More than a quarter of SME loans given to first-time borrowers in 1H21

KUALA LUMPUR: More than a quarter of approved small and medium enterprise (SME) loans were to first-time borrowers during the first half of this year, while approved loans to young SMEs -- those established for not more than three years -- made up almost 20 per cent of the total volume of SME loans approved.

This is helping to sustain business activity, particularly as businesses seek to pivot their operations or pursue new business opportunities in response to the immediate and foreseeable longer-term impacts of the pandemic, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) said here today.