SC Encourages Investor Education, SME Financing in Penang

The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) held a number of events in Penang this week  as part of its efforts to increase investor education in the northern region as well as  raise awareness on capital market financing opportunities.

The highlight of the events is Bersama InvestSmart® @Penang 2023, SC’s flagship  investor education fair which is being held for the first time in the state.

The InvestSmart®initiative was first introduced in 2014 to empower investors with awareness and knowledge that will assist  them in making informed investment decisions. As of December 2022, the InvestSmart®initiative has engaged directly with  more than two million people and reached out to millions more nationwide through digital and mainstream media.

The three-day event from 26 May 2023 is aimed at promoting investor education and  financial literacy to enable investors to make informed investment decisions and to  avoid scams and illegal schemes. 

The Chief Minister of Penang, YAB Chow Kon Yeow officiated the opening ceremony  of the event, which was held in Queensbay Mall, Bayan Lepas, this afternoon. The  event was also attended by senior state government officials and capital market and  financial industry leaders.

With the theme ‘Silap Labur Duit Lebur’, the event featured more than 35 exhibitors.  They include Financial Education Network (FEN), Bursa Malaysia Berhad, Federation  of Investment Managers Malaysia (FIMM), Private Pension Administrator (PPA) and  several financial and capital market industry players.

The SC Chairman Dato’ Seri Dr. Awang Adek Hussin (pic) said at the opening ceremony that Penang is expected to play a bigger role in the development of the country’s  economy and the capital market.

“Penang has a number of companies listed on Bursa Malaysia, with 85 currently listed  on the Main, ACE and Leap Markets. Another Penang-based company is also expected  to go public before the end of this quarter,” he said. 

“By the end of 2022, over 470 Penang companies had raised over RM193 million using  alternative finance platforms such as equity crowdfunding (ECF) and peer-to-peer  (P2P) financing,” he said. “As such, we believe that the capital market can play an  important role in realising the full potential of Penang’s economy.” 

1The InvestSmart®initiative was first introduced in 2014 to empower investors with awareness and knowledge that will assist  them in making informed investment decisions. As of December 2022, the InvestSmart®initiative has engaged directly with  more than two million people and reached out to millions more nationwide through digital and mainstream media.

Dato’ Seri Dr. Awang Adek added that providing access to financing and investment  opportunities will enable the capital market to help local businesses, especially SMEs,  grow and complete the economic eco-system of Penang.

Apart from Bersama InvestSmart® @Penang 2023, the SC has also organised other  outreach programmes in Penang this week. 

These include the NaviGate: Capital Market Green Financing Series (NaviGate) and a  workshop by Capital Markets Malaysia, an affiliate of the SC, on Incorporating  Sustainable Practices within the Supply Chain.

The NaviGate programme was held on 25 May 2023, to create greater awareness on  capital market financing, including alternative financing avenues such as ECF and P2P  financing platforms for businesses in Penang in meeting their green and sustainability  financing needs. 

This is the second NaviGate programme held this year, following a similar programme  held in Johor in March this year. It attracted some 100 participants from the Johor  business communities.

These programmes, part of the SC’s initiatives to support the growth of businesses,  are also in line with efforts by Johor and Penang state governments in advancing their SME industries based on green economy and sustainability.

More than 15,000 people are expected to visit InvestSmart® in Penang. During the  three-day event, there will be free public talks and panel discussions by financial and  capital market industry experts.

The organisers have also lined up more than 200 free one-to-one financial planning  sessions to help members of the public learn more about good financial and retirement  planning. The latter is part of the #FinPlan4U initiative.

Bersama InvestSmart® @Penang is also held in conjunction with the National Training  Week organised by the Ministry of Human Resource and HRD Corp. 

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