Singaporean bank UOB has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Invest Johor, the Malaysian state’s investment agency, to drive investment opportunities into the upcoming Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

Under the partnership with Invest Johor, the bank will collaborate with the agency to jointly promote and facilitate investment opportunities into the Johor-Singapore SEZ. This will be done by targeting high-value, high-technology and high-impact investments from priority sectors, such as electrical and electronics, advanced manufacturing and engineering, digital economy, green economy, life science and med-tech, electric vehicles, aerospace, and port and logistics.

Notably, a “green lane” will be jointly established, with the bank designated as a partner to assist with foreign direct investment (FDI) in these prioritized sectors to accelerate their investments. The bank will also provide advisory and banking services to companies looking to invest in Johor as part of the MoU.

The bank has also signed a second MoU with China’s Lingang Group, an industrial park operator with more than 18,000 tenants across China. Under the partnership, the bank will facilitate Lingang Group and its tenants to expand into Southeast Asia.

The bank is the only one to have signed MoUs with all the government investment agencies in the key Association of Southeast Asian Nations markets.

“Our strategic partnerships with regional government investment agencies and trade associations,” says Wee Ee Cheong, UOB’s chief executive officer, “have successfully connected enterprises, such as Lingang Group, to cross-border investment opportunities, benefiting businesses across multiple sectors.”