The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has signed a loan agreement of up to ¥70mn with HIGH BALANCE MALAYSIA SDN. BHD. (HBM), the Malaysian unit of an Osaka-based small company that runs fitness clubs and a construction business. JBIC announced the deal on October 6.
Terms
The ¥70mn is a ceiling for JBIC's share. The loan is co-financed with a regional Japanese bank, and the combined total is ¥100mn. The release does not give an interest rate or a repayment period.
The money is earmarked for equipment. JBIC says the loan funds HBM's fitness-gym operation in Malaysia and will go to gym facility and equipment costs.
The borrower
HBM was established in Malaysia in 2024. According to JBIC, its Japanese parent runs fitness clubs and a construction business and is using the store-operating know-how it built at home to run fitness clubs in Malaysia through HBM.
JBIC's stated rationale
JBIC says the loan supports the parent's overseas expansion and contributes to maintaining and improving the international competitiveness of Japanese companies. It adds that it will keep working with regional financial institutions to back overseas expansion by Japanese companies, including mid-sized and smaller ones, in growth markets such as Southeast Asia.