KUALA LUMPUR: HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd will consult with Bank Negara Malaysia and the Credit Counseling and Management Agency (AKPK) to evaluate specific initiatives that will enable Malaysians and businesses to navigate through their financial challenges.
Chief executive officer Datuk Omar Siddiq said HSBC recognises that customers servicing their debt repayments may be going through a challenging time and remains committed to supporting those impacted.
"We urge businesses experiencing financial difficulties to reach out to the bank as early as possible so that we can provide you with specific, tailored and targeted solutions.
"Underlying this, the combination of progressive policies and Malaysia's position in global trade can lead to continued growth and benefit all households," he told Bernama today.
Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim called on the banks to continue to offer loan repayment assistance to individuals and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in need, including assistance in scheduling and restructuring their loans.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, also reminded the banking industry that they play an important role in driving post-pandemic economic growth, especially in helping borrowers who are still affected and have difficulty moving on with their lives.
Meanwhile, Maybank Group president and chief executive officer Datuk Khairussaleh Ramli said the bank has fully supported the government's efforts towards ensuring a healthy and stable economic environment for businesses and individuals to thrive.
He said Maybank will continue to play a critical role in supporting small businesses and expects todisburse about RM12 billion in financing to the SME segment this year.
Khairussaleh said Maybank has been facilitative in assisting its borrowers, especially low-income households and small businesses, who need repayment assistance for various reasons.
"Since the pandemic, Maybank has provided repayment assistance to more than 430,000 borrowers in Malaysia.
"Currently, Maybank has about 52,000 borrowers in different forms of active repayment assistance," he said.
Khairussaleh noted that Maybank will remain steadfast in supporting its customers and clients by leveraging on deep financial services expertise, enhanced by its digital capabilities.
"Our digital platforms are currently serving multiple customer segments ranging from institutional corporates, SMEs to retail consumers, and we will continue to prioritise these segments in our efforts to grow our footprint across ASEAN," he added.
Source : https://www.nst.com.my/business/2023/06/925890/hsbc-evaluate-initiatives-help-individuals-smes-overcome-financial