Funding Malaysia’s SMEs is about quality and not quantity, says economy minister

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — Malaysia's economic outlook for the second half of 2026 is expected to remain positive, according to a World Bank report. The report, titled "From Quantity to Quality: Financing Malaysia's Productive SMEs," highlights that the country's domestic demand remains strong due to gains in employment, targeted fiscal support, and ongoing investment activities.

However, the short-term outlook is uncertain, with geopolitical conflicts, trade tensions, and weaker global demand posing challenges to trade and confidence. As a highly open economy, Malaysia is particularly susceptible to these external factors, especially through trade and financial channels.

Zafer Mustafaoğlu, the division director for the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei at the World Bank Group, emphasized that Malaysia is entering this period from a position of strength. He stressed the need for decisive actions, including rebuilding fiscal space to strengthen resilience to future shocks, maintaining appropriately calibrated monetary and macroprudential policies, and staying focused on long-term growth foundations.

Mustafaoğlu reiterated that deepening structural reforms is not optional but essential for sustainable growth and better jobs.

Despite being on the brink of achieving high-income status, Malaysia's small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face the challenge of shifting to higher productivity, adopting new technologies, creating intellectual property, and innovating. To achieve this, Malaysia needs to evolve its financing from basic working capital and investment funding to high-risk expansion capital for global market scaling, automation overhauls, digitalization, artificial intelligence adoption, and green transitions.

The report emphasizes that the question is not merely about whether SMEs can access credit, but whether the finance available to them aligns with the productive and innovative investments needed for sustainable growth.