Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Berhad (SME Bank), through its corporate social responsibility programme (CSR), once again came forward to assist the front liners by channeling contributions worth RM50,000 to the National Security Council (MKN) today.

During a simple handover ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, YB Datuk Wira Hajah Mas Ermieyati Binti Haji Samsudin, presented the contribution to the Deputy Director General of National Security (Strategic Security), YBhg. Datuk Khairul Shahril Bin Idrus, on behalf of the Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, and attended by the Group President / Chief Executive Officer, SME Bank, Aria Putera Ismail.

Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, YB Datuk Wira Hajah Mas Ermieyati said, “I am proud with the efforts made by SME Bank in helping the front liners during this Covid-19 pandemic. This contribution will ease the burden of the Government as well as responding to the call for all agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to work together through this difficult period.”

YB Datuk Wira Hajah Mas Ermieyati added, “As a caring and responsible Development Financial Institution (DFI), the contribution given is in the form of packed food to front liners who are on duty during the Movement Control Order in selected government hospitals nationwide and also agencies under the MKN.”

SME Bank Group President / Chief Executive Officer, Aria Putra Ismail said, "This corporate responsibility programme will be carried out simultaneously at 26 SME Bank branch networks nationwide and this is the first time ever we are doing it this way. We are planning to execute the distribution on 16 December 2020."

Aria added, “We decided to make this contribution because we are moved by the perseverance of our front liners who sacrifice their time and energy to save our lives. This fight against Covid-19 is a shared responsibility. This contribution is part of SME Bank's on-going efforts to help the Government in addressing the issue of Covid-19 pandemic.”

Apart from the contribution to MKN, since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, SME Bank had also made corporate contributions and zakat amounting to more than RM300,000 to several agencies such as the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), Malaysian Red Crescent Society and selected government hospitals across the country in last April. The contributions were used for the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the front liners and medical equipment to treat Covid-19 patients.

Besides providing assistance to the front liners, SME Bank also conducts entrepreneur development programmes to enable micro and small entrepreneurs to continue their business. Among the CSR programmes that are being implemented is the “Penjana Komuniti@SMEBank” programme involving 20 selected B40 micro entrepreneurs which aims at stimulating their economic activities that are affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This hands-on training programme is to improve the entrepreneurs’ skills in running their online business to enable them to sell products or services and manage their business systematically. This “Penjana Komuniti@SMEBank” programme will be extended nationwide next year.