BANK EMPOWERS OVER 700 MICRO-ENTREPRENEURS
Mohd Rashid (third left), RHB managing director of group community banking Jeffrey Ng Eow Oo (second right) and group chief brand and customer experience officer Norazzah Sulaiman (second left) capturing a victorious moment with #JomBiz Cohort five winners (from left, holding mock cheques) Nur Shawani, Nurul Farhana and Mohd Shafiq.
KUALA LUMPUR: RHB Banking Group (RHB) celebrates the continued success of its #JomBiz programme, a socio-economic empowerment initiative aimed at empowering B40 micro entrepreneurs.
Since launching in 2022, the programme has invested over RM1.1mil, benefitting more than 700 micro-entrepreneurs and delivering an impressive 35% average sales growth within just three months.
The 2025 RHB #JomBiz Award Ceremony held on Feb 10 celebrated these remarkable achievements of selected micro entrepreneurs from RHB #JomBiz, showcasing the programme's critical role in providing funding, capacity building, and mentorship to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from the B40 group and underserved communities.
The ceremony recognised the recipients of business incentive funding from Cohort 5 of the #JomBiz programme. Participants undergo capacity-building classes on topics such as social media marketing, sustainable business practices and financial management.
Following these sessions, they present their business plans to a panel of judges, with the top 10 proposals receiving initial funding ranging from RM5,000 to RM15,000 to support their business growth.
RHB group managing director/group chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Rashid Mohamad emphasised RHB's commitment to supporting micro-entrepreneurs, 'We recognise the immense potential of MSMEs in transforming lives and uplifting communities, but we also acknowledge the challenges they face such as limited access to funding, lack of business knowledge and the difficulty of building networks within competitive markets.
Mohd Rashid (front, fourth left) showing thumbs up with his team, Ng (front, fourth right), Norazzah (front, third left), together with guests, winners and participants of the RHB #JomBiz programme, during the RHB #JomBiz award ceremony 2025 held at RHB Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
'This initiative reflects our unwavering commitment to driving growth, fostering resilience and empowering participants to overcome obstacles and thrive in today's dynamic economy.'
At the graduation ceremony of Cohort 5, Mohd Rashid also shared inspiring success stories from the programme, including participants who secured franchise opportunities and supply contracts with renowned companies after attending the Franchise Expo Malaysia 2024 organised by the Malaysia Retail Chain Association.
Notably, four #JomBiz participants were recognised at The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2023. The top 3 winners of Cohort 5's business incentive funding are:
> First: Nurul Farhana Amirul Hizan, Hanawarrah Creation Enterprise (healthy dried snack food products) - awarded with RM15,000
> Second: Mohd Shafiq Ezwanie Jafri, Senju Co (pastry and bakery business) - awarded with RM12,000
> Third: Nur Shawani Che Mansur, Wisymadani Resources (agro-tourism and agro-based industry business) - awarded with RM10,000
Mohd Rashid concluded, 'These stories inspire us at RHB to continue providing more platforms for our RHB #JomBiz participants. We hope their success inspires and motivates other micro-entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams.'
RHB aims to expand the #JomBiz programme in 2025 to reach more participants and broaden its impact on Malaysia's micro-entrepreneur community. The programme will continue to prioritise asnafs, single parents, and persons with disabilities, ensuring inclusive opportunities for all.
Learn more about how RHB #JomBiz can help micro-entrepreneurs achieve their goals by visiting https://www.rhbgroup.com/jombiz .
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