Billionaire Sultan Ibrahim of Malaysia holds $5.7B in family assets

Sultan Ibrahim, 65, is known for his Ferrari collection and Instagram activities. He manages business and investment while performing his duties as the overseer of Johor, Malaysia’s second-most populous state.

His notable assets include land in Singapore’s Tyersall Park, valued at $4 billion, according to Bloomberg. This land is registered under his son’s name. Additionally, he has a $1.1 billion investment in shares and other real estate, a $483 million stake in U Mobile, Malaysia’s largest cell service provider, and $105 million in public companies.

His family is involved in significant projects along Johor’s south coast, overlooking the Singapore Strait, a key shipping corridor.

Sultan Ibrahim has been influential in regional affairs. He advocated for the revival of the high-speed rail project between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, halted by Malaysia in 2021 due to its high cost of over 100 billion ringgit ($21 billion). He suggested private financing for the project, with a 30-year operation period before government takeover.

Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar rides a motorbike to meet with Johor residents in 2015. Photo from his Facebook page

Sultan Ibrahim, who is of Malay-British descent, belongs to the wealthy and powerful Johor royal family, the head of which commands a small private army, according to AFP.

The Sultan’s family history with the Chinese community traces back to his great-grandfather Abu Bakar, who fostered Johor’s growth in the late 1800s by encouraging Chinese immigration for agricultural development.

Sultan Ibrahim’s personal interests include a collection of 300 luxury cars and four private jets, including a Boeing 737. His social media presence is significant, with over one million followers on Facebook and 900,000 on Instagram.