SME Bank terbit sukuk RM3b

Source From (Berita Harian): http://www.bharian.com.my/bharian/articles/SMEBankterbitsukukRM3b/Article

MUKHRIZ (kiri) diberi penerangan oleh Gumuri (tengah) dan Mohd Radzif selepas melancarkan i-Programmes di Plaza Sentral, semalam.

chewan@bharian.com.my
2011/12/20

SME Bank akan menerbitkan sukuk berjumlah RM3 bilion bagi meningkatkan jumlah dananya untuk disalurkan sebagai pembiayaan kepada syarikat perusahaan kecil dan sederhana (PKS) yang melaksanakan projek di bawah Program Transformasi Ekonomi (ETP).

Pengarah Urusannya, Datuk Mohd Radzif Mohd Yunus, berkata dana yang diraih daripada sukuk yang dijamin kerajaan itu akan digunakan untuk tempoh tiga tahun bermula tahun depan sehingga 2014.
Katanya, pihaknya merancang menerbitkan sukuk itu secara berperingkat dengan peringkat permulaan bernilai RM500 juta.
“Pembiayaan ini khusus untuk usahawan atau syarikat PKS dalam sektor perkhidmatan, pengilangan dan pembinaan yang terbabit dengan Bidang Ekonomi Utama Negara (NKEA). Mereka yang mahu mendapatkan pembiayaan ini boleh memohon mengikut saluran biasa bermula tahun depan,” katanya selepas majlis pelancaran Pusat Enterpris Sentral (SEC) Plaza Sentral di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

Pada majlis itu, bank pembangunan turut melancarkan tiga skim di bawah program pembiayaan ‘i-programmes’ dan model perniagaan baru yang akan menjadi teras kepada program transformasinya untuk tempoh 2011 hingga 2015.

Pelancarannya disempurnakan Timbalan Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri (MITI), Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir. Turut hadir Pengerusi SME Bank, Datuk Gumuri Hussain.

Sementara itu, Mohd Radzif berkata, SME Bank memperuntukkan hampir RM1 bilion untuk disalurkan sebagai pembiayaan pada tahun depan.
Katanya, daripada jumlah itu, SME Bank menyasarkan untuk mengagihkan sebanyak RM300 juta di bawah i-programmes menerusi skim i-Surf, i-Reach dan i-Splash.

“Jika sambutan bagi bagi ketiga-tiga skim di bawah i-programmes ini menggalakkan, SME Bank bersedia menambah jumlah peruntukkan ini pada masa depan,” katanya.

Mengulas pelancaran SEC, beliau berkata, selain berfungsi sebagai pejabat wilayah SME Bank, ia turut berperanan sebagai pusat bimbingan, pusat penjana keuntungan, pusat pemasaran efektif dan pusat pengurusan bagi pihak yang berkepentingan.

Beliau berkata, sejajar dengan program transformasi SME Bank, pihaknya akan melabur sebanyak RM1.5 juta lagi bagi membuka tiga cawangan baru di Batu Pahat, Kajang dan Klang, manakala lapan lagi cawangan mini akan dibuka seperti di Sungai Petani, Kemaman, Rawang, Pasir Gudang, Lahad Datu, Bintulu dan Sandakan.

SME Bank aims to disburse RM1bil in loans to SMEs in 2012

KUALA LUMPUR Dec 20, The Star Online: SME Bank aims to disburse RM1bil in loans to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) next year.

Source From (The Star Online): http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/20/business/10128282&sec=business

Its managing director Datuk Mohd Radzif Mohd Yunus said the loan disbursement would focus on projects under the National Key Economic Areas and SME Bank's three i-Programme.

Mohd Radzif said the bank had RM4.4bil of loans in its portfolio to date.

“We plan to raise RM3bil of sukuk in the next three years to tap the financial resources from the Islamic bond market,” he said at the launch of the i-Programme i-Surf, i-Reach and i-Splash here yesterday.

Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir officiated at the launch of the programme.

i-Surf is a financing scheme for SME Bank's existing clients with good repayment record; i-Reach refers to contract financing for the construction sector; and i-Splash is supply contracts financing.

Mohd Radzi said the bank planned to expand its branches from 19 to 22 by opening a branch each in Batu Pahat, Kajang and Klang.

“We also plan mini-branches in Sungai Petani, Kemaman, Rawang, Pasir Gudang, Lahad Datu, Bintulu and Sandakan,” he said. He said the bank would spent RM1.5mil to set up these branches. - Bernama

SME Bank to unveil new rates in 2012

Kuala Lumpur, 2011/12/19 (Business Times): SME Bank Bhd will announce revised rates for its financing products next year, but they will still be lower than what the market offers to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Source From (Business Times): http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20111219002925/Article/index_html

SME Bank managing director Datuk Mohd Radzif Mohd Yunus said the new rates are inevitable because from next year, the bank
will be tapping funds from sukuk, not from the government.

“We are talking to several parties but we cannot reveal who they are yet, but the new rates will come in next year,” Mohd Radzif told the Business Times recently.

Besides having new rates, SME Bank will also be operating as a full-fledged Islamic bank by the middle of next year. “We won’t be issuing any more conventional loans. In fact, we have stopped issuing them for some time. For our existing clients with conventional loans, we plan to talk to them into converting

their loans to Islamic ones, but if they still want the loans in a conventional form, we will allow that until their tenure ends,”
he said.

SME Bank posted a pre-tax profit of RM99 million in its third quarter this year, reversing its RM70 million pretax loss last year.

“We have been making losses for the last two years but we managed
to turn the bank around this year by being more efficient
and improving the way we service our clients,” Mohd Radzif said.

So far this year, the bank had approved over RM1.5 billion loans to 1,100 companies. Since its inception six years ago, SME Bank
had given out a total of RM4.2 billion loans to 3,500 companies.
Out of this, the bad debts amounted to RM680 million, or 19 per cent, of the total loans given.

“These are mostly debts collected from companies when we first merged the bank with Bank Industri. Our debts are expected
to lower to at least 17 per cent by the end of this year,” he said.

Mohd Radzif also said the bank expects its loans rate to grow at least eight per cent next year despite talks of an economic slowdown.

“In 2010, our loan growth grew by 5 per cent, while this year, it was eight per cent. For 2012, we expect our loan growth to maintain at eight per cent,” he said.

The bank plans to give out a total of RM3.15 billion in loans within the next three years.

Mohd Radzif also said the bank will be rolling out three mini branches and 10 satellite offices next year.

"We plan to open branches in Klang, Kajang and Batu Pahat (Johor), along with another 10 satellite offices throughout the country," he added.

SME Bank, owned by the Ministry of Finance, was established in 2005 as a development financial institution to nurture and meet the needs of the SMEs. The bank complements existing SME products and services offered by commercial banks through an integrated financial and advisory services.

Bank Rakyat antara 300 koperasi terbaik

IPOH 18 Dis.(Utusan Malaysia - Bisnes) - Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Bhd., (Bank Rakyat) mengharumkan nama negara di peringkat antarabangsa apabila tersenarai dalam laporan Global 300, Perikatan Koperasi Antarabangsa (ICA) sebagai antara 300 koperasi terbaik dunia.

Source From (Utusan Malaysia): http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2011&dt=1219&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Korporat&pg=ko_06.htm

MD. Yusof Samsudin (dua dari kiri) menandatangani plak perasmian Bangunan Angkasa Negeri Perak sambil diperhatikan oleh Abdul Fattah Abdullah (kiri) dan Radzi Jaafar di Ipoh, Perak, semalam.

Berdasarkan laporan Global 300 ICA yang diumumkan baru-baru ini, bank koperasi itu berada di tempat ke-245, menjadikannya koperasi pertama di Malaysia yang pernah tersenarai dalam laporan tersebut.

Senarai itu berdasarkan prestasi dan pencapaian koperasi gabungan ICA bagi tahun 2008.

Sebelum ini, bank berkenaan bersama beberapa koperasi dari Malaysia hanya tersenarai dalam 150 koperasi ICA terbaik di kalangan negara-negara membangun.

Pengerusi Eksekutif Suruhanjaya Koperasi Malaysia (SKM), Datuk Md. Yusuf Samsudin berkata, pengiktirafan besar itu amat membanggakan sekali gus membuktikan keupayaan koperasi Malaysia untuk menyerlah di peringkat global.

''Pengiktirafan tersebut berdasarkan beberapa kriteria termasuk perolehan tahunan yang memberangsangkan, manfaat yang diperoleh ahli serta kualiti produk Bank Rakyat," katanya selepas merasmikan bangunan baru Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa) Perak di sini hari ini.

Turut hadir Timbalan Presiden Angkasa, Datuk Abdul Fattah Abdullah dan Pengerusi Angkasa negeri, Radzi Jaafar.

Md. Yusuf berkata, selain Bank Rakyat, pihaknya menyasarkan sebuah lagi koperasi Malaysia iaitu Koperasi Permodalan Felda Berhad (KPF) akan disenaraikan dalam Global 300 ICA pada tahun depan.

''Berdasarkan perolehan tahunan serta nilai aset yang sangat memuaskan, kita yakin KPF juga mampu tersenarai," katanya sambil menambah laporan prestasi koperasi terbabit kepada ICA akan dikemaskini dari semasa ke semasa.

Sementara itu, Md. Yusuf memberitahu, SKM mengunjurkan perolehan tahunan koperasi di negara ini mampu mencecah sehingga RM24 bilion pada tahun depan, meningkat enam peratus berbanding tahun ini.

Katanya, dengan jumlah koperasi yang dijangka meningkat kepada 10,000 buah berbanding 9,000 pada tahun ini, sasaran itu mampu dicapai melalui penglibatan lebih banyak koperasi dalam bidang perniagaan berskala besar.

''Sebab itu, kita sedang mengatur pelbagai strategi bagi membolehkan koperasi-koperasi kecil dan sederhana menceburi bidang perniagaan berpendapatan tinggi seperti perumahan, perladangan, pengangkutan dan pemerosesan," jelasnya.

The Edge Billion Ringgit Club - Malaysia Building Society Bhd

The origins of Malaysia Building Society Bhd (MBSB) can be traced
back to the Federal and Colonial Building Society Ltd, incorporated in
1950. In 1956, it changed its name to Malaya Borneo Building Society Ltd
(MBBS), with the Malayan government as its major shareholder. MBBS was
then listed on the Stock Exchange of Malaysia and Singapore in 1963.



Source From (The Edge Malaysia): http://www.theedgemalaysia.com./in-the-financial-daily/197346-the-edge-billion-ringgit-club-malaysia-building-society-bhd.html
Tuesday, 06 December 2011 11:15

MBSB
was incorporated in 1970 to take over the Malaysian operations and was
listed on the then Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 1972. MBSB is a
scheduled institution as defined under the Banking and Financial
Institution Act 1989 (Bafia). It was granted exempt finance company
status in 1972 by the finance ministry and the status has remained in
force since.

Employees Provident Fund Board and Permodalan
Nasional Bhd are two major shareholders of MBSB. As a financial
provider, MBSB offers a spectrum of innovative financial products and
services for both individuals and corporates throughout its branches
nationwide.

CEO Datuk Ahmad Zaini Othman shares with The Edge
Financial Daily his strategies and dreams for the company, and the
transformation he has led MBSB through since taking over the helm in
early 2009.

TEFD: What are the company’s competitive strengths and advantages?
Zaini:
MBSB is an exempt finance company granted by the finance ministry on
March 1, 1972. This allows MBSB to undertake a financing business in the
absence of a banking licence. As a result of this, it is not subjected
to Bafia and is limited in its ability to provide a comprehensive range
of financial products and services in comparison to its licensed peers.

Nevertheless, it does possess certain strengths and advantages to continue providing promising returns to its shareholders.

MBSB
has an established position in the market as a financial provider that
is preferred by the government servants. As a small financial
institution, we have great flexibility and agility in product
development and the decision-making process.


We are able to leverage on proven outsourcing partners to maintain a
low cost-to-income ratio. We have the ability to develop strategic
business collaborations with both financial and non-financial
institutions to create income-earning opportunities. Lastly, MBSB is a
single entity offering both conventional and Islamic banking products.

What have been the major achievements of the company in the past four years?
We
have achieved record profitability for two consecutive years, with
pre-tax profit of RM80.3 million in 2009 and RM207.4 million in 2010.

(Editor’s note: MBSB has since chalked up pre-tax profit of RM327.1 million for the nine months to Sept 30, 2011).

As
far as non-financial achievements are concerned, MBSB is the only
financial institution with a network of representative offices (REP)
compared to conventional full-fledged branches which require higher
capital expenditure. Our first REP was set up in 2010.

MBSB is
also the only financial institution to possess qualified project experts
such as engineers, property valuers and quantity surveyors. They are
housed under the project management and monitoring department, which has
also been ISO 9001:2008 certified.

In terms of corporate governance, we were ranked 34th under the Malaysian Corporate Governance Index 2010. What
are the major challenges your company faced over the years and how did
it overcome them? Is there anything else you would have done
differently?
As a non-bank financial institution, we have
several challenges. These include effectively competing with existing
market players that are superior in terms of funding costs, asset size,
branch network and infrastructure. We are also constrained in our
ability to extend our reach to customers due to a limited branch
network.

Due to our new business direction, we need the talent
and skills required to execute new business initiatives. We are also
constrained by the inability to provide trade facilities for corporate
clientele. Lastly, there are also various misconceptions of the company
due to past issues and legacy problems.

How do we resolve these challenges?
We
revived the personal financing product for government servants to
establish and cement market positioning as a preferred financial
provider for the government servants. This provides MBSB with a niche
market to serve and avoid direct competition with existing market
players.

We established REP to only promote and sell retail
financial products. This network is less costly to set up and maintain
compared with a full-fledged branch, and is able to provide high
returns.

We have outsourced the sale of retail financial
products to qualified agents nationwide, which provides a greater reach
to customers. New talents and skills have been hired from within the
industry with attractive remuneration packages. More importantly, we
offer them a better career growth due to their position as pioneers in
the company.

MBSB is leveraging on other financial institutions
for the provision of trade facilities, resulting in fee income
opportunities and the ability to become a one-stop financial solution
centre.

In the past, MBSB had been media-shy, leading to
misconceptions not being corrected. Hence, in the last two years,
improvement in the company’s image was achieved through the execution of
fresh marketing campaigns on products to increase brand awareness and
continuous meetings with analysts.

How is the company positioning itself within your industry? What are your strategies to grow or gain market share?
The
company is positioning itself as a key financial provider to the
government servants and to the corporate clientele who has been awarded
government projects. It shall continue to pursue market share in
personal financing through product development and new campaigns, while
continuing to work with the government and its agencies in securing
financing of their awarded projects.

What are your company’s plans for the future, short-term and long-term?
In
the short term, we want to grow our retail assets critically via the
personal financing and home mortgage products, and establish our
position as a reliable financial provider in the corporate segment. In
the long term, we want MBSB to become a respectable industry player with
a strong financial position while serving its niche market.

What are your plans to compete in the increasingly globalised environment?
The
company shall continue to capitalise on its strengths as a small
financial institution in comparison to its peers to compete in a highly
competitive environment. These include the agility in decision-making
process and personalised customer service, especially for corporate
clients. We will leverage on outsourcing to operate efficiently with a
fast turnaround time. The company will avoid direct competition with the
existing financial players.

What is your dream for your company? How would you like to see it in 10 years?
The
company aims to achieve pre-tax profit of RM500 million and be known as
a strong financial institution. In early 2009, we established the
“Taking MBSB to the Next Level” programme to achieve this profit target.
Record profits that were achieved for the last two consecutive years
were based on this mission and the long-term business plan being put in
place will assist the company in achieving that target.


This article appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, December 6, 2011.

BSN sees wealth mgmt contributing 12-15% to revenue by end-2012

KUALA LUMPUR Dec 2, 2011: Bank Simpanan National (BSN) aims to aggressively grow its newly launched wealth management division by tapping into the underserved takaful market.

Source From (The Sun Daily): http://www.thesundaily.my/news/227062
Published: December 02, 2011


                                                     Jeyaprakash (left) and Azim at the launch of Giro Takaful Hajj. ZULKIFLI ERSAL/THESUN

Its deputy chief executive of credit management and business support Winston E. Jeyaprakash said it is looking for the wealth management division, which was launched in June, to contribute between 12% and 15% to the bank's revenue by end-2012.

"It (takaful business) is a lucrative market because the penetration rate is low in this country. The majority of BSN's customers are Muslim and it is a lucrative avenue for us to tap into," he told reporters yesterday at the launch of Giro Takaful Hajj.

He said the division aims to provide a full range of financial planning products and services to complement the overall business of the bank with further value-added products and services.

"We noticed the growing demand for financial management products among Malaysians, whether financial planning for retirement, education, healthcare or others. We offer products for each lifecycle to support the financial needs of our customers," Jeyaprakash said.

He added that BSN is looking to package products from its wholly-owned subsidiary Prudential BSN Takaful Bhd (PruBSN) with existing products.

Jointly launched by PruBSN and BSN, the Giro Takaful Hajj is a family takaful plan that provides protection and savings.

Available since August, Jeyaprakash said it is the sixth product launched under the PruBSN and BSN partnership and sales have been encouraging so far.

PruBSN CEO Azim K. Mithani said: "Building on our relationship with BSN as a shareholder and distributor is crucial and vital towards growing our bancatakaful business and is in line with PruBSN's aspiration to be the number one local takaful operator."

He added that as of June, PruBSN's share of the takaful market in Malaysia was 27%, making it the second biggest company in the industry.

PruBSN distributes its products through its own agencies, Affin Islamic and BSN, which currently has eight million customers and 385 branches. BSN opens eight to 10 new branches each year.