The Malaysian Securities Commission (SC) introduced the SARANA alternative financing plan on Monday, provided by nine SC-registered peer-to-peer (P2P) financing platform operators under the government’s electronic procurement system.
According to the SC's press release, SARANA takes effect immediately and aims to meet the operational funding needs of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and small contractors involved in government supply, service, or engineering contracts.
“SARANA offers two main financing options: invoice financing to support cash flow post-contract delivery and contract financing to meet contractors' initial operational funding needs before project implementation.”
The P2P platform operators participating in this plan include Bay Smart Capital Ventures Sdn Bhd, B2B Finpal Ltd, Capsphere Services Ltd, Crowd Sense Ltd, P2P Nusa Kapital Ltd, FBM Crowdtech Ltd, MicroLEAP PLT, Modalku Ventures Ltd, and Moneysave (M) Sdn Bhd.
With government support for P2P financing in the 2025 Budget, SARANA offers a viable alternative, especially for companies that find it difficult to secure traditional financing to bridge critical funding gaps.
Entering the capital market through P2P platform operators aligns with the SC's goals as outlined in the 5-year roadmap (2024-2028) for promoting MSME and medium enterprise access to the capital market.
Since the SC launched the P2P regulatory framework in 2016, registered P2P platform operators have played a key role in meeting the financing needs of locally registered companies.