KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) kick-started its series of Business Financing Opportunities Forum at MIDA headquarters, today. Aptly themed ‘Equity Investment for Business Growth’, the Forum provides an accessible avenue for businesses to obtain information to enhance their competitiveness and capacity through equity participation.
 
Mr. Zabidi Mahbar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of MIDA in his keynote address, said that “Today’s forum is to bring forward equity investment as one of the viable funding options for companies with the expansion plan. The Forum aims to provide a strategic platform for financial houses to share with participants on their investment strategies, sectors and industries that they are focusing on”.
 
The event is a continuous engagement of MIDA through the Investment Coordination Platform (ICP), a dedicated team that facilitates companies with the expansion plan and business growth. This unit works closely with equity and corporate advisory firms, as well as local regulators and technology providers in assisting companies in conducting business-to-business matching, capital raising through debt & equity, M&A, divestments and IPO.
 
Mr. Zabidi also highlighted that as to date, the team has engaged with over 200 manufacturing, services, plantation companies and 50 strategic technologies and funding partners. The team has chaired more than 60 business-to-business meeting sessions between anchor companies and their respective local counterparts to discuss strategic collaborations. Notably, the team’s IPO services have enabled a local steel company to meet the requirements for listing on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia.
 
The forum was moderated by Dr. Norida Abd Rahman, Managing Director of Venture Tech Sdn. Bhd. and panellists by Mr. Badrul Hisham Jaafar, Senior Vice President COPE Private Equity, Mr. Nik Ibrahim Nik Mohamed Din, Director Investment, EKUINAS and Mr. Herman Syah Abdul Rahim, Principal Kumpulan Modal Perdana. The event, which was well attended by 150 participants from various fields, including manufacturers and service providers is a bridging platform in enlightening the industry players on equity participation as one of the means to raise capital towards taking their businesses to the next level.
 
About MIDA
 
MIDA is the government's principal promotion agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Starting operations in 1967 with a relatively small set up of 37 staff, MIDA has grown to become a strong and dynamic organisation of over 700 employees. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA today has 12 regional and 20 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, @OfficialMIDA.

Photos from the event can be downloaded at the following link - Google Drive link: http://bit.ly/2M6qRLm
 
Source: Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Mr. Sikh Shamsul Sikh Abdul Majid
Director, Domestic Investment & Supply Chain Division, MIDA
Tel: 03 2267 3766 
Email: shamsul@mida.gov.my

--BERNAMA