21 Oct 2020
Funding Societies and TMIM team up to provide digital financing access and support to MSMEs
Financial assistance for underserved local MSMEs from Funding Societies utilising Yellow Pages digital advertising solutions to help with business expansion and sustainability during these challenging times.
Funding Societies Malaysia, the largest peer-to-peer (P2P) financing platform in the country and Southeast Asia recently collaborated with TM Info-Media Sdn Bhd (TMIM), a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) to offer business financing solutions for the underserved and unserved local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The mission kicks off into high gear with the prime utilisation of Yellow Pages' digital platform, a product of TMIM and also the leading digital business directory in Malaysia.
The collaboration will provide MSMEs with greater access to digital financing solutions. The solutions will facilitate business expansions as well as ensure sustainability of the MSMEs. It provides vital financing options to existing MSMEs and serves as a launch pad to aspiring entrepreneurs. The synergistic collaboration takes momentous steps towards Funding Societies' mission to improve the livelihoods of MSMEs and TM's role as the enabler of Digital Malaysia.
It also opens the door for as many as 70,000 MSMEs under the Yellow Pages listings to a variety of tailor-made financing products. With the aim of bringing game-changing revolutions to their customers, Yellow Pages Malaysia is no stranger to making innovative transformations in order to stay current in the digital age.
Wong Kah Meng, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Funding Societies Malaysia, commented on the partnership: "Digital financing is becoming more prevalent in Malaysia given its ability to promote financial inclusion, particularly benefiting the MSMEs that are either unserved or underserved by traditional financing avenues by providing easy access to financing solutions. As the largest P2P financing platform in the region, our partnership with TMIM will serve to accelerate our reach in providing the financing support that is much needed by our local MSME players. This is especially relevant given MSMEs are among the most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic."
Meanwhile, Sean Koh Chin Soon, Chief Executive Officer, TMIM said: "Our Malaysia Yellow Pages platform which has evolved from print to digital, interactive website and mobile app, is the perfect avenue to bridge the MSMEs out there with the resources they require. We are excited to collaborate with Funding Societies Malaysia in empowering local businesses through financial solutions. This will enable them to further expand their potentials thus supporting the sustainability of the businesses, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic. This is also in line with the Government's efforts to boost the growth of Malaysian economy and to propel local businesses. This initiative is befitting of TM Group's unique role in nation building and as the enabler of Malaysia's Digital Nation aspirations."
P2P financing is a digital financing solution that has been gaining traction in recent years. Its modern approach and speedy process makes pain points of traditional financing a thing of the past. Such setbacks including collateral requirement, onerous documentation, slow turnaround time, and high minimum requirements, all posed as hurdles for smaller businesses to obtain quick financing assistance. Through this collaboration, eligible businesses on the Yellow Pages platform can apply for the financing from Funding Societies without even needing to visit a physical branch.
Eligible MSMEs stand to enjoy the following financing benefits from Funding Societies:
- Discount on processing fee
- Fast disbursement with quick approval within five (5) working days
- Flexible tenure of up to 18 months
- No collateral requirement
- Minimal documentation requirement
Besides the collaboration with Funding Societies, TM through its consumer and SME product brand, unifi has also been continuously assisting businesses to stay productive in this emerging digital economy. Via unifi Business Club (uBC) specifically for its SME customers, unifi enables access to complete business solutions which include digital marketing tools, productivity boosters and financial solutions. By allowing businesses to leverage on its strategic partnerships, unifi aims to expedite its customers' recovery and enhance sustainability.
Interested MSMEs can apply for financing from Funding Societies on Yellow Pages website starting 5 October 2020. For more information on the partnership between Funding Societies and TMIM, please visit https://biz.yp.my/solutions/yellowpagesfinancing/.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Tune Protect enters partnership with Huawei Malaysia and TM
FIRST TO HOST THE INSURANCE CORE SYSTEM ON TM’S PUBLIC CLOUD IN MALAYSIA Tune Protect Malaysia (Tune Protect), Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Huawei Malaysia) and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) announced a collaboration today for Tune Protect to re-platform its existing GIS (General Insurance System), an insurance core system on Cloud. The hosting of Tune Protect’s core insurance system on Cloud is the first for insurers in Malaysia as it progresses in its digital transformation. The core system comes with a set of SAP HANA and SAP applications that will be completely hosted in TM Cloud αEdge (pronounced as Cloud Alpha Edge) which provides multi-cloud deployment management platform, scalability reliance and trust . This pivotal move is part of Tune Protect’s Cloud First strategy , and in line with current market demand. Works are currently underway for the core insurance system to be deployed in multiple phases commencing July 2022. Rohit Nambiar, Group Chief Executive Officer of Tune Protect said, “As the first insurer to have received the approval to host the core system on Cloud, we are further enhancing our group credentials. Cloud is the centrepiece of our digital transformation that will enable us to achieve speed-to-market and introduce more innovative products and services for our customers.” TM Cloud αEdge plays an important role as digital platform enabler through the offerings of comprehensive set of cloud services in Malaysia and will transform Tune Protect’s existing business capabilities and services into a highly scalable, and agile cloud native open standard and platform to unlock its existing capabilities into unlimited digital value. This transformation is crucial to support today’s fast-paced and demanding business operations and ensure the company consistently stays competitive in the market. Partnering with Huawei Malaysia and TM has brought Tune Protect to a whole new level of engagement experience. Aside to providing cloud and digital services, Huawei and TM have also demonstrated teamwork and commitment through the rendering of advisory and consultation in terms of compliance and technical requirements that align to the guidance provided by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). This will be the first core insurance system in Malaysia that has been officially approved by BNM and will be hosted on TM Cloud αEdge -- the only Malaysian-owned Hyperscaler Public Cloud, that primarily promotes data sovereignty. This marks a significant milestone for the company as TM’s Cloud αEdge meets the data protection standard and compliant to BNM’s Risk Management in Technology (RMiT) full guidance requirements checklist, making it the ONLY Public Cloud choice for financial service industry (FSI) customers’ cloud adoption in Malaysia. Meanwhile, Imri Mokhtar, Group Chief Executive Officer of TM said, “We fully understand the importance for FSI customers, including insurers such as Tune Protect to have highly secured digital infrastructure while they continue accelerating their digital adoption. Given the rising volume of digital transactions and our commitment to excellent customer experience, we must ensure that the infrastructure supporting our partner is resilient, scalable and protected on all fronts. With TM Cloud α Edge being fully compliant to BNM’s RMiT, FSI players can reap the benefit of scalability and agility to future-proof their business, while simultaneously protecting customer data, at a superior price advantage. Through our enterprise and public sector business solutions arm, TM ONE, we are ready to serve the industry with end-to-end robust and secured digital infrastructure, befitting our role as the sole Malaysian Cloud Service Provider (CSP) under the MyDIGITAL initiative.” In conveying his appreciation and support for this collaboration, Huawei Malaysia’s Vice President of the Cloud and AI Business Group, Mr Lim Chee Siong said, “It is always our goal at Huawei Cloud to dive into digitalisation and to provide everything as a service. Huawei will continue to innovate and team up with TM and our partners to dive into digital and build the cloud foundation for an intelligent world. Cloud is just the beginning. We view it as a runway to transport businesses to even greater heights.” TM is the only local player with its own core Data Centre and Cloud infrastructure with full data residency, locality and sovereignty. Through the collaboration with Huawei Malaysia, this infrastructure is reinforced through Cloud, AI and the most advanced cybersecurity practices and technologies, putting it right on track to become the only Malaysian-owned end-to-end Cloud AI infrastructure service provider. This means the data in the Cloud is stored right here in Malaysia instead of abroad, providing a solution to the challenge of data sovereignty.
TM reports strong 3Q2020 performance amidst challenging environment
Encouraging QoQ revenue growth across all product lines 3Q2020 QoQ Key Financial and Operational Highlights (All comparisons refer to the second quarter of 2020 (Quarter-on-Quarter (QoQ) comparison), except as noted): Group Revenue grew 3.8% to RM2.69 billion from RM2.59 billion recorded in 2Q2020. Group Reported Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) increased by 7.0% QoQ to RM456.2 million, from RM426.3 million in 2Q2020. Group Reported Profit After Tax and Non-controlling Interests (PATAMI) rose 19.9% QoQ to RM329.5 million compared to RM274.7 million. The total capital expenditure (capex) for 3Q2020 stood at 14.9% of revenue or RM400.0 million. unifi: Continues convergence leadership with growth in broadband and mobile; highest convergence penetration of TM households at 58%. TM ONE: Strengthened position as the digital enabler for enterprise and public sector customers with connectivity and end-to-end cloud offerings. TM Wholesale: Continues to connect industry players, carriers, over-the-top (OTT) providers and content players in Malaysia and globally. Addressing the digital divide: Remain committed to increasing connectivity reach via Jalinan Digital Negara (JENDELA) and accelerating the digital economy with recently announced Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) collaboration. Strong Business Performance for 3Q2020 Despite these unprecedented times, TM Group Revenue continues to increase QoQ recording a resilient 3.8% growth to RM2.69 billion from RM2.59 billion recorded in 2Q2020 on the back of higher revenue from voice, internet and data services. Group EBIT for 3Q2020 increased by 7.0% QoQ to RM456.2 million, from RM426.3 million in 2Q2020, on the back of lower operating cost, from the Group's continued momentum from its cost optimisation programmes. This subsequently led to a 19.9% increase in Group PATAMI from RM274.7 million in the preceding quarter to RM329.5 million. In 3Q2020, the company invested 14.9% of revenue in capex amounting to RM400.0 million - in line with guidance - as it continued to optimise its network and sweat its assets. Of the amount invested, 50% was for network access, 17% for core network, and the balance 33% for support system. Imri Mokhtar, Group Chief Executive Officer, TM, commenting on the results: "We are pleased to report another quarter of growth across all key financial metrics – revenue and profits – despite the challenging environment in Q3. Our efforts in cost optimisation continue to yield results with a healthy EBIT and a strong PATAMI. As we enter the ninth month of the Covid-19 pandemic, our priority continues to be the safety and health of our 'Warga TM' while continuously delivering connectivity and solutions excellence to our broad customer base." "We are seeing unifi gaining momentum, posting a 6.3% growth to 1.65 million subscribers, with our total broadband customer base now at 2.26 million. We achieved the highest convergence penetration (of three services or more) in TM households since 2018, of 58%, as more Malaysians embrace digital living-working in this new norm. On the wholesale front, we continue to collaborate with industry players in Malaysia and globally. At TM ONE, we further cemented our leadership position as the digital enabler for enterprise and public sector customers with enterprise-grade connectivity and end-to-end cloud offerings. We look forward to more collaborations with strategic partners and customers towards establishing a solid foundation for a more Digital Malaysia," Imri concluded. Operational Review: Maintaining Business Momentum TM delivered another quarter of robust performance, driven by its agility to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on Group businesses and operations; leveraging on new avenues for growth in the 'new normal' whilst adapting to challenges. unifi: Continues convergence leadership with growth in broadband and mobile Achieved the highest convergence penetration at 58% of TM households. unifi customer base grew 6.3% to 1.65 million; total broadband customer base grew 2% to 2.26 million during the quarter. Helped empower Small and Media Enterprises (SMEs) with relevant tools and knowledge to grow their businesses and embrace digitalisation with the launch of cari@unifi and eBiz Pack, unifi Business Club (uBC) collaboration with Lalamove and live webinars such as Reboot and Sembang Bisnes. Partnered with Funding Society Malaysia to provide business financing solutions for Micro SMEs (MSMEs) utilising Yellow Pages' digital platform. unifi Mobile extended access to the daily free 1GB Productivity Internet offer to 24 hours, until 31 December 2020, to support Malaysian's connectivity needs in Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO). TM ONE: Strengthened our position as digital enabler for enterprise and public sector customers with connectivity and end-to-end cloud offerings Scaled up the full capabilities of Cloud α (Cloud Alpha) suite of services with full data residency, locality and sovereignty. Appointed as the technology partner of the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) to develop and maintain the Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020 (e-Census) platform. Continue to support state governments and local city councils to establish future-ready smart cities and smart homes via its TM ONE Smart City Solution enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT) and various smart solutions. TM Wholesale: Continues to connect industry players, carriers, over-the-top (OTT) providers and content players in Malaysia and globally Domestic Secured a new contract with a domestic mobile player for cross ocean connectivity, backhaul connectivity solutions and broadband access capacity upgrade. New backhaul connectivity deal with a domestic mobile player for new backhaul services. International Expansion of content delivery services with an Asian-based OTT player. Secured a deal with an Asian-based OTT player for connectivity solution within Asia Pacific, and two (2) new long term data connectivity deals with global carriers. Additional voice business deals with global service providers worldwide. TM Network remained stable throughout CMCO as a result of continuous network optimisation. This is despite traffic utilisation surging between 30% to 50% depending on peak hours, from March 2020 to November 2020 due to more Malaysians working from home. Supporting the nation's digital agenda and addressing the digital divide: Remain committed to increasing connectivity reach via JENDELA and accelerating the digital economy with the recently announced MDEC collaboration. Prospects for the Current Financial Year Ending 31 December 2020 Following the Covid-19 pandemic, Bank Negara Malaysia has revised Malaysia's annual gross domestic product (GDP) forecast to contract between 3.5% to 5.5%[1], against 4.3% growth in 2019. Uncertainty from the most recent wave of the pandemic from October onwards is expected to bring about further revision to these numbers. As the nation faces this adversity, relying even more on the internet and digital connectivity for work and studies, TM continues to serve as an essential service provider, ensuring stable network performance for the entire nation via both our retail and wholesale fronts. The Government's introduction of JENDELA in September 2020 as well as the RM7.4 billion allocations in the recent National Budget to deliver upgraded broadband services for year 2021 and 2022 will serve as a platform to accelerate Malaysia's digital connectivity through wider deployment of mobile, fibre and fixed wireless access. This will pave the way for 5G under the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021–2025). TM is at the forefront in collaborating with other service providers, enabling and delivering JENDELA. We continue to seek opportunities to cater for future demands of connectivity, in line with our proven commitment to maintain business profitability whilst adapting to and exploring new norms and avenues from this dynamic circumstances that the nation faces today. [1] Sourced from Bank Negara Malaysia, 14 August 2020
TM announces another steady full year performance (FY2021) with EBIT up 6.6% at RM1.71 billion; revenue up 6.4% at RM11.53 billion; declares 6 sen per share dividend
As a result of jump in revenue and continuous cost optimisation initiatives, Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) increased 6.6% to RM1.71 billion from RM1.60 billion in 2020 despite one-off provisions, impairments and accelerated depreciation Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM or the Group) delivered yet another healthy set of financial results for the Full Year 2021 ended 31 December 2021 as compared to the same period last year (YoY), despite protracted impact from the ongoing pandemic on the economic and business front. Fueled by strong growth in unifi revenue and fixed broadband subscribers, as well as sharp growth in the TM Wholesale business which registered increasing data demands from hyperscalers, and international and domestic service providers, TM recorded a 6.4% rise in revenue to clock in at RM11.53 billion from RM10.84 billion in 2020. This marked revenue improvement as well as the Group’s continuous cost optimisation initiatives led to the increase in Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT), up 6.6% YoY to RM1.71 billion, from RM1.60 billion last year. Profit After Tax and Non-Controlling Interests (PATAMI) at RM895.2 million dipped 11.9% contributed by higher taxation including provision for Cukai Makmur, lesser interest income and forex losses, as well as impairment of TM’s mobile assets as the Group prepares itself for 5G. Based on its steady financial position and strong Free Cash Flow generation, the Board of Directors proposed the final interim dividend at 6 sen per share, resulting in a total dividend of 13 sen per share for 2021, in line with the Group’s growth investment strategy. CAPEX for the year was reported at RM1.70 billion, or 14.7% of revenue, reflecting TM’s commitment to reinvest in business expansion, new growth areas and provide great experience and services for its growing base of customers. Free Cash Flow at RM2.19 billion rose 9.5% from RM2.00 billion, ensuring steady growth ahead of a demanding future. unifi: Record-breaking revenue, total subscribers It was a landmark year for unifi, contributing to the Group’s strong performance. Overall unifi revenue grew by 10.3% driven by increased fixed broadband subscribers, with 2.78 million cumulative registered subscribers - the highest number of unifi and fixed broadband customers registered, as well as highest number of ports installed. In addition to unifi’s drive to reduce broadband downtime to the absolute minimum for its customers, the business introduced five #unificares initiatives to refine its end-to-end customer experience, with the highlight being unifi’s 24-hour service restoration guarantee, the first of its kind in the Malaysian telecommunications industry. In its effort to support SME recovery and growth, unifi has offered more than 377,000 local SMEs special packages with complete digital ecosystem to help them to grow their business and stay competitive. unifi will continue to maintain its leadership in convergence of broadband, content, mobile and solutions for both home and SMEs customers. With online connectivity playing a central role to enable Digital Malaysia, unifi bridges the connectivity gap by serving customers with innovative and high-quality products and services. TM Wholesale (TMW): Realising 5G and Malaysia’s digital hub aspiration TM continues to drive wholesale business for both domestic and international segments via TM Wholesale (TMW). With a strong performance last year, TMW’s posted revenue grew by 14.7% due to solid partnership expansion with domestic and international customers. Domestically, as the preferred fibre service provider, TMW will continue to pursue 4G and 5G fibre infrastructure deployment as well as promoting collaboration with domestic service providers, in line with the Government’s JENDELA initiative. The 5G fibre leasing services (worth RM2 billion over 10 years) for Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB)’s 5G infrastructure needs, is a testament of TM’s commitment to infrastructure sharing in enabling excellent wireless solutions and services. TMW also recorded the highest active ports subscription for wholesale High-Speed Broadband (HSBB) access with more than 550,000 cumulative ports for Malaysian fibre broadband providers. On the international front, TMW continues with its aspiration to become a digital hub for the ASEAN region through strategic collaborations with hyperscalers and global service providers. The year saw a solid achievement with 190 new deals from hyperscalers and global service providers for various wholesale International Data offerings. This translated into the highest annual revenue contribution from major hyperscalers worldwide, a milestone year in building a regional hub position for Malaysia. TM ONE: Custom solutions and digital adoption amid a challenging landscape TM ONE is expected to remain competitive amidst the challenging economic and business environment. This is driven by its strong value proposition of offering the end-to-end managed services and digital solutions, backed by robust digital connectivity and infrastructure. As the only home-based Cloud Service Provider (CSP) with data sovereignty assurance, TM ONE will continue enhancing its Cloud service as a complete digital solution by embedding analytics, smart services/IoT and cybersecurity to cater for the key industry verticals. Enterprises and public sector services are on an accelerated path to digitally transform, leveraging on cloud architecture and smart services as a foundational pillar to unlock innovation opportunities, stay resilient and maintain a competitive edge, all in line with Malaysia’s MyDIGITAL aspirations. In becoming a trusted cloud partner, TM ONE focused its efforts in boosting proficiencies and competencies of its solution consultants, technology experts as well as international certifications. It has attained four (4) International Standard certifications (ISO/IEC) for Cloud α (pronounced as Cloud alpha) on Information Security Management System (ISMS), Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) and Cloud Specific Controls. Commentary and Outlook from Imri Mokhtar, TM Group Chief Executive Officer “As the enabler of Digital Malaysia, TM remains steadfast in its efforts to realise the national digital aspirations. We are committed to support the Government’s efforts to re-build the economy post-pandemic. For 2021, TM has shown positive results, driven by the New TM Transformation Programme which has delivered overall growth in TM’s revenue and EBIT. Cost rationalisation has also significantly improved the Group’s profitability. As TM enters its second year of transformation in 2022, we are activating more programmes to ensure we quickly move forward as a growth company, and keep pace with our trajectory. TM’s revenue growth is expected to remain intact, in line with the Group's market guidance, which is between low to middle single digit growth, while EBIT is projected to be more than RM1.80 billion, driven by TM’s three Lines of Business: unifi, TM ONE and TM Wholesale. We expect to invest between 14% to 18% of our revenue this year on Capex, reflecting our continued commitment to reinvesting into growth areas, capability, and capacity building, as well as enhanced customer experience. In promoting sustainability, TM aligns its ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) vision and commitments to national and global aspirations. For Environmental, TM is committed to achieve carbon emission reduction by 30% in 2024, 45% by 2030 and Net-Zero emission by 2050. On Social, TM is set to enable MyDIGITAL Blueprint 2025 targets by ensuring at least 70% of premises have access to high-speed Internet. Under Governance, TM works hand-in-hand with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to continue upholding our zero-tolerance to any form of corruption and maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance. This year, we will continue to power a digital nation, by delivering great Customer Experience, Solutions and Connectivity Excellence. This is made possible with unwavering support from its core execution engine; the employees or "Warga TM" who are fully dedicated and committed to enabling a Digital Malaysia, bridging the digital divide and in step, reducing the income divide.” In its pursuit to strengthen its core connectivity and invest more in digital, TM is future-proofing the organisation with future-ready skills and digital workforce, as part of its aspiration in becoming a human-centred technology company.” Guidance for 2022 is summarised below: Revenue Growth Low to middle single digit growth Low to middle single digit growth EBIT More than RM 1.8 billion CAPEX / Revenue Between 14% - 18%
NEWSLETTER
Just drop your details and stay updated with the world of Telekom Malaysia. We promise – no spam!