KUALA LUMPUR: The banking industry and Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit’s (AKPK) Financial Management & Resilience Programme (URUS) has received full support from Bank Negara Malaysia.
The programme is for individual borrowers/customers who continue to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The objective of URUS is to help B50 borrowers with performing loans who have lost their jobs or who are experiencing an income loss of at least 50%. Eligible borrowers who wish to apply for URUS can approach their banks starting from Nov 15 to Jan 31, 2022.
In a statement on Thursday, Governor Datuk Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus said the central bank has been working with AKPK to put in place a holistic debt management and financial planning solution.
“The aim is to provide appropriate support to borrowers so that they not only meet their loan obligations but importantly, return to a firmer financial footing. This will strengthen the financial resilience of borrowers in the longer term,” she said. The implementation of URUS is in line with these efforts.
Borrowers/customers who are not eligible for URUS may also approach their banks to discuss other repayment solutions that suit their financial circumstances.
Bank Negara also said borrowers/customers facing any difficulty with their applications, may contact BNMTELELINK at bnm.my/RAsurvey to seek assistance. Borrowers/customers may also obtain more information on the new scheme by visiting banks’ and AKPK’s websites.
Bank Negara also said for SMEs, further enhancements to its fund for SMEs will be announced during the upcoming Budget 2022 on Oct 29.
Importantly, these enhancements to the fund will help businesses manage cashflows and reposition themselves with the reopening of the economy.
“Despite heightened credit risks, bank financing to SMEs continues to expand with additional capacity provided through the fund and credit guarantee schemes,” the central bank said.
According to Bank Negara, for the first six months of 2021, a total of RM154bil was disbursed to SMEs which is 4% higher than the pre-pandemic level.
Since the start of the pandemic, RM18bil has been allocated under the fund to augment financing by the banking system to SMEs.
Bank Negara also said loans outstanding for the SME segment increased by 6% over the same period last year.
“Efforts are also underway to develop alternative debt-equity and blended financing initiatives to enable SMEs have access to a wider range of appropriate financing options across their growth cycle.
“This will be important to lower the leverage and strengthen the long-term resilience and capacity of SMEs, and increase their contribution to the economy,” Nor Shamsiah said.
