KUALA LUMPUR: 3 March 2025 – Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia
Berhad (“SME Bank”) has established a strategic partnership with CDC International Sdn. Bhd.
(“CDCi”) through a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) aimed at expanding financial access
and digital solutions for micro, small and medium enterprises (“MSMEs”) in Malaysia – in addition
to providing them with a comprehensive capability development initiative through the Bank’s
subsidiary, the Centre for Entrepreneur Development & Research (“CEDAR”). This initiative
underscores SME Bank’s commitment to driving the digital and financial empowerment of
MSMEs, recognising their pivotal role as the backbone of Malaysia’s economy.
Datuk Dr. Mohammad Hardee Ibrahim, Acting Group President/Chief Executive Officer of SME
Bank said, “We are pleased to welcome CDCi as our partner, underscoring our commitment to
help our homegrown SMEs scale up and advance their aspirations. Since 2021, our digital
platforms, including ELSA, ScoreXcess, and ODELA have supported nearly 5,000 SMEs across
key sectors. This strategic collaboration emphasises on facilitation of market access and business
development through CDCi’s SPEED, a digital procurement platform that connects SME suppliers
with large buyers from both the public and private sectors – reaffirming our commitment to building
a strong digital ecosystem while aligning with the Government’s MADANI framework, which
prioritises the digital economy as a key driver of growth
Aligning with our developmental mandate, we will continue to focus on SMEs’ across key
strategic sectors which include the Technology and Digital segment through our innovative
programmes, especially the SME Technology Transformation Fund (“STTF”) as mandated to us
in the National Budget 2025. Meanwhile, training, certification, and capacity building will be
delivered via our subsidiary, Centre for Entrepreneurial Development & Research (“CEDAR”)
through our comprehensive beyond financing programmes
“I am confident the collective shared expertise between SME Bank and CDCi will not only
integrate the financial and technological aspects but also able to build an ecosystem on the back
of effective capability development initiatives, where MSMEs can thrive in the ever-changing and
competitive business environment,” Datuk Dr. Mohammad Hardee Ibrahim elaborated
Putri Nurul Ida Yahya, Chief Executive Officer of CDCi, said, “We are pleased to partner with SME
Bank, one of Malaysia’s leading development financial institutions. This strategic collaboration
represents a significant advancement for the SME ecosystem, seamlessly integrating SME
Bank’s financial expertise with CDCi’s innovative SPEED digital procurement platform. Through
SPEED, we are not merely facilitating transactions but transforming market accessibility by
enabling MSMEs to establish direct connections with large-scale buyers across both the public
and private sectors. This initiative is poised to accelerate business growth, enhance supply chain
efficiency, and strengthen the competitive positioning of MSMEs in Malaysia’s evolving economic
landscape
“By integrating our digital solutions with SME Bank’s robust financial infrastructure, we aim to
unlock new growth opportunities and drive the digital transformation of MSMEs, in line with the
Malaysian Government’s aspirations for a more competitive and technology-driven business
environment. Together, we are confident that this partnership will make a lasting impact by
enhancing financial accessibility, fostering innovation, and equipping entrepreneurs with the tools
they need to succeed in an increasingly dynamic economy,” Putri Nurul Ida Yahya added.
CDCi is a provider of digital procurement solutions, driving efficiency and innovation in B2B
transactions. With a strong focus on digitalisation, vendor management, and eWorks
procurement, CDCi empowers businesses and government agencies with secure, scalable, and
seamless technology-driven platforms, in line with its commitment to innovation, reliability, and
customer-centric solutions that positions the brand as a trusted partner in digital transformation.
This strategic partnership strengthens SME Bank’s ongoing digital transformation efforts,
enhancing support for SMEs at different growth stages. To date, over 3,000 SMEs have already
benefited from SME Bank’s Enterprise Lifecycle Scoring Assessment (“ELSA”), a structured,
data-driven tool to assess and guide SMEs through their developmental lifecycles, catering to
various business sectors, sizes, and stages. In addition, ELSA was also given the recognition by
the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (“ADFIAP”) Awards
2025 recently by winning a prestigious accolade under the Technology Development category.
Complementing this, SME Bank’s ScoreXcess portal simplifies financing accessibility for SMEs
by matching financing opportunities to business needs, whilst the Bank’s ODELA platform
revolutionises the business-to-business landscape through a systematic and informative
e-commerce platform
