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New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
5,735 entrepreneurs empowered by SME Bank programmes
KUALA LUMPUR: Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Bhd (SME Bank), a subsidiary of Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd, has empowered 5,735 entrepreneurs in the first half of the year. This is more than double the 2,225 entrepreneurs supported during the same period last year. Acting president and chief executive officer Datuk Dr Mohammad Hardee Ibrahim said the achievement was enabled through the Centre for Entrepreneur Development and Research (CEDAR), which is the bank's capacity-building and training arm. Among the beyond financing programmes entrusted to SME Bank is the Maju Usahawan Madani programme, which was introduced to strengthen the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) ecosystem. Hardee said the programme aims to assist 3,000 micro entrepreneurs until March next year. Up to June, 1,632 entrepreneurs have benefited from the initiative, including MSMEs from the Bumiputera community, youth, rural areas, Bottom 40 income group, asnaf (hardcore poor), senior citizens and persons with disabilities. CEDAR has also been appointed as an Asean Centre of Excellence for MSMEs in Green Transition, a recognition listed among the Priority Economic Deliverables under Malaysia's Asean chairmanship. "This milestone affirms SME Bank's leadership in shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future for enterprises, both at home and across Asean," he said. Meanwhile, the Halal Entrepreneurship Development Programme has supported over 400 participants since 2023, and the Program Pembangunan Kapasiti Vendor has onboarded 109 participants with RM15.87 million worth of incentives. The business exports programme has facilitated RM191.93 million in export sales through the onboarding of 98 companies across key global markets. The programme is a structured intervention funded by the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry in collaboration with the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp. It has also generated 182 new jobs, enabled 314 entrepreneurs to adopt new technologies and facilitated the creation of 224 business networks. SME Bank said it will continue to play a pivotal role in advancing the MSME agenda with RM1 billion worth of strategic initiatives. They include delivering both financing and beyond financing support for Bumiputera entrepreneurship, technology and innovation, ESG adoption, the halal economy and tourism.
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
SME Bank empowers 5,735 entrepreneurs in 1H25, up 158%
SME Bank acting group president/chief executive officer Datuk Mohammad Hardee Ibrahim. KUALA LUMPUR: Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia (SME Bank) has empowered 5,735 entrepreneurs in the first half of 2025 (1H 2025), an increase of 158 per cent against the 2,225 entrepreneurs recorded in 1H 2024. In a statement today, the subsidiary of Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd said the achievement was driven by its dedicated capacity-building and training arm, the Centre for Entrepreneur Development and Research (CEDAR), which serves as the lead implementer. SME Bank acting president and chief executive officer Datuk Dr Mohammad Hardee Ibrahim said that among the beyond-financing programmes entrusted to the bank was the Maju Usahawan MADANI programme, introduced to strengthen the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) ecosystem through targeted capacity-building. "Spanning from January 2025 to March 2026, the programme aims to assist 3,000 micro-entrepreneurs. As of June 2025, a total of 1,632 entrepreneurs have benefited from this initiative, including MSMEs from the Bumiputera community, youth, rural areas, the bottom 40 per cent (B40) income group, Asnaf, senior citizens and persons with disabilities. "On the regional stage, CEDAR has also been appointed ASEAN's Centre of Excellence for MSMEs in Green Transition, a recognition listed among the Priority Economic Deliverables for Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025. This affirms SME Bank's leadership in shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future for enterprises, both domestically and across ASEAN,' he said. Meanwhile, SME Bank said the Halal Entrepreneurship Development Programme has supported over 400 participants since its launch in 2023, and the Program Pembangunan Kapasiti Vendor has onboarded 109 vendors with RM15.87 million in approved incentives. "As of 2024, 28 per cent of the vendors recorded at least a five per cent increase in revenue, contributing to total vendor revenue of RM1.23 billion. "The Business Exports Programme, a structured intervention programme funded by the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development and in collaboration with the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, has facilitated RM191.93 million in export sales through the onboarding of 98 companies across five phases,' it added. The SME Bank XCESS, the bank's flagship business matching platform, continues to serve as a conduit for Malaysian SMEs to access international markets, with this year's edition, XCESS 2025, scheduled for Sept 25, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, it said. Complementing this, the SME Bank iTEKAD ISHRAF, a structured Asnaf entrepreneurship empowerment programme under Bank Negara Malaysia's iTEKAD initiative, has collectively recorded a 126 per cent increase in sales, amounting to RM19.25 million. The programme has also generated 182 new jobs and enabled 314 entrepreneurs to adopt new technologies and facilitated the creation of 224 business networks. Looking ahead, SME Bank said it will continue to play a pivotal role in advancing the MSME agenda, with over RM1 billion in strategic initiatives mandated to the bank under the National Budget 2025, including delivering both financing and beyond-financing support across key strategic sectors. - Bernama
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
SME Bank empowers over 5,730 entrepreneurs in first six months of 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia (SME Bank), a subsidiary of Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd, has empowered 5,735 entrepreneurs in the first half of 2025. This is more than double the 2,225 entrepreneurs supported during the same period in 2024. Acting president and chief executive officer Datuk Dr Mohammad Hardee Ibrahim said the achievement was supported by the bank's capacity building and training arm the Centre for Entrepreneur Development and Research (CEDAR). Among the beyond financing programmes entrusted to SME Bank is the Maju Usahawan Madani programme, which was introduced to strengthen the MSME ecosystem through targeted capacity-building, he said in a statement. Mohammad Hardee said between January 2025 and March 2026, the programme aims to assist 3,000 micro entrepreneurs. As of June, a total of 1,632 entrepreneurs benefited from the initiative, including MSMEs from the Bumiputera community, youth, rural areas, B40 income group, Asnaf, senior citizens and persons with disabilities. CEDAR has also been appointed Asean's Centre of Excellence for MSMEs in Green Transition, a recognition listed among the Priority Economic Deliverables for Malaysia's Asean chairmanship in 2025. "This milestone affirms SME Bank's leadership in shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future for enterprises, both at home and across Asean," he said. Meanwhile, the Halal Entrepreneurship Development Programme has supported over 400 participants since its launch in 2023, while the Program Pembangunan Kapasiti Vendor has onboarded 109 vendors with RM15.87 million incentives approved. The Business Exports Programme has facilitated RM191.93 million in export sales through the onboarding of 98 companies across key global markets. The programme is a structured intervention programme funded by the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry and in collaboration with the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp. The programme has also generated 182 new jobs, enabled 314 entrepreneurs to adopt new technologies and facilitated the creation of 224 business networks. SME Bank said it will continue to play a pivotal role in advancing the MSME agenda with over RM1 billion strategic initiatives mandated to the bank under the National Budget 2025. This includes delivering both financing and beyond financing support across key strategic sectors such as Bumiputera entrepreneurship, technology and innovation, ESG adoption, the halal economy and tourism.
