World Bank unit to back Boost after RM1b burn
And a little something on luxury retailer Valiram Group.
No, it’s not Christmas come early, folks. I have a Christmas special and a potential Boxing Day newsletter lined up too.
If they pan out accordingly, they’d be fun reads for sure.
Two newsy updates this morning — on Boost and Valiram Group — courtesy of friends-slash-subscribers who are more clued into the news cycle than me.
Ironic, given I’m supposedly part of it. Talk about tunnel vision.
It’s been busy over here, so I won’t dump all the ICYMIs on you. But if you missed yesterday’s post, it’s pretty scoop-y.
Prior to that: a Southeast double-header naming cronies to watch in 2026 and why the playing field will be even more unequal.
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This was actually out last week, but the media – including yours truly – were all napping until DealStreetAsia picked it up yesterday.
Basically, cash-strapped digibank Boost Holdings may get an institutional investor.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, is proposing to lead Boost’s equity fundraising with a US$20 million investment, according to its freshly disclosed Summary of Investment Information (SII).
The deal is still pending approval, with a projected IFC board date of February 13, 2026.
IFC describes Boost as a “Malaysian digital bank, e-wallet and payment solutions provider” and says proceeds will go towards “sustaining the Company’s growth.”
That narrative sounds neat, but there’s rather a lot of context missing, which is what I’ll flesh out today.