KUALA LUMPUR: The CTOS SME Biz Day 2025 kickoff event in Kuala Lumpur ended on a high note today, marking a significant milestone in empowering SMEs across Malaysia to embrace digitalisation, transformation, and innovation. The event, officiated by Yang Berhormat Tuan Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Digital, saw an impressive turnout of close to 1,000 attendees, including government representatives, industry experts, SME owners, and entrepreneurs.
CTOS, Malaysia’s largest private credit reporting agency, successfully organised the 3rd annual SME Biz Day, spearheaded by its CTOS for Business division. Demonstrating its unwavering commitment to SME growth, CTOS is playing a role as a key driver for the business ecosystem by partnering with industry leaders and subject matter experts to provide invaluable support and insights for Malaysian SMEs. This collaboration aimed to equip businesses with the tools and strategies needed to remain competitive and resilient in an ever-evolving business landscape. Through this event, CTOS reinforced its role as a key partner and enabler of SME success.
Yang Berhormat Tuan Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Digital, who officiated the event, remarked, “Today, we find ourselves in a dynamic and competitive market that
presents opportunities, and challenges. For businesses in Malaysia to rise to the occasion, digitalisation is key. Together, let’s build a future where Malaysian SMEs are not only competitive, but also leaders in the global digital field. But before we aim for the skies, let’s get the basics right – by ensuring we are all aligned with the nation’s digital aspiration.”
Kevin Loh, Interim Group Chief Executive Officer of CTOS Digital Berhad, added, “In today’s era, digitalisation plays a pivotal role—not only in delivering a seamless experience to your customers, but also in unlocking your potential to scale regionally and globally. We believe that our economy will only thrive when our business communities thrive as well. In line with Malaysia’s national agenda to digitalise and strengthen the SME sector, we have created this platform to bring together key government agencies, industry associations, successful entrepreneurs, and our technology partners—so that, together, we can provide SMEs with the insights, tools, and support they need, driving them to digitalise, transform, and innovate.”
Empowering SMEs through Digitalisation, Transformation, & Innovation
This year’s event emphasised the importance of SMEs adapting to digitalisation and technology to unlock wider market opportunities — across the region and globally.
In its first panel discussion titled Scaling SMEs: Unlocking Growth in Capital, Finance, Digital & Global Expansion, industry leaders from SME Corp, MATRADE, MDEC and SAMENTA shared their expertise on how SMEs can leverage capital, finance, and digital tools to expand their business reach beyond Malaysia.
The session emphasised the importance of collaboration and partnership in overcoming challenges frequently faced by SMEs. This includes embracing the gig economy when digitalising by leveraging expert partners to manage various business needs efficiently. By capitalising on each other’s strengths, SMEs can streamline operations, focus on core activities, and enhance their overall productivity, ultimately leading to business growth.
The second panel discussion, Winning Through Agility: Lessons from Successful Entrepreneurs, was a highlight of CTOS SME Biz Day 2025. Esteemed entrepreneurs including business owners from Mydin, BloomThis, Montigo, ZUS Coffee, Anjoe Raw Beaute shared their insights on navigating the dynamic business landscape with agility.
The session shed light on how the entrepreneurs started their businesses from the ground up and championed their brands through various digitisation strategies by tapping into social media and e-commerce platforms. Attendees gained valuable insights into building a brand that resonates with today’s fast-paced and digitally-savvy customers.
During the event, Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ), co-host of Keluar Sekejap, and Lee Shin Mei, COO of CTOS Data Systems, also led an engaging sharing session that captivated the audience. KJ highlighted the importance of resilient leadership in running an SME, especially given the unique challenges SMEs face in today’s unstable economy. He emphasised the necessity for leaders who can adeptly balance hands-on management with strategic, big-picture thinking. Such leaders must be capable of navigating uncertainties to ensure that SMEs can thrive even in the most challenging conditions.
Expert Insights from Leading Industry Figures
Attendees of this year’s SME Biz Day had the opportunity to gain valuable insights from key speakers and visit booths hosted by partners including LHDN, AutoCount, AWS, CIMB, Maybank Islamic, MOCHI Technologies, Pos Malaysia, Salesforce, Samsung, U Mobile, Unifi Business, and Zoho.
Join us in Penang, Johor & Kuching
CTOS SME Biz Day 2025 has set a new benchmark for SME events in Malaysia, providing a comprehensive platform for businesses to connect, learn, and grow. CTOS SME Biz Day 2025 will continue its roadshow in Penang (12 June), Johor (9 July), and Kuching (19 August). For more information on SME Biz Day, visit https://ctoscredit.com.my/business/ctos-sme-biz-day.
For more information on CTOS and its initiatives, visit http://www.ctoscredit.com.my/.
