Sabah Development Bank

What Sabah Development Bank does

Sabah Development Bank Berhad (SDB) is a Development Financial Institution (DFI) wholly owned by the State Government of Sabah, incorporated on 9 August 1977 and headquartered at Plaza Shell in Kota Kinabalu. The bank provides medium- to long-term financing, corporate advisory, loan syndication, venture capital and equity participation, financial intermediation, and project rehabilitation services. Its mandated sectors are infrastructure, water, and energy in Sabah, Malaysia. SDB operates as the Financial Intermediary for the State Government of Sabah and its agencies, with involvement in roads, bridges, low-cost housing, water supply, and port extension projects. The bank is supervised directly by the Ministry of Finance Sabah since September 2023 and runs a wholly-owned asset management subsidiary, SDB AMC, dedicated to NPL recovery and project rehabilitation.

SDB generates revenue primarily through Interest Income from loans, advances and financing (RM343.16 million Group in FY2025, RM421.36M in FY2024, RM474.86M in FY2023), supplemented by Non-Interest Income of RM7.03 million in FY2025 from corporate advisory, loan syndication, and other fees. Total assets stand at RM4,696.96 million (FY2025), supported by share capital of RM752 million across 652 million ordinary shares and 100 million Redeemable Preference Shares. Distribution is direct and relationship-driven from a single Kota Kinabalu office; there are no digital self-service channels. The bank has a RAM AA1 credit rating with stable outlook (affirmed June 2025) and operates under an RM12 billion Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement with Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad signed in October 2023 to co-fund development projects.

Name

Sabah Development Bank

Legal name

Sabah Development Bank Berhad

Website

https://sabahdevbank.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sabah Development Bank Berhad is a Development Financial Institution wholly owned by the State Government of Sabah, providing project finance, loan syndication, corporate advisory, venture capital, and financial intermediary services targeting infrastructure, water, and energy sectors in Sabah, Malaysia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Development Finance / Institutional Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (522110), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221), Offices of Bank Holding Companies (551111)

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111), National Commercial Banks (6021), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

National Development Banks & State Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) (BPADACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Infrastructure & Project Finance Development Banks (FSABAKAD), Construction & Engineering (EPC) (FSABACAG), Construction & Development (C&D) Lending — Commercial/Multifamily (FSALADAH), Municipal/Local Government Development Banks (FSABAKAI)

Keywords

• Development finance institution
• Project finance services
• Loan syndication
• Corporate advisory services
• Infrastructure financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kota Kinabalu

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Interest Income: SDB generates primary revenue through interest income from loans, advances and financing provided to corporate clients and government projects. Financial Highlights show Interest Income of RM343.16 million (Group, 2025), RM421.36 million (2024), and RM474.86 million (2023).
2. Non-Interest Income: Fees and charges from corporate advisory services, loan syndication fees, and other financial services. Non-Interest Income was RM7.03 million (Group, 2025), RM22.62 million (2024), and RM12.76 million (2023).
3. Allowance for Impairment Losses: Allowance for impairment losses on loans, advances and financing represents significant write-downs. 2025: (RM846.55 million), 2024: (RM250.95 million), 2023: (RM1,028.64 million).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SDB is a Development Financial Institution wholly-owned by the State Government of Sabah that provides medium to long-term financing and advisory services for commercial, industrial, agricultural, manufacturing, infrastructure, water, and energy projects. Its offering spans Project Finance, Fixed Assets Finance, Working Capital Finance, Loan Syndication, Corporate Advisory, Venture Capital/Equity Participation, Financial Intermediary services for the Sabah State Government, and Project Rehabilitation of non-performing assets.

Product overview

Sabah Development Bank Berhad (SDB) is a Development Financial Institution (DFI) wholly-owned by the State Government of Sabah. The bank operates as a single-platform financial services organization offering eight integrated core products: Project Finance (medium to long-term financing for commercial, industrial, agricultural and manufacturing projects), Fixed Assets Finance (acquisition of machinery, equipment and plant modernisation), Working Capital Finance (for established enterprises), Loan Syndication (arranging and managing loan syndications for major projects), Corporate Advisory (financial advisory services for project evaluations), Venture Capital/Equity Participation (investment in unlisted companies with growth potential), Financial Intermediary (acting as financial intermediary for the State Government of Sabah), and Project Rehabilitation (reviving non-performing/abandoned projects). Target sectors include Infrastructure, Water and Energy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Finance Medium to long-term finance for commercial, industrial, agricultural and manufacturing projects. Targeted at project developers and corporate entities undertaking development projects in Sabah.
• Fixed Assets Finance Loan facility for the acquisition of machinery, equipment and plant modernisation. Targeted at established enterprises undertaking capital investment.
• Working Capital Finance Working capital finance for established and on-going enterprises. Targeted at operating businesses requiring short-term liquidity support.
• Loan Syndication Arranging, participating, managing and co-managing loan syndications for major projects. Targeted at large-scale project sponsors requiring multi-lender financing structures.
• Corporate Advisory Provision of advisory services for project evaluations, particularly financial aspects. Targeted at corporate clients and government agencies undertaking major development projects.
• Venture Capital/Equity Participation Investment in equities of unlisted companies with high growth potential, with the aim of eventual divestment at a later stage. Targeted at growth-stage unlisted companies in Sabah.
• Financial Intermediary Services Acting as the Financial Intermediary for the State Government of Sabah and its agencies. Targeted at the Sabah State Government and its agencies for infrastructure and public project financing arrangements.
• Project Rehabilitation Reviving non-performing and abandoned projects with the aim of eventually spinning these projects off into commercially-viable ventures. Targeted at sponsors of distressed projects in Sabah, executed via SDB's Asset Management Company (SDB AMC).

Quantifiable outcome

• Jointly funding RM12 billion worth of development projects with Bank Pembangunan Malaysia
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad (BPMB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2023Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement signed between SDB and Bank Pembangunan Malaysia (BPMB) to jointly fund development projects worth up to RM12 billion in Sabah. This flagship partnership combines both banks' resources to finance strategic development projects in Sabah, predominantly in water, power, and infrastructure sectors. The partnership represents a major co-development initiative between two development financial institutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sabah-development-bank-berhad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sabah Development Bank