Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Berhad (SME Bank) today launched the SME Bank Organizational Anti-Corruption Plan 2020-2024 (SME Bank OACP) which has been developed in collaboration with the Malaysian Institute of Integrity. The initiative, which supports the Government's anti-corruption agenda through the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) and the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC) Organizational Anti-Corruption Plan, is a testimony of SME Bank's commitment in combating corruption and misconduct of integrity.

MEDAC Minister YB Tan Sri Noh Haji Omar, during the launching of the SME Bank's Organizational Anti-Corruption Plan said, "MEDAC is one of the 27 government bodies that is responsible for ensuring that integrity and anti-corruption aspects remain as the main pillars in the distribution of funds and in organising entrepreneur development programs."

Tan Sri Noh added, "As the lead agency for initiative 2.4.8 which emphasizes on integrity and anti-corruption aspects in entrepreneurship education programs, it is the Ministry's goal to instill anti-corruption culture starting from the highest level right down to all its agencies."

SME Bank Group President / Chief Executive Officer, Aria Putera Ismail said, "In line with the direction set out in the NACP, SME Bank OACP has been developed based on the mandatory initiatives under NACP Strategy 2 which is to strengthen the efficiency of service delivery in the public sector."

Aria added, “With the SME Bank OACP, SME Bank will also enhance the aspect of due diligence in the implementation of each task, especially in processing and approving of applications submitted by SME entrepreneurs. In addition to increasing efficiency and productivity, this good practice will also ensure that no SMEs will be left behind from getting or receiving the right assistance.”

Guided by this plan, SME Bank will take comprehensive actions in developing an anti-corruption management system to become an organization that is corruption-free, with integrity and cultivates good governance. The five-year SME Bank OACP contains 22 action plans that will cover five priority areas, namely, procurement, administration, operations, integrity, and governance.

Currently, SME Bank is in the process of implementing and monitoring the initiatives embedded in the SME Bank OACP. The Bank is also actively undertaking initiatives to achieve the MS ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Corruption Management System certification or better known as ABMS and is expected to be obtained in the third quarter of 2022.

The launching ceremony of SME Bank OACP was attended by YB Tan Sri Noh Hj. Omar, Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives and YB Muslimin Yahaya, Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives.