14/06/2025

BIZ & FINANCE SATURDAY | JUNE 14, 2025

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Exim Bank to strengthen presence in Central Asia

return visit to Malaysia by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in February 2025, reaffirming their commitment to elevate bilateral relations to a strategic partnership,” it said. The bank said aligning Malaysia’s export priorities and Uzbekistan’s development strategy offers opportunities across industries such as agriculture, electrical and electronics, tourism and the halal economy. Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Bahria Mohd Tamil said Malaysia and Uzbekistan have steadily deepened their strategic cooperation across multiple areas – trade, finance, investment and infrastructure – through visionary leadership on both sides. “Exim Bank is ready to extend comprehensive financing solutions that will further empower Malaysian exporters and strengthen inter regional linkages,” said Bahria, who is also the bank’s board member. The June 11 forum was co-chaired by Mirziyoyev and European Bank for Re construction and Development president Odile Renaud-Basso. Global leaders had convened to explore reforms and opportunities under Uzbekistan’s Vision 2030 economic roadmap. – Bernama

commitment to expanding Malaysia’s global trade presence. Exim Bank chief business officer Faizah Mustapa said its participation at the high level forum signals the bank’s strategic intent to support Malaysia’s exporters through innovative trade financing, while exploring joint ventures with Uzbek financial institutions. “We applaud Uzbekistan’s reforms to streamline banking regulations and enhance credit facilities for import export activities,“ she said. Exim Bank said its participation in the forum aligns with Malaysia’s policy to expand investment beyond traditional markets and support the globalisation of Malaysian small and medium enterprises. It also complements Uzbekistan’s Vision 2030, which seeks to attract foreign direct investments, increase regulatory transparency, and advance public-private partnership projects in agriculture, manu facturing, infrastructure, and tourism. “With 36 Malaysian companies operating in Uzbekistan, ties between the two countries continue to grow. “This was further strengthened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to Uzbekistan in May 2024, followed by a

PETALING JAYA: Funding Societies Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s largest unified SME digital finance platform, has formalised a strategic partnership with the Centre for Entrepreneur Development and Research (Cedar), the training and capacity-building arm of SME Bank Malaysia Bhd. The collaboration was sealed through a participation agreement with a signing ceremony held recently, outlining a commitment to mobilise up to RM50 million in financing to support credit access for Malaysian SMEs within Cedar’s business community. The strategic partnership aims to bridge the challenges faced by SMEs in Malaysia, particularly in obtaining financing, which was estimated at RM290 billion in 2022, according to the Securities Commission Malaysia. The collaboration seeks to deliver accessible and customised financing solutions, which include syariah-compliant payables financing, receivables financing, and term financing, by harnessing digital platforms and alternative credit assessment methodologies. Funding Societies will provide these offerings to eligible entrepreneurs with a targeted focus on vendors supporting govern ment entities, government-linked companies, and multinational corporations. “We are honoured to partner with Cedar, a long-standing advocate of SME development. This agreement reflects our shared commit ment to improve financial access for local businesses. “By integrating with Cedar’s digital platforms and reaching entrepreneurs through nationwide outreach, we hope to make financing more inclusive, fast, and tailored to the evolving needs of SMEs in Malaysia,” Funding Societies Malaysia country head Chai Kien Poon said. Cedar CEO Amirul Imran Ahmat stated that, as the training and capacity-building arm of SME Bank, the agency remains committed to providing support beyond financing to homegrown entrepreneurs throughout their lifecycle. “With more than 83,000 entrepreneurs KUALA LUMPUR: Export-Import Bank of Malaysia Bhd (Exim Bank) will focus on strengthening Central Asian ties through strategic engagements to benefit Malaysian businesses and regional partners. In a statement yesterday, it said the initiative includes exploring structured financing solutions for key partners in Uzbekistan, notably a proposed collaboration with Joint Stock Commercial Bank HamkorBank to support Malaysian companies operating in Uzbekistan and Uzbek importers of Malaysian goods. Hence, the bank’s participation in the third plenary session of the Foreign Investors Council in Tashkent has reinforced its o It aims to provide innovative trade financing, explore joint ventures to support Malaysian firms operating in region

Hong Leong Bank taps DCAP Digital’s expertise to boost SME lending, financial inclusion PETALING JAYA: Hong Leong Bank Bhd (HLB) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DCAP Digital Sdn Bhd to enhance its SME lending solutions infrastructure and drive financial inclusion for underbanked communities in Malaysia. Through the collaboration, HLB aims to leverage DCAP Digital’s expertise in LaaS (Lending as a Service) solutions, particularly its proprietary artificial intelligence-driven credit scoring engine. The advanced technology enables more accurate and inclusive credit assessments, supporting the bank’s goal of offering innovative financial products and services. By combining DCAP Digital’s techno logical strengths with HLB’s robust financial solutions and extensive reach in consumer financing and mobility – including motor cycles and electric vehicles – the partnership aims to deliver tailor-made lending solutions that address the unique business and financing needs of customers. Hong Leong Bank head of SME banking Woon Siew Hoong said the collaboration represents a big step forward for the bank in terms of enhancing its lending services, as it continuously looks to streamline its financing processes to serve the dynamic pool of business customers better. “Our partnership with DCAP Digital is a major milestone in this journey, where we combine AI integration, digital innovation, extensive market penetration, and tailored financing solutions to provide a truly enhanced customer experience,“ he said. Founded in 2020, DCAP Digital specialises in providing transparent and fair credit solutions through its full-stack LaaS platform, offering an ecosystem for capital deployment into high-quality, prevetted borrowers alongside innovative digital tools that ensure efficiency, transparency and compliance with regulatory requirements. HLB will also leverage DCAP Digital’s ecosystem to provide dealers with other relevant financing solutions, including cash management solutions, bank acceptance and trade line services. DCAP Digital co-founder and CEO Sonia Ng said the collaboration merges HLB’s financial strength with DCAP Digital’s technology-driven approach, promoting seamless experiences, smart SME transformation and sustainable growth across the motorcycle ecosystem. “The collaboration will also involve joint promotional activities, such as workshops, seminars, and marketing campaigns to amplify visibility within the motorcycle industry, and training sessions for dealers on application best practices.” Woon (left) and Ng at the MoU signing.

Funding Societies partners SME Bank’s Cedar to mobilise RM50m financing for small, medium firms

Kah (left) and Hairil Izwar displaying the signed documents.

organise roadshows at the 19 enterprise centres within SME Bank’s nationwide network to enhance financial literacy and digital adoption among SMEs in Malaysia. Companies are eligible for financing under this collaboration if they are sole pro prietorships, partnerships, limited liability partnerships, private limited companies (not subsidiaries of listed companies), unlisted public companies, or public listed companies and their subsidiaries. Additionally, eligible companies must have at least 30% local shareholding by Malaysians, generate a minimum annual revenue of RM1 million, and have been in operation for at least one year. These flexible financing offerings will be made available through Cedar’s digital plat forms.

trained to date, Cedar is steadfast in its aspiration to be Malaysia’s centre of excellence for entrepreneurial development. Our partnership with Funding Societies combines access to capital with SME Bank’s digital tools and expertise to support SME growth in a dynamic economy. “Funding Societies’ customers can also leverage our robust digital platforms, particularly ScoreXcess – our financing portal for small and micro enterprises, powered by Cedar. Together, we are committed to accelerating entrepreneurial development and delivering tailored support for MSMEs,” he said. The signing ceremony was officiated by Funding Societies group COO Kah Meng Wong and SME Bank group chief digital and technology officer Hairil Izwar Abd Rahman. Funding Societies and Cedar will co