The ASEAN SME Conference was held following the ASEAN-BAC 2015 Chairmanship Handover Gala Dinner. The Conference discussed the opportunities and challenges facing ASEAN SMEs and how to address them.

The SMEs are recognised as the primary driver for economic growth and employment, and the Conference provided substantive and conclusive discussions and recommendations which was subsequently forwarded to the ASEAN Heads of Government.

Some speakers included YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Honourable Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry; Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia; Pak Gita Wirjawan, Former Trade Minister of the Republic of Indonesia; Tengku Dato’ Zafrul Bin Tengku Abdul Aziz , Acting Chief Executive of CIMB Group Holdings Bhd / Chief Executive of CIMB Investment Bank Bhd, among many others.

In realising the need for an actualisation in advocating positive policy change in ASEAN, Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Mohd Munir Abdul Majid, Chair of ASEAN-Business Advisory Council 2015, initiated the now renowned “Legacy project” that is now a tradition in ASEAN-BAC. The project started with the “Growth Accelerator Exchange (GAX)”, a digitalised platform to cater the needs of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the topic of financing, which focuses on three aspect of ASEAN Growth Financing Digital Infrastructure:

1. ASEAN e-Payment Platform Integration
2. ASEAN MSME Ecosystem e-Financing
3. ASEAN Wide e-Logistics Services

The “Growth Accelerator Exchange (GAX)” main objective is to address the main concern that plagues the SMEs in ASEAN, which is inconvenient and limited access to financing. With GAX, SMEs will have the tools to navigate through various barriers in preventing them from developing and growing as a business, as GAX functions as a peer-to-peer financing and loan crowdfunding platform for SMEs to utilise.

The GAX platform has only been made available to Malaysia in 2015, but has expanded to other ASEAN member states the following year. Further information regarding GAX, which has now been renamed as the ASEAN Financial Inclusion Solutions (AFIS), may be accessed through HERE.

The ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2015 is ASEAN’s premier annual Business and Investment event.

The summit provides a platform for the business community to engage with ASEAN leaders, business leaders, entrepreneurs and key decision makers.

ABIS 2015 will bring into sharp focus the opportunities, requirements and questions facing the private sector, and explore the myriad of possibilities brought forth by the onset of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

The ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2015 is also the platform for business leaders to meet with global and regional leaders from different investment, business and academic backgrounds. ABIS 2015 will allow you to explore new ideas, challenge perspectives, outline opportunities, network and most importantly, attain the necessary insights to propel your business towards regional success.

The ASEAN Business Awards (ABA) is an annual award dedicated to national sector champions that have successfully contributed to the national economy through expansion in the ASEAN region. The award appreciates ASEAN companies that have been outstanding, and also integral in contributing to ASEAN economic growth and prosperity. Aside from recognising sectoral economic champions, the ABA also became the platform to relay essential information related to the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and also to shone the spotlight on potential SMEs that have the capacity to become a global industry leader in their respective field.

The ASEAN Business Award (ABA) 2015 was held on the 20th of November, 2015, in which Hotel Shangri-La, Kuala Lumpur became the venue for the prestigious gala, attended by Y.A.B Dato’ Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, the sixth prime minister of Malaysia.

The 2015 ABA saw a special category added in the awards, which give special recognition to Non-ASEAN owned enterprises which have contributed greatly towards the region’s growth and development through the special category “Friends of ASEAN”.

The event saw 5 categories to be awarded:

1. ASEAN Business Awards: Priority Integration Sectors – Excellence Awards;The Priority Integration Sectors Excellence Awards open to companies of all sizes, with one award to be given out per one sub-category. 12 Awards will be given out to each Priority Integration Sector which are Agro-Based, Automotive, Aviation, e-ASEAN, Electronics, Fisheries, Healthcare, Logistics, Rubber-based, Textiles, Tourism, and Wood-Based.
2. ASEAN Business Awards: SME Excellence Awards;The SME Excellence Awards will be given to SMEs that meet SME Qualification that is set by SME Agencies in respective countries. One award will be given out per sub-category of ‘Growth’, ‘Employment’, ‘Innovation’, and ‘Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)’.
3. ASEAN Business Awards: Young Entrepreneurs Award;The Young Entrepreneurs Award will be given to an outstanding young entrepreneur that fits the eligibility criteria for ‘young entrepreneurs’ set in the earlier section. The nominees will be judged based on their achievements in relation to growth, employment, innovation, and CSR activities.
4. ASEAN Business Awards: Women Entrepreneurs Award.Women Entrepreneurs Awards will be given to an outstanding women entrepreneur that fits the eligibility criteria under ‘women entrepreneurs’ set in the earlier section. The nominees will be judged based on their achievements in relation to growth, employment, innovation, and CSR activities.
5. ASEAN Business Awards: Friends of ASEAN Awards.Friends of ASEAN Awards will be given to three outstanding Non-ASEAN owned enterprises that fit the eligibility criteria under ‘Friends of ASEAN’ set in the earlier section. The nominees will be judged based on their achievements in relation to growth, employment, innovation, and CSR activities.
6. Other ASEAN BAC related events, seminars, webinars, conferences that you wish to be included in the country page (1 PDF file per events)