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KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 1): CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (KL:CIMB), Malaysia's second-largest bank by assets, announced on Tuesday its commitment to extend RM1.5 billion in financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in partnership with Credit Guarantee Corp Malaysia Bhd (CGC).

The collaboration marks a decade-long partnership between CIMB and CGC, increasing CIMB's total working capital financing for SMEs to RM6.5 billion.

Besides, the initiative aims to bolster support for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) adoption, facilitate digitalisation and promote investment in strategic technologies.

The bank aims to exceed its goal of RM50 billion in total financing to the sector. The initiative is part of CIMB's broader financing commitment to support SME development, ushered in 2019 and set to continue through the end of 2024.

“CIMB reaffirms its unwavering support to the growth of SMEs in Malaysia,” said CIMB group CEO Novan Amirudin in a statement.

“We have plans to grow our current market share of 11%, reflecting our leadership in the sector,” he added.

He also added that the Malaysian government’s efforts to provide financing incentives and grants stimulate innovation, market expansion and training within the SME industry.

This support is crucial for SMEs to capitalise on foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and enhance their position as reliable business partners.

Meanwhile, CGC president and CEO Datuk Mohd Zamree Mohd Ishak said CIMB and CGC have forged a strong partnership, delivering impactful financial solutions to Malaysian SMEs.

Since the launch of an RM100 million portfolio guarantee on Oct 1, 2014, we have achieved a remarkable milestone of RM5.22 billion in financing across 36 tranches,” he said.

Coupled with the above, he also noted that the latest RM1.5 billion tranche is just the beginning of a larger initiative. 

"This is just the beginning, as the RM1.5 billion is only a small portion of what was planned, so expect much more in the coming years," he added, hinting at further offerings and initiatives to bolster the SME sector.

He highlighted that CGC has assisted 400,000 of the 1.1 million registered SMEs in its network, accounting for 40% of all registered SMEs.

At the time of writing, CIMB’s share price was unchanged at RM8.05, giving the bank a market capitalisation of RM82.25 billion.

Source: https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/728640