Yinson’s key shareholders finalising RM8bil buyout deal

2026-03-24 - 08:20

The family of Yinson Holdings Bhd’s founder and executive chairman Lim Han Weng has a 27.7% stake in the company. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA: Major shareholders of Yinson Holdings Bhd are finalising a deal to take the energy infrastructure group private, according to a Bloomberg News report. The talks on a joint bid involving the family of its executive chairman Lim Han Weng, infrastructure-focused investment firm Stonepeak Partners, and government-linked pension funds are said to be at “an advanced stage”. The deal, which could value the company at about RM8 billion, may be announced in the next couple of weeks, the report said, quoting sources. The parties involved aim to buy out the company via a scheme of arrangement, also known as court-approved agreement, as that improves the chances of a deal going through, the report stated. The Lim family has a 27.7% stake in Yinson as of end February while the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP) hold 17.1% and 7%, respectively. Yinson was founded by Lim, 73, and his wife Bah Kim Lian in 1984, as a lorry transport company before diversifying into the oil and gas sector. Kim Lian is currently an executive director while Lim’s son, Chern Yuan, is the group’s CEO. Bloomberg reported in June last year that New York-based Stonepeak was teaming up with the Lim family for a buyout of Yinson. In response, Yinson denied being in discussions with any third party for a buyout exercise. However, it conceded it was engaging in “exploratory discussions” regarding possible corporate proposals. “The company was advised by group executive chairman Lim Han Weng that they are in exploratory discussions with various parties regarding potential corporate proposals concerning their shareholding in Yinson,” the company said in an exchange filing then. Yinson announced last week its net profit for the year ended Jan 31, 2026 (FY2026) tumbled 45.32% to RM683 million from RM1.25 billion while revenue dropped 28.47% to RM5.44 billion from RM7.61 billion. The decline in profit was primarily due to a drop in revenue from engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning (EPCIC) activities, and a rise in administrative costs. At the time of writing, Yinson’s shares were up 5 sen or 2.2% at RM2.34, valuing the group at RM7.53 billion.