A crypto investor wants to reopen an empty tech campus in Malaysia with a local focus after the previous school was shut down.
A Malaysian crypto businessman named Jeff Yew is trying to bring fresh life to a giant tech campus in southern Malaysia after the previous owners were forced to close down. Jeff Yew, who runs a financial company called Monochrome Asset Management and used to lead Binance Australia, wants to restart the empty site located in Forest City. Forest City is a massive, multi-billion-dollar modern development built on artificial islands near the Singapore border.
The giant campus became completely empty in July 2026 after local government officials ordered a project called the Network School to close down immediately. The Network School was started in 2024 by Balaji Srinivasan, a well-known American tech investor and former boss at Coinbase.
For almost two years, hundreds of young tech workers, computer programmers, and students from around the world lived together on the campus to build new software businesses, exercise, and study together. However, Malaysian government authorities launched an investigation into the community after reports came out on social media alleging immigration rule breaks, leading to the abrupt eviction of everyone on site.
Now, in August 2026, Jeff Yew has stepped forward with plans to reopen the campus, but with a completely different plan that focuses on helping local people. Instead of running the school purely for international visitors, Jeff Yew wants to work closely with government leaders to train local Malaysian students in computer science, artificial intelligence, and digital finance. He believes that turning the empty buildings back into a tech center can bring good jobs to the region and give young people scholarships to learn useful skills.
Speaking about his new vision to restart the campus while respecting local rules, Jeff Yew stated, “It’s about a balance of attracting talent overseas and also nurturing local entrepreneurs.” He explained that any long-term project must respect the host country and focus on building strong relationships with local communities rather than running isolated experiments.
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Many experts believe this new plan could help give a second chance to both the empty campus and the surrounding Forest City area, which has struggled for years to attract enough long-term residents and businesses. Local leaders hope that turning the venue into a digital education center will attract clean technology companies, build data infrastructure, and create long-term economic growth for the country.
Political and economic analysts also say that the sudden closure of the previous tech school will not scare away major international investors from coming to the region. Explaining why the country’s technology sector remains strong despite the recent drama, geopolitical analyst Adib Zalkapli noted, “The case will be remembered, if at all, as a footnote in Malaysia’s tech investment history. It will not affect how other technology companies view Malaysia.” With talks now underway between Jeff Yew and the previous organizers, many locals hope to see the silent campus filled with students once again.
