02/04/2026

BIZ & FINANCE THURSDAY | APR 2, 2026

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Empowering communities at centre of M’sian climate strategy

Airwallex set for full commercial launch after securing key BNM approvals PETALING JAYA: Airwallex, a global financial and payments platform, has received approval from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) for its e money issuing and Class A licences. With these licences, Airwallex is able to provide a complete suite of payment services in Malaysia. This empowers companies to expand and thrive across borders, while enabling businesses globally to operate more seamlessly in this dynamic economic market. “Malaysia is a strategic market for Airwallex, and these approvals enable us to bring our full financial infrastructure to businesses on the ground. We’re excited to support local businesses in scaling inter nationally, and to play a role in strengthening Malaysia’s position as a hub for regional and global growth,” said general manager, Asia-Pacific, Arnold Chan. In a statement yesterday, Airwallex said holding both e money issuance approval and a Class A licence strengthens its position as a fully regulated financial platform for businesses in Malaysia. This enables Airwallex to deliver comprehensive financial infrastructure – going beyond pay ments to support multicurrency accounts, FX and complex business use cases within a unified platform. These approvals build on Airwallex’s existing Class B Money Services Business licence and its Registered Merchant Acquirer status, reflecting deepened regu latory trust and support from Malaysia’s central bank. Together, they mark a shift from selective product access to a full-stack offering for Malaysian companies. Airwallex said it has continued to invest in its local presence, growing its Malaysia team by 66% in 2025 and recently expanding into a new office space with capacity for over 160 employees. In addition, Airwallex Malaysia plans to double its headcount in 2026. This expansion, it said, reflects strong business mo mentum in the market, with over RM2 billion in remittance trans action volume processed in 2025, driven by rising demand from Malaysian businesses operating across borders. SME Bank said it advances its developmental mandate through targeted interventions that build stronger enterprises, reinforce busi ness resilience and widen market opportunities, particularly among underserved segments of the eco nomy. In doing so, capacity building initiatives, social finance solutions and export acceleration programmes help drive income growth, encourage digital adoption and strengthen the competitiveness of Malaysian busi nesses.

o Small Grants Programme will provide up to

diversity is preserved. “But how do we move from the halls of New York to the forests of the Crocker Range in Sabah or the indigenous landscapes of the Upper Baram in Sarawak? We do it through you,”Vrkic said, calling for a whole of-nation approach in environmental preservation and climate action. The SGP is a flagship global programme and the only mechanism under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) that directly disperses funding to local communities on the ground. This model is so effective that UNDP is now looking to leverage the Adaptation Fund, using this same community-based mechanism to further strengthen local climate resilience. Implemented by UNDP on behalf of the GEF, the SGP has, for more than 30 years, demonstrated that com munity action is powerful in achieving global environmental outcomes. In Malaysia, SGP has been active for 26 years, supporting more than 294 projects led by over 200 community-based organisations, with over US$10 million disbursed in grants.

opportunity to strengthen com munity preparedness and resilience in mitigating and adapting to potential environmental and socio economic impacts due to environ mental and climate conflicts. “Across Malaysia – from remote forests and protected areas to our urban centres – communities are stepping forward to address environmental pressures. They are protecting forests, managing rivers, restoring ecosystems, and sustaining livelihoods through practices that are closely tied to their natural environ ment,” he said. The two-day conference brings together communities, government officials, civil society organisations and development partners under the theme “Local Action, Global Impact”, serving as a national platform to share lessons, celebrate achieve ments, and chart the course for community-led environmental action across Malaysia. In his welcoming remarks, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Edward Vrkic noted that the UNDP

centre of Malaysia’s climate strategy. In the upcoming cycle of the operational phase, the SGP will provide grants of up to US$75,000 (RM303,000) per project, an increase from the current ceiling of US$50,000. Syed Ibrahim said that this effort reflects a stronger commitment to empower community-based organ isations with greater resources to implement impactful, locally driven solutions for environmental sustain ability and resilience. “Resilience is not built by infrastructure alone. It is built by communities and the systems they sustain. “Ultimately, sustainability is shaped by people, and lasting change begins at the community level,” he said when opening the GEF SGP Malaysia National Conference 2026 organised by UNDP Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei in Putrajaya yesterday. Syed Ibrahim said the SGP presents a va l uab l e

PETALING JAYA: Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Deputy Minister Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh ( pic ) yesterday US$75,000 per project, up from current ceiling of US$50,000

announced an increase in Small Grants Pro gramme (SGP) allocations to strengthen the position of com munities at t h e

executive board in New York earlier this year reviewed Malaysia’s new Country Pro gramme Document for 2026-2030, which places strong emphasis on advancing a nature positive development pathway. “The goal is to ensure Under the Seventh Operational Phase, SGP Malaysia operationalised integrated landscape-based app roaches across three priority land scapes – the Crocker Range Conservation Reserve in Sabah, the Middle and Upper Baram Region in Sarawak and urban green spaces in Klang Valley – testing practical, community-led solutions to environ mental challenges while streng thening local livelihoods and building leadership. Component makers voice support for Miti’s automotive investment policies PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Automotive Component Parts ponent manufacturers. Such an approach is critical to sustaining and that by 2030, Malaysia’s natural resources are managed more sus tainably, and its incredible bio

Malaysia’s industrial base and trade competitiveness. “MACPMA supports Miti’s position that automotive investment incentives and manufacturing licences should be aligned with national development objectives, including technology transfer, capability up grading, and the continued growth of local Tier-1, Tier-2, and Tier-3 com

Miti’s commitment to maintain an open and welcoming investment environment while ensuring that new automotive investments contribute meaningfully to the long-term sus tainability of the national automotive ecosystem. He added that the emphasis on export orientation, localisation and integration with the domestic supply chain is essential to strengthening

strengthening the esta blished vendor eco system that has been

Manufacturers (MACPMA) has come out in support of the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry’s (Miti) recent clarification on Malaysia’s automotive investment policies, which are applied uniformly and consistently to all investors. MACPMA president Chin Jit Sin said the association acknowledges

built through decades of investment and industrial development,” said Chin. MACPMA said it concurs with Miti that these policies are developmental in nature and are not protectionist.

SME Bank records RM4.3 billion approved financing in 2025 PETALING JAYA: Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Framework (PMF) and the Madani Economic Framework.

targeted advisory support. In 2025, the bank supported more than 14,500 entrepreneurs through our overall developmental, social and financial inclusion initiatives. “These efforts support the continued strengthening of Malaysia’s MSME ecosystem, which contributes close to 40% of the nation’s gross domestic product, equivalent to more than RM650 billion in economic value, underscoring the sector’s critical role in driving inclusive growth, employ ment and economic resilience,” Samad Majid said.

financing of RM1 million and below, underscoring our continued focus on widening access for underserved and unserved entrepreneurs.” He added that this progress is reinforced by the government’s trust in the bank, with close to RM2 billion in strategic initiatives mandated under Budget 2026 to accelerate inclusive MSME growth and streng then enterprise resilience across the economy. “Beyond financing, SME Bank delivered integrated solutions en compassing capacity building and

SME Bank relief president/CEO Samad Majid Zain said, “SME Bank’s performance in 2025 reaffirms our developmental mandate in streng thening Malaysia’s MSME eco system. “Total approved financing grew 19% year-on-year to approximately RM4.3 billion, with approximately RM3.8 billion channelled to MSMEs, representing approximately 20% increase from the previous year, while more than 60% of customers secured

Malaysia Bhd (SME Bank) recorded a strong performance for 2025, with total approved financing of about RM4.3 billion, marking a 19% year-on year increase. The growth reflected sustained demand across key strategic sectors including Bumiputera development, technology and innovation, digital adoption, climate-resilient initiatives, the halal industry, and tourism, in alignment with Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) Performance Measurement