Biz Brunei

Biz Brunei Reach us; tell us [email protected] Your digital source for entrepreneurship and business news in Brunei.

Biz Brunei is a media platform by the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) that showcases the journey of businesses and the country's diversification drive to the world.

07/01/2026

Proudly Brunei Business Award (PBBA) Women Entrepreneur of 2025 Beauteleven capped off the year with the opening of its flagship outlet at Madang Junction.

From starting online as a student during the pandemic to opening a physical outlet, Beauteleven is building itself as a leading local modest fashion brand.

PBBA is Brunei’s national business awards, organised by the Brunei Economic Development Board to recognise business excellence and entrepreneurial achievement.

Winners receive $10,000, media exposure on Biz Brunei, and opportunities with an appointed strategic partner.

If your business has a growth story worth sharing, this could be your next milestone.

Learn more or apply at bedb.gov.bn/proudly-brunei

Applications close on 25 January 2026.

06/01/2026

Poni has won three Proudly Brunei Business Awards over the past two years, helping catapult the company to national recognition.

From its roots as a dive club, the Poni Group has grown into a diversified business spanning dive training, marine engineering, recreational watersports and team-building.

Organised by BEDB, the Proudly Brunei Business Awards is Brunei’s national business awards platform.

The 2026 edition features 10 awards, with each winner receiving $10,000, media exposure on Biz Brunei and support from an appointed strategic partner.

If you are a Brunei business with a growth story to tell, this could be your next milestone.

Learn more or apply at bedb.gov.bn/proudly-brunei

Applications close on 25 January 2026.

30/12/2025

On January 1, 2026, the second phase of the medical insurance policy for foreign nationals will take effect, requiring all private sector foreign workers to increase their medical coverage from $10,000 to $100,000.

We gathered senior representatives from Ministry of Health, Brunei Darussalam, Labour Department, Immigration & National Registration Department, and Brunei Insurance & Takaful Association to provide a comprehensive overview of why the two-phase policy was introduced - what changes are involved - and what insurance products are currently available in the market.

Under this second phase, dependents pass holders will also be required to have medical coverage of $10,000, while foreign students must be insured for $5,000.

This podcast is a digital complement to the Brunei Economic Development Board's Engagement Series which brings together key stakeholders from the public and private sectors through in-person sessions focused on business-related processes.

08/12/2025

The Bruneian selling churros since he was 14

Ak Mirza Bazli became a full-time entrepreneur after finishing his A-levels, having started Mirza's Churros & Catering with his brothers when he was just 14.

Now a staple at the Gadong Night Market and on the pop-up circuit, Mirza Churros took part in Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD)’s Mega Karnival under Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB)’s business community vendors.

08/12/2025

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam's Mega Karnival brings an array of offerings, but for Nasi Katok MM, simple, comfort food is at the heart of their business.

For Nurul Aqidah – a housewife turned entrepreneur – the focus remains straightforward: serving nasi katok the way her family has always enjoyed it.

With support from BEDB's Micro Bootcamp, Aqidah learned the fundamentals of running a small business, gained experience through the Kontena Park pop-up programme, and outside of events, now operates a roadside stall at Spg 1321 in Kg Pangkalan Batu.

08/12/2025

From telco to café operators: the story of OSYH

Starting a new career is never easy – but with a Nex.Us grant, Ak Izzudin and three colleagues were able to start their own business after transitioning out of their previous telco roles as the sector transformed.

With support from Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) Izzudin joined the Micro Bootcamp and was later offered a space by Brunei Innovation Lab at the Knowledge Hub's lobby to set up their operations.

Now a regular on the pop-up scene, OSYH joined Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) Mega Karnival as part of BEDB’s business community vendors, hoping to connect with new customers.

08/12/2025

While still a UBD student, Ina Hassanan turned her mother’s old tailoring space into Wedding Loka Brunei- building it into one of Brunei’s leading one-stop wedding providers.

Over the past decade, WeddingLoka has grown from a three-person team focused on tailoring and décor to a 17-member operation delivering full wedding planning and ex*****on.

Ina Hassanan’s entrepreneurial journey won her the Youth Entrepreneur award at this year’s Proudly Brunei Business Awards, while their business progress earned the Services award - making them the only double winner this year.

This feature is a special edition of Baiduri Bank’s Entrepreneur Spotlight, in collaboration with the Brunei Economic Development Board, showcasing businesses from both organisations’ ecosystems.

PBBA is Brunei’s national business awards, organised by Brunei Economic Development Board.

Applications for next year’s awards are open until January 25, 2026.

Visit bedb.gov.bn/proudly-brunei to apply and learn more.

08/12/2025

The Proudly Brunei Business Awards is back - win B$10,000, gain a strategic partner and secure national media exposure for your business in 2026.

Organised by Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) PBBA is Brunei’s national business awards, recognising local business excellence and entrepreneurial achievement.

🏆 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
Business Growth | Innovation | Startup | Youth Entrepreneur | Women Entrepreneur

🏆 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬
Food | Services | Tourism | ICT | Downstream Oil & Gas

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚
✅ At least 50 percent local ownership
✅ Minimum three years in operation
✅ Three years of financial statements
✅ Businesses may apply for up to two categories

*Category-specific criteria also apply.

Visit bedb.gov.bn/proudly-brunei to learn more and apply.

Applications close on January 25, 2026, with awarding slated for May 2026.

05/12/2025

Brunei’s national rice milling operator Wasan Milling Company (WMC) has more than doubled its milling capacity to 10.5 metric tonnes per hour following a major facility upgrade officiated by His Majesty on November 12.

The upgraded facility in Wasan features a new COFCO milling line, four vertical dryers, three 850-tonne silos and an automated vacuum-seal packaging system.

The expansion has created 48 new local jobs and will introduce five-kilogramme vacuum-sealed rice bags to retail shelves by early next year.

Brunei’s national rice milling operations were corporatised under Wasan Milling Company (WMC) in 2022.

Last year, WMC also expanded into paddy cultivation by integrating PaddyCo’s Kandol operations, increasing planted areas from 68 to 174 hectares and deploying more modern machinery and AI monitoring systems as it targets yields of five tonnes per hectare.

This integration means WMC now oversees cultivation, milling and packaging, providing a full farm-to-market system for Brunei’s rice industry while continuing to support local paddy farmers.

Brunei’s rice self-sufficiency rate has increased from 4.8% in 2017 to 8% in 2024, with the government targeting 20% by 2027.

18/11/2025

PDS Abattoir will pioneer the sole commercial cattle breeding programme in Brunei through a partnership with Singapore’s Aliyah Rizq Farm

The collaboration will build out Brunei’s livestock value chain – expanding into sheep and buffalo breeding, and establishing labs and feeding programmes to improve productivity and animal health.

Livestock breeding marks a major milestone for PDS – a government-owned company previously focused on slaughtering and meat processing – and supports Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) food strategy to grow high-value local commodities for processing and export.

Aliyah Rizq’s entry into Brunei represents another FDI from Singapore – and a personal homecoming for its COO Datin Nabilah Bagarib, a Singaporean who was raised in Brunei while her parents were working here.

23/10/2025

Brunei welcomes a foreign direct investment from Thailand, with Enserv planning to launch the Sultanate’s first sorghum cultivation and processing project by year’s end.

Enserv is positioning as a “super crop” - its grain serves as a low-carbohydrate, micronutrient-rich alternative to rice, while its stalks and sap can be converted into biofuels.

Sorghum requires ten times less water than rice, with each hectare able to sequester up to 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide per crop cycle, making it a relatively climate-friendly grain.

Enserv’s three-hectare pilot project includes a sorghum nursery at the Bio Innovation Corridor and a cultivation and processing site at the nearby Agricultural Development Area (KKP) in Tungku.

Their pilot phase will be key to assessing the project’s feasibility - with a value chain spanning food to renewable fuels. If successful, it will advance to large-scale production.

23/10/2025

PDS Abattoir will pioneer the sole commercial cattle breeding programme in Brunei through a partnership with Singapore’s Aliyah Rizq Farm

The collaboration will build out Brunei’s livestock value chain – expanding into sheep and buffalo breeding, and establishing labs and feeding programmes to improve productivity and animal health.

Livestock breeding marks a major milestone for PDS – a government-owned company previously focused on slaughtering and meat processing – and supports Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) food strategy to grow high-value local commodities for processing and export.

Aliyah Rizq’s entry into Brunei represents another FDI from Singapore – and a personal homecoming for its COO Datin Nabilah Bagarib, a Singaporean who was raised in Brunei while her parents were working here.

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