KOTA KINABALU — The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) today highlighted capital market financing options for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and mid-tier companies (MTCs) in Sabah to help them expand their operations and achieve their next phase of growth.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun attended the one-day Kembara Borneo – Sabah roadshow, themed “Enterprise to Expansion”, which brought together about 200 representatives from local business associations, government agencies, capital market intermediaries and the business community.
The initiative supports the SC’s Capital Market Masterplan 2026–2030 (CMP), which aims to build a more inclusive and resilient capital market through a whole-of-nation approach. It also advances the SC’s five-year roadmap to broaden MSME and MTC access to market-based financing.
MSMEs contributed about 40 per cent of Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) and nearly 50 per cent of total employment in 2025, underscoring their importance to the national economy.
In Sabah, businesses are increasingly seeking access to capital to expand their operations amid the state’s economic development and growth opportunities across key sectors.
The state was selected as the next destination for the nationwide roadshow because of its economic potential, particularly in agriculture, tourism and manufacturing.
In 2025, agriculture contributed 13.9 per cent of Sabah’s GDP, while the manufacturing sector grew by 5.0 per cent and attracted RM7.6 billion in investments.
Tourism also remained an important driver of the services sector, which accounts for more than half of Sabah’s economy. These industries offer opportunities for local businesses to move into higher-value activities, strengthen domestic supply chains and diversify into new markets.
SC Chairman Datuk Mohammad Faiz Azmi said the CMP aimed to further democratise access to Malaysia’s capital market and expand financing opportunities for businesses.
“This is reflected in initiatives such as the Malaysia Co-Investment Fund (MyCIF), which has catalysed RM7.7 billion in fundraising for more than 11,500 MSMEs since 2019, and the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 Co-Investment Fund (NIMP CoSIF), which has facilitated more than RM243 million in public-private fundraising since its launch last year.
“These initiatives demonstrate how market-based financing can support businesses at different stages of growth,” he said.
Building on the success of MyCIF and CoSIF, a new strategic co-investment fund is planned for next year in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy. It will support high-growth, high-value sectors under the 13th Malaysia Plan.
The initiative aims to leverage co-investment funds as a policy tool to attract private capital, broaden financing access for smaller businesses and support national strategic priorities.
Faiz said the roadshow was an integral part of the SC’s nationwide outreach efforts to raise awareness of available financing opportunities.
“It also provides Sabah entrepreneurs with practical insights into how alternative financing platforms and co-investment funds can support their business growth,” he said.
The roadshow series began in Penang in August 2026, connecting local semiconductor businesses and their supply chains with capital market financing opportunities through equity crowdfunding (ECF) and peer-to-peer (P2P) financing platforms.
The next roadshow is scheduled to take place in Selangor by the end of the year.
The engagements also highlight NIMP CoSIF, established through a collaboration between the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry and the SC.
The fund supports small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and MTCs in high-impact and strategic manufacturing sectors by facilitating access to growth capital, enabling them to scale up and contribute to Malaysia’s objectives under the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 and the National Semiconductor Strategy.
