RM10.7 billion in financing reaches nearly 300,000 entrepreneurs
Microfinancing accounted for RM3.14 billion of the disbursements, with hawkers and petty traders among the recipients.
The Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry (Kuskop) provided RM10.7 billion in financing between January and September, reaching nearly 300,000 entrepreneurs nationwide, according to its minister Steven Sim.
Sim said the amount formed part of a RM15 billion commitment delivered through seven financing agencies. Of those receiving financing, 200,000 were hawkers, shopkeepers, petty traders and others, representing about two-thirds of recipients.
He gave the figures in Kajang at the closing ceremony of the 2026 National Hawkers and Petty Traders Day (HPPK) Carnival. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim officiated at the ceremony.
Sim also outlined measures introduced by Kuskop to protect entrepreneurs and traders. These include requiring approval within 24 hours for financing applications involving amounts below RM20,000. He said delays in obtaining urgently needed capital could push hawkers and petty traders towards loan sharks.
Separately, Sim said online applications to the National Entrepreneurial Group Economic Fund (Tekun Nasional) became available in August, marking the first time the fund had offered that submission option.
