KUALA LUMPUR: The RM230 million allocation for Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) in Budget 2026 is projected to generate 32,857 new micro-entrepreneurs nationwide.
AIM managing director Datuk Mohamed Shamir Abdul Aziz confirmed the funds will be used to boost women’s participation in micro-enterprises.
He stated that financing facilities ranging from RM10,000 to RM30,000 will be offered with flexible repayment periods of up to three years.
Sixty percent of the financing will be directed to rural women while forty percent will support urban poor women.
Mohamed Shamir emphasised that the institution’s primary goal is ensuring financial assistance reaches B40 families to improve their income and living standards.
The additional allocation increases AIM’s total funding for next year to RM2.9 billion compared to RM2.7 billion this year.
AIM currently supports 320,000 active entrepreneurs nationwide who operate small businesses to sustain their households.
The organisation is helping female entrepreneurs transition from the informal sector to formal businesses while assisting with halal certification.
Mohamed Shamir noted the allocation announcement has motivated small entrepreneurs to expand their business operations.
AIM maintains an outstanding loan repayment rate of 99.97 percent, demonstrating the reliability of women entrepreneurs.
Since its establishment in 1987, AIM has disbursed over RM37.68 billion in microfinancing and helped more than one million Malaysian women escape poverty.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the RM230 million allocation for AIM when presenting the 2026 Budget yesterday. – Bernama