PENAMPANG: The Malaysia Digital Chamber of Commerce (MDCC) and MoneySave (M) Sdn Bhd have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch a RM300 million SME financial initiative over the next three years, including a special allocation of RM100 million for East Malaysia.
The initiative is aimed at expanding access to capital, project financing, working capital, factoring and facility solutions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) nationwide, with a special focus on supporting businesses in Sabah and Sarawak.
The MoU was exchanged between MDCC Emeritus Chairman Dr Chris Daniel Wong and MoneySave Founder and Chief Executive Officer Vincent Soh, witnessed by Deputy Chief Minister II cum Finance Minister Datuk Seri Dr Masidi Manjun, during the 10th Malaysia Digital Economy Forum (MDEF) 2026 at ITCC Penampang, Tuesday.
The partnership forms part of MoneySave’s broader commitment to Malaysia, under which it plans to provide RM1 billion in investments over the next three years.
Soh said MoneySave had already invested RM440 million, leaving approximately RM500 million to fulfil its RM1 billion commitment.
He said the company specialised in project and contract financing, working capital and factoring for the OGSE, semiconductor, manufacturing, E&E, food and G1 to G7 contractor sectors.
Soh said MoneySave typically invested between RM500,000 and RM25 million in a single customer, with financing of up to RM25 million available without collateral.
He said this was one of MoneySave’s key selling propositions to Malaysian SMEs, as many banks required collateral or payment assignments.
“Out of the 140 companies we have invested in over the past four years, only one provided collateral. That means 139 investments were made without collateral,” he said.
He said the company typically invested between RM1 million and RM5 million per customer and did not necessarily require equity participation.
Soh said MoneySave’s default rate had remained below 0.5 per cent over the past 30 months, enabling it to attract institutional investors.
More than 80 per cent of its investors were institutional investors, he said, with an average profit rate of between 11 and 13 per cent.
He added that MoneySave was regulated by the Securities Commission of Malaysia and its investors included Malaysian institutional investors, including a Malaysian unit trust company registered with the Securities Commission.
According to Soh, MoneySave was able to fund larger-ticket investments compared with most other B2B crowdfunding platforms because of its institutional investor support.
He said the company had invested in businesses across manufacturing, halal, digital, chemical, petrochemical, textile and other sectors.
As long as a company was Shariah-compliant, MoneySave should be able to crowdfund or invest in it, he said, adding that its typical clients had annual turnovers of RM5 million and above.
The largest company MoneySave had crowdfunded had an annual turnover of approximately RM400 million and RM20 million in profit, he said.
Soh also highlighted MoneySave’s experience in Sabah, including funding a power turbine project during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said a major bank had introduced the client to MoneySave and asked the company to provide RM4 million for four months while awaiting a bank drawdown.
The contractor, which was working for Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd, required RM20 million in total.
Although the bank financing was expected to take several months for approval, the bank had still not disbursed the loan after 14 months.
MoneySave subsequently secured sufficient investors to bankroll the project from Europe to Sabah, including installation and completion, before the bank financing was eventually disbursed.
Soh said the case demonstrated the role MoneySave could play in bridging financing gaps faced by otherwise bankable companies.
He cited another example involving an EPCC company whose turnover had grown from about RM30 million to approximately RM80 million by December 2025.
Although the company had bank financing approved for Petronas projects, it later secured a Shell project in Brazil through an international tender.
MoneySave subsequently provided RM5 million to support the bank guarantee because it was not easy to change the purpose of the existing bank financing.
Soh said this reflected a common situation where a company had financing approved for one project but needed additional funding for another.
“It takes time to restructure or obtain new bank financing. MoneySave acts as your bridge,” he said.
He also highlighted a semiconductor company in Penang with a turnover of about RM30 million and profit of approximately RM1.2 million.
Although the company had bank loans, its rapid growth meant additional working capital was required.
Another company had RM12 million in sales and RM6 million in bank loans but required another RM6 million in working capital to grow its sales to RM24 million.
MoneySave crowdfunded RM5 million for the company, in addition to the RM6 million provided by the bank, with the funds used to purchase raw materials and for invoice factoring.
Soh also cited a food manufacturer in Sandakan whose turnover grew from RM7 million to RM13 million, RM21 million and subsequently RM35 million.
The company supplied several coffee chains in East Malaysia and used MoneySave financing for books, salaries, overheads and working capital while waiting between 90 and 120 days for payment from hypermarkets for its 3-in-1 coffee products.
He said MoneySave also financed the purchase of robotic arms and machinery for another rapidly growing company while it waited for bank financing.
In another case involving an oil tanker, MoneySave financed the down payment required for a vessel worth RM100 million, where banks typically financed only 70 to 80 per cent.
The company also used MoneySave financing for the cash purchase of marine fuel, enabling it to benefit from cash discounts.
Soh said MoneySave could similarly finance purchases of construction materials, IT servers, marine fuel and other raw materials where companies had to wait between 30 and 120 days for payment.
He said the company also funded infrastructure projects, including those undertaken by government contractors, as well as businesses such as oil and lubricant manufacturers and food distributors.
Soh also invited businesses to join MoneySave’s network of more than 2,000 CEOs.
He said MoneySave had organised nationwide programmes to support businesses and the economy, including the BNF RM5 billion SME Less Than 4 Per Cent Relief Fund in July and programmes involving 3 per cent government loans.
Soh said MoneySave looked forward to working with businesses in Sabah and contributing to nation-building through greater access to financing.
