DEWI INITIATIVE : RM3 BILLION FUND TO BENEFIT 300,000 WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS - SIM

PUTRAJAYA, March 5 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development (KUSKOP) has provided nearly RM3 billion under the Women Entrepreneurs Economic Fund (DEWI) this year to empower women entrepreneurs nationwide.

Its Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong said DEWI was launched in conjunction with the celebration of International Women's Day 2026 which is celebrated on March 8 every year.

He said DEWI is a manifestation of KUSKOP's determination in helping to develop women entrepreneurs in the country in producing more "Iron Ladies" in the business world.

"This allocation of almost RM3 billion is specifically for women entrepreneurs to ensure they benefit from financing, training and various facilities provided by the government through KUSKOP.

"The initiative is expected to benefit between 200,000 to 300,000 women entrepreneurs at various levels of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) throughout the country," he told the media after the launch of the TikTok Shop Bazar Raya 2026, here today.

Sim said the initiative offers financing from as low as RM1,000 to RM3 million to women entrepreneurs and women-owned MSMEs.

He said four agencies under KUSKOP would be the implementing agencies for the DEWI initiative, namely Bank Rakyat, SME Bank, Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (TEKUN) Nasional and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia.

He said some of the programmes in the initiative were existing programmes, including those implemented by Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, but were now being adjusted to ensure more integrated implementation.

"We are bringing together several initiatives that were previously implemented separately by their respective agencies so that efforts and resources can be focused more effectively to provide greater benefits to women entrepreneurs," he said.

-- BERNAMA