For Malaysia’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), recognition matters. But what happens after the applause matters even more.
That was perhaps the bigger story emerging from theCGC Awards 2025, held in Kuala Lumpur on 11 August 2026. While the evening celebrated businesses and financial ecosystem partners that have demonstrated growth, resilience, innovation and commitment, it also looked firmly towards what comes next for Malaysian enterprises.
At the 31st edition of the awards, Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Berhad (CGC) officially launched theRM10 billion BNM-CGC Portfolio Guarantee (PG) and Portfolio Guarantee-i (PG-i) Schemes, a significant expansion of financing support intended to help more Malaysian businesses grow, become more productive and competitive, and make the transition towards greater sustainability.
First announced on 3 June 2026, the schemes are expected to facilitate up toRM10 billion in guaranteed financing through a risk-sharing model with participating financial institutions. An estimated12,100 MSMEsacross key economic sectors are expected to benefit. The financing is intended to support businesses in four important areas:expansion, productivity, sustainability transition and competitiveness.
Measuring Success Beyond Financing
More than 300 guests attended the CGC Awards 2025, including senior leaders from financial institutions, Islamic financial institutions, development financial institutions, government agencies, strategic partners and award-winning MSMEs.
Bank Negara Malaysia Governor, Dato’ Sri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffourbrought the conversation back to what ultimately matters.
“The ultimate measure of success is not the amount of financing provided, but whether the businesses supported become stronger, resilient, competitive and contribute meaningfully to the economy.”
It is an important distinction. For an MSME, access to capital can open a door. What determines what happens afterwards is how effectively the business converts that opportunity into stronger capabilities, productivity, market access and sustainable growth. That thinking also framed CGC ChairmanDato’ Mohammed Hussein’smessage on resilience.
He described resilience as something that is “built in conduct, reflected in the numbers, and revealed under pressure”. Businesses, he emphasised, need the discipline to persevere, the agility to respond to change and the commitment to honour their responsibilities even when conditions become challenging. But businesses cannot be expected to build resilience alone.
“It takes a whole ecosystem — government easing the cost of doing business, research institutes helping commercialise technology, corporates opening their supply chains, and financial institutions providing capital when it matters most. That is how we build enterprises that last. Together, these elements create what Mohammed described as the ecosystem needed tobuild enterprises that last.”
Recognising the Businesses — and Partners — Moving the Ecosystem Forward
A total of32 awardswere presented across the Top FI Partner and Non-FI Partner Awards, Citation of Merits and SME Awards, together with the Special Recognition Bumiputera Award. They recognised not only entrepreneurs and enterprises, but also the financial institutions and ecosystem partners helping Malaysian businesses access financing and pursue new opportunities.
CGC Awards 2025 Winners
| Category | Award / Sub-category | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Top FI Partner & Non-FI Partner Awards | Best Financial Partner | Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad; CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad |
| Bumiputera SMEs Award | OCBC Al-Amin Bank Berhad | |
| Special Recognition Bumiputera Award | Maybank Islamic Berhad | |
| Top FI Partner: Conventional Financial Institution Category | Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad; Public Bank Berhad | |
| Top FI Partner: Islamic Financial Institution Category | CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad; OCBC Al-Amin Bank Berhad; Standard Chartered Saadiq Berhad | |
| Top FI Partner: Development Financial Institution Category | Bank Simpanan Nasional; Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Berhad | |
| Top FI Partner: imSME Category | Bank Simpanan Nasional | |
| Top Non-FI Partner: imSME Category | Peoplender Sdn Bhd (Fundaztic) | |
| Citation of Merits | Mid-Tier Companies (MTC) | Affin Bank Berhad; AmBank (M) Berhad; AmBank Islamic Berhad; CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad; CIMB Bank Berhad |
| First Islamic PG-i Visa Business Credit Card | Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad | |
| SME Awards | Merdeka Awards | Bubbles O2 Sdn Bhd; Indkom Engineering Sdn Bhd; Sipro Plastic Industries Sdn Bhd; Skop Productions Sdn Bhd; Karangkraf Sdn Bhd |
| TPUB-i Contractors Award | Formula Mutakhir Sdn Bhd; Kilat Permata Enterprise; Teknologi Abadi Sdn Bhd; Gerinang Enterprise; Juta Mekar Enterprise; Nilam Kurnia Enterprise | |
| CGC Developmental Programme® Award | HTFU Restaurants Sdn Bhd; NK Riching Venture |
The Merdeka Awards: Participation That Translates into Growth
Among the evening’s highlights were fiveMerdeka Awards, presented toBubbles O2 Sdn Bhd, Indkom Engineering Sdn Bhd, Sipro Plastic Industries Sdn Bhd, Skop Productions Sdn Bhd and Karangkraf Sdn Bhd. The category recognises MSMEs demonstrating strong and active Bumiputera participation acrossownership, leadership and operational roles.
More importantly, the recognition looks beyond participation itself. It celebrates enterprises that have been able to translate inclusion into sustained business growth. In doing so, the five winners demonstrate how Bumiputera talent, leadership and entrepreneurship can contribute meaningfully to Malaysia’s wider enterprise landscape.
Another important recognition went toHTFU Restaurants Sdn Bhd and NK Riching Venture, recipients of theCGC Developmental Programme® Award. Both enterprises recorded the highest overall percentage increase in sales turnover, demonstrating how capability development, market expansion and strategic execution can translate into measurable commercial results. The recognition also illustrates the philosophy behind CGC’s developmental approach: financing can provide businesses with the means to move, but stronger capabilities help determine how far they can go.
From Access to Capability
CGC has spent more than five decades working with financial institutions, government agencies and strategic partners to bridge financing gaps for Malaysian businesses. Its role today, however, extends beyond guarantees. Through theCGC Developmental Programme®, its “Beyond Guarantee” initiative, CGC provides financial and non-financial advisory services, workshops, networking opportunities and access to new markets. These interventions are designed to improve financing readiness, strengthen business capabilities and connect MSMEs with the wider ecosystem.
As of June 2026, CGC had made availablemore than 548,000 guarantees and financing facilities valued at over RM106 billionto MSMEs since its establishment. Its previous five-year Strategic Plan also saw CGC provide financial assistance to more than99,000 MSMEs, while more than161,000 businesseswere supported through targeted developmental programmes.
CGC also doubled its digital onboarding reach, surpassed its operational efficiency targets and exceeded its commitment in delivering ESG-linked guarantees. These numbers provide important context for the new RM10 billion initiative. The BNM-CGC PG and PG-i Schemes are not starting from scratch. They build on an existing financing and developmental infrastructure while potentially extending that support to thousands more businesses.
Creating Businesses That Can Go Further
CGC President and Chief Executive OfficerMohamed Nazri Omardescribed resilient MSMEs as the cornerstone of a strong and sustainable economy. The 2025 award recipients, he said, demonstrate the “ambition, innovation and determination” strengthening Malaysia’s competitiveness and economic progress. The new schemes are intended to add another layer of support to that momentum by enabling enterprises to pursue growth opportunities with greater confidence.
For MSMEs, that confidence matters. Growth frequently requires businesses to invest before the returns arrive , whether that means purchasing equipment, increasing capacity, entering new markets, adopting technology, improving productivity or making operations more sustainable. Financing therefore becomes most valuable when it enables a business to make that next move.
And increasingly, the question is not simply whether an MSME can obtain financing. It is whether financing can be connected with the capabilities, partnerships, market opportunities and ecosystem support necessary to turn capital into sustainable business outcomes. That is where the CGC Awards and the launch of the RM10 billion schemes intersect. One celebrates enterprises and partners that have already demonstrated what can be achieved. The other creates a pathway for thousands more businesses to move forward.
Towards CGC Group 2030
CGC is now taking that ecosystem approach into its next phase throughCGC Group 2030, a forward-looking strategy aimed at deepening its impact on MSMEs, advancing financial inclusion and supporting sustainable economic development. The direction recognises an increasingly complex reality for Malaysian businesses. Stronger enterprises emerge when the different parts of the ecosystem connect; when capital meets capability, technology meets commercialisation, corporations create market access, institutions reduce barriers and entrepreneurs have the confidence to pursue opportunities.
