Further to the announcement of PEMERKASA by the YAB Prime Minister, SME Bank is allocating a fund amounting RM200 million under the PEMERKASA Matching Grant Financing to assist entrepreneurs from the 3D sector (dirty, dangerous and difficult) who are still affected by the COVID-19 pandemic especially in the manufacturing, services, agriculture and construction business.

SME Bank Group President/Chief Executive Officer, Aria Putera Ismail said, “The 3D sector is one of the sectors that deserves attention and assistance from financial institutions as their business operations have been badly disrupted due to the movement control orders since last year. The PEMERKASA Matching Grant Financing will enable entrepreneurs to obtain financing up to RM1 million for a maximum period of 10 years with profit rate between 4% to 5% per annum.”

Aria added, “For each financing approved, the Ministry of Finance will provide a matching grant maximum up to 20% of the approved amount.  This will enable the SME entrepreneurs to purchase machinery, increase technology adoption in the business and reduce the dependency on foreign labour.”

Customers will also have the opportunity to participate in entrepreneurship coaching and capacity building programs for free conducted by the Centre for Entrepreneur Development and Research Sdn. Bhd. (CEDAR), a subsidiary of SME Bank. The financing facility is also eligible for guarantee up to 80% from the Syarikat Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan (SJPP).

"We believe that the SME Bank PEMERKASA Matching Grant Financing will speed up the transformation of the 3D sector businesses as envisioned by the government, thus attracting more locals to participate in the 3D sector,” said Aria.

SME Bank’s customers and SME entrepreneurs who would like to know more about the SME Bank PEMERKASA Matching Grant Financing can contact the Bank's Customer Service Center at 03-26037700, your respective Relationship Managers or visit the official website www.smebank.com.my and SME Bank's official social media platforms.