Kota Kinabalu: The Malaysia Co-Investment Fund (MyCIF) roadshow, to introduce micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Sabah to equity crowdfunding (ECF) and peer-to-peer (P2P) financing as options to support business expansion and working capital needs drew about 300 participants from government agencies, business groups, venture capital, private equity and local MSMEs.
The programme was organised by the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) with support from Invest Sabah Berhad and included networking sessions, breakout discussions, and exhibitions by SC-registered ECF and P2P platform operators.
Attendees heard directly from companies that had raised funds through MyCIF-supported financing.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});MyCIF was launched under the Ministry of Finance as part of the 2019 Federal Budget and is managed by the SC. To date, it has co-invested in more than 70,000 fundraising campaigns involving over 9,500 MSMEs nationwide.
As of 2024, the fund surpassed RM1 billion in total co-investments, with a 1:4 co-investment ratio under its General Scheme, and 1:2 for targeted schemes such as Food Security and Environmental & Social Impact.
SC Chairman Datuk Mohammad Faiz Azmi said the Sabah roadshow was part of MyCIF’s broader national outreach to increase awareness of alternative financing among businesses outside the Klang Valley.
“It provides entrepreneurs with practical exposure to how ECF and P2P platforms operate, and how MyCIF participation enhances access to capital,” he said.
He emphasised that under Budget 2025, the government has allocated RM40 million to support the continued use of these platforms by MSMEs.
Invest Sabah Chief Executive Officer Dr Firdausi Suffian said the collaboration with SC offered an opportunity to connect Sabah businesses with financing channels they may not have previously considered.
“This roadshow enables local entrepreneurs to gain information and contacts that could help support their business growth,” he said.
According to SC, MyCIF has helped attract more than RM6 billion in total private and public investments, with private investors contributing 4.1 times the amount co-invested by the fund. The fund is aimed at improving access to non-traditional financing for MSMEs across all sectors in Malaysia.