The Ecosystem Gap: Why Capital Cannot Reach Malaysia's 1.2 Million SMEs

Malaysia’s MSMEs represent 97 percent of all businesses, contribute 39.5 percent of GDP, and employ 8.1 million people, yet face a financing gap estimated at RM290 billion. Investors say there is no pipeline. Entrepreneurs say there is no capital. Both are right. The real barrier is the missing ecosystem in between: investor communities, pipeline mechanisms, trust architecture, and intermediary networks connecting capital to enterprises. This is not unique to Malaysia. Across ASEAN’s 70 million MSMEs, the same structural gap widens as global sustainability mandates force enterprises into transitions they cannot fund. This session tackles the question: who builds this connective infrastructure, and how do we scale it?