helping at least five Johor-based SMEs to be listed on international stock exchanges under phase three from 2035 to 2040.
“This is a realistic goal because companies such as Ikea took 20 years to go global, while Alibaba took 15 years before becoming a public-listed company.
“We want Johor to create its own global success stories too,” said the Larkin assemblyman.
He said the recently concluded two-day Johor Business Summit and Expo (JBSE) marked a milestone as the first state-organised business summit and the largest business expo since the Johor International Islamic and Halal Festival in 2022.
He said the event brought together more than 10,000 participants, ranging from small entrepreneurs and startups to global investors from Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Italy and Canada.
“Our goal is also to strengthen Johor’s business ecosystem through large-scale events like JBSE, and prepare local businesses to compete and collaborate on a global scale,” he said, adding the state’s future should be powered by Johor-born entrepreneurs.
He said over the past three years, various allocations and initiatives had been introduced through PUJB and the Johor Entrepreneur Development Council to empower entrepreneurs at all levels.
“Entrepreneurs at the grassroots level have been assisted through equipment grants, entrepreneurship training and financing access since 2022.
“We launched the BR Johor Niaga financing programme in collaboration with Bank Rakyat in 2023, and in 2022, introduced the Johor Entrepreneur Empowerment Plan, which runs until next year.
“Along with a micro-entrepreneur tent assistance programme introduced last year, these efforts have impacted more than 70,000 entrepreneurs statewide this year alone and over 50,000 last year,” he said.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2025/11/07/johor-aims-to-list-five-smes-globally-by-2040