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KUALA LUMPUR (June 7): CIMB Group Holdings Bhd's subsidiaries CIMB Bank Bhd and CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd have committed RM100 million in financing through Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM) low carbon transition facility (LCTF) to encourage and empower businesses, including small and medium enterprises (SME), to adopt low carbon and sustainable practices for business resilience.

In a statement on Tuesday (June 7), CIMB Group said the RM100 million facility is being offered as part of the LCTF financing scheme established by BNM in January 2022.

"The LCTF, which is part of CIMB’s commercial banking offerings, enables businesses to access capital expenditure or working capital financing to facilitate the adoption of sustainable and low carbon practices. These include among others the installation of solar power systems, the adoption of recycled or biodegradable materials, improved process efficiency to reduce waste as well as obtaining sustainability certification.

"This will support their effort to transform their businesses towards low carbon and sustainable operations to increase resource efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Through CIMB’s LCTF, businesses will benefit from collateral-free financing of up to RM10 million with an affordable repayment period of up to 10 years at a low-interest rate of up to 5% per annum,” CIMB Group said.

The LCTF, which falls under CIMB’s Green, Social, Sustainable Impact Products and Services (GSSIPS) framework, marks the latest milestone by CIMB in supporting the development of the low carbon economy, according to CIMB Group.

The LCTF commitment is in addition to the RM100 million CIMB Group had already allocated for the SME Renewable Energy Financing programme and on top of various sustainable finance commitments such as sustainability-linked financing (SLF) to build a more equitable, sustainable and resilient economy. 

"As at January 2022, CIMB has exceeded RM1 billion in sustainability-linked financing for corporate clients, out of RM3 billion earmarked through 2024,” CIMB Group said.

The LCTF reinforces CIMB Group's ambition to mobilise RM30 billion in sustainable finance by 2024 under the group’s Forward23+ strategic plan. 

"As at end of 2021, CIMB has successfully mobilised RM25.9 billion in sustainable finance under the GSSIPS framework, putting CIMB firmly on track towards becoming an ASEAN sustainability leader by 2024,” CIMB Group said.

At Bursa Malaysia on Tuesday, CIMB Group’s share price fell six sen or 1.18% at 10:57am to RM5.04 for a market capitalisation of about RM52.77 billion.

CIMB Group’s latest-reported number of outstanding shares stood at 10.47 billion, according to its Bursa filing on April 26, 2022.

Source: https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/cimb-offers-rm100m-financing-accelerate-sustainable-practices-adoption