
SMALL Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Bhd (SME Bank), a unit of Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd, supported 5,735 entrepreneurs in the first half of 2025, more than double the 2,225 assisted in the same period last year.
Acting president and CEO Datuk Dr Mohammad Hardee Ibrahim attributed the growth to programmes run by the bank’s capacity building and training arm, the Centre for Entrepreneur Development and Research (CEDAR).
One such initiative is the Maju Usahawan Madani programme, which aims to strengthen the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) ecosystem through targeted capacity-building.
Running from January 2025 to March 2026, it targets 3,000 micro entrepreneurs.
“As of June, 1,632 entrepreneurs have benefited from the programme, including MSMEs from the Bumiputera community, youth, rural areas, B40 income group, Asnaf, senior citizens and persons with disabilities,” he said in a statement today.
CEDAR has also been named Asean’s Centre of Excellence for MSMEs in Green Transition – a Priority Economic Deliverable 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,” said Mohammad Hardee.
Meanwhile, the Halal Entrepreneurship Development Programme has supported over 400 participants since its 2023 launch, while the Program Pembangunan Kapasiti Vendor has onboarded 109 vendors with RM15.87 million in approved incentives.
The Business Exports Programme, funded by the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry and run with the Malaysia External Trade Development Corp, has generated RM191.93 million in export sales, created 182 new jobs, enabled 314 entrepreneurs to adopt new technologies and facilitated 224 business networks.
SME Bank said it remains committed to advancing the MSME agenda, with over RM1 billion in strategic initiatives mandated under the National Budget 2025, including financing and beyond-financing support for Bumiputera entrepreneurship, technology and innovation, ESG adoption, the halal economy and tourism.
Source: https://themalaysianreserve.com/2025/08/11/sme-bank-doubles-entrepreneur-reach-in-1h25-eyes-3000-micro-businesses/