The efforts and role of Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Berhad (SME Bank) in developing small medium enterprises (SMEs) were recognized when they have been accredited as the Best Agency in Accelerating SME Development during the Gala Dinner and Commendation Ceremony for Lang International Corporate Titan Awards (LICTA) 2021. 

LICTA marks the recognition for enterprises and entrepreneurs in the respect of being outstanding, genuine and trustworthy. This award recognizes SME Bank's significant contribution in leading the Malaysian SME Ecosystem Value Creation. 

SME Bank Group President/Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ (Dr.) Aria Putera Ismail said, “SME Bank appreciates the recognition as it proves that we have succeeded in bringing SME development to a higher benchmark. This recognition also shows that SME Bank's efforts in developing SME entrepreneurs have an effect and positive impact on the country's economic development. ” 

Aria added, "Since its establishment in 2005 and until now, SME Bank has approved financing worth more than RM39 billion to almost 22,000 SME entrepreneurs. For 2021, SME Bank has approved more than RM400 million from the PENJANA stimulus package announced by the Government which includes the SME Go Scheme, PEMERKASA Matching Grant and PENJANA Tourism Financing (PTF) to help affected SMEs, while for the Targeted Relief & Recovery Facility (TRRF) under the initiative of Bank Negara Malaysia, SME Bank has approved financing worth RM150 million to customers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

Besides providing financial assistance, SME Bank adopts the concept of going beyond financing in fulfilling its mandate to guide and develop SMEs through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Center For Entrepreneur Development And Research Sdn. Bhd. or CEDAR. To date, CEDAR has conducted more than 3,515 training sessions involving approximately 69,000 participants. 

In ensuring business sustainability and in line with global efforts, SME Bank has developed a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Framework which is used as a guideline to achieve its sustainability goals by incorporating the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda in its business operations. Overall, SME Bank's sustainability journey is implemented through SME Bank's 3-year Sustainability Roadmap (2021-2023) based on three main pillars namely Responsible Banking, Responsible Business Practices and Creating Social Impact. In addition, SME Bank’s sustainability agenda is also in line with the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) by Bank Negara Malaysia. This year SME Bank aims to approve RM1 billion for ESG related financing. 

SME Bank will continue to support entrepreneurs through various existing financing programs that have been entrusted by the Government in developing SME entrepreneurs. This includes SME Bank's corporate social responsibility initiative to empower Asnaf and B40 micro-businesses has shown a positive impact when participants in the Penjana Komuniti@SME Bank Programme and ISHRAF managed to record RM5.15 million in sales for 2021. Both of these programmes have received international recognition from the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP). 

The LICTA awards ceremony was held at the InterContinental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur and was officiated by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, YB Dato' Sri Dr. Haji Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.