PETALING JAYA: Malaysian micro, small and medium enterprises are set to expand internationally as government initiatives drive market access through new partnerships in Japan, says Steven Sim.
The Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's official visit to Japan also focused on creating new opportunities for Malaysian SMEs to grow abroad.
"This is in line with the ministry's priority and efforts to strengthen Malaysian MSMEs.
"As the world still faces the impact of the global supply crisis due to geopolitical conflicts and disruptions in international supply chains, the ministry's priority is to ensure MSMEs can penetrate and capture larger market shares both domestically and internationally, not just help them to start or sustain businesses" said Sim in a statement on Thursday (June 11).
"This strategic approach aligns with the ABCD framework (Accelerating productivity, Bureaucracy reduction, Capital accessibility and Developing market access).
"The 'D' component in particular emphasises expanding market access, building international business networks and opening export opportunities for Malaysian companies," he said, addng past efforts have already borne significant results
"The 'Make Malaysian Businesses Great' business matching session held during the Makkah Halal Forum 2026 in Saudi Arabia last February, successfully generated potential transactions worth RM2bil," said Sim.
He added the Bank Rakyat BizMatch: Make Malaysian Businesses Great program was held in Tokyo on June 10 during Anwar's official visit.
"The program brought together seven Malaysian companies with 27 Japanese companies to explore cooperation and market expansion in sectors including food, agriculture, commodity-based manufacturing and green technology," he said, adding the program could generate transactions exceeding RM500mil within the next 12 months.
