What S The Fate Of Maybank Signage Atop Merdeka 118 After Outrage Over National Identity Dilution

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Editor’s Note: Malayan Banking Bhd’s (Maybank) has denied claims that it will be removing its sign on the country’s tallest building – the Merdeka 118. A Maybank spokesman told the New Straits Times that photos of the sign purportedly being removed were fake.
WHAT’S in a sign?
Plenty if it’s affixed atop a national landmark – one that was featured in a Hollywood blockbuster – no less.
As such, many Malaysians feel a certain affinity towards the country’s tallest building – Merdeka 118 – and have reacted negatively to a financial institution buying the naming rights to the structure.

As reported in the News Straits Times, criticism erupted earlier when images and videos of the signage being installed on the 678.9-metre tower went viral with many calling it the “commercialisation” of a national landmark.
Questions have since arisen over the status of the sign after photos of its removal began circulating online.
For the uninitiated, Maybank will re-locate its head office from Menara Maybank in Jalan Tun Perak to the Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB)-owned Merdeka 118 under a tenancy of up to 21 years.
Editor’s Note: PNB’s trust fund Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) is Maybank’s largest shareholder with a 30.89% stake while PNB alone owns a 6.53% stake.
As anchor tenant, Maybank was granted naming and signage rights to the building. The bank will occupy 33 floors, housing about 5,900 employees.
Maybank dilaporkan membuka kembali papan tanda mereka di Menara Merdeka 118 setelah mendapat kritikan ramai pengguna media sosial
Menara Merdeka 118 dimiliki oleh Permodalan Nasional Berhad, yang turut merupakan pemegang saham terbesar Maybank https://t.co/zT5h24e2yn pic.twitter.com/hSzLQL14DO
— Ekonomi Rakyat (@EkonomiRakyatMY) September 20, 2025

The fact that there is plenty of interest and debate around this topic can be seen on the numerous social media posts, some of which asked if the move had hit a speedbump with the sign looking like it was being removed.
One such example was on self-styled current affairs discussion portal Ekonomi Rakyat (@EkonomiRakyatMY) which claimed that the country’s largest bank had backtracked on the move with images of a crane removing the signage.
This has yet to be confirmed by either Maybank or PNB which is the building owner. More than a few commenters saw the taking down of the signage as a ‘win for the people’ and that online pressure can actually force major corporations into a climbdown.

Didn’t the relevant bodies do the necessary research before committing to the idea? Though Maybank may be financially-loaded, this was no way to waste money it was insinuated.

Such apparent flip flopping was also highlighted as a waste of time, energy and money.

Negative sentiment over this move could already be seen in an earlier post on the same issue on the same current affairs portal.
Papan tanda Maybank mula dipasang di Menara Merdeka 118 yang bakal menempatkan pejabat baru bank terbesar di Malaysia itu
33 tingkat disewa oleh Maybank selain bakal mendapatkan hak nama dan papan tanda di menara berkenaan pic.twitter.com/ES5fxcEppr
— Ekonomi Rakyat (@EkonomiRakyatMY) September 19, 2025

One commenter pointed out that “name of sponsor” has never been placed at the world’s tallest building – the 828-metre Burj Khalifah in Dubai – noting that such a move “poses an eyesore”.

If indeed true, this incident highlights a few pertinent points.
Firstly, such expensive public-relation manoeuvres should always be presaged by proper research. Given the adverse reaction from so many citizens, surely even the most cursory of polls would have indicated public sentiment over such corporate branding.
Secondly, Malaysians have noted that making their views known via social media can have the desired effect.
Maybank presently occupies the 50-storey Menara Maybank in Jalan Tun Perak, Kuala Lumpur which was completed in 1987For what it’s worth, Maybank – subject to the proviso that it has performed a U-turn – has shown it’s not completely tone deaf and is willing to change its intended direction.
Thirdly, it is right that citizens make their opinions known, especially when it concerns an iconic building that many identify with.
Economic realities aside, it is heartwarming to know that enough Malaysian care about how their capital’s skyline looks and that it is not completely inundated with corporate symbols and logos. –  Focus Malaysia

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