MDEC and Ant International are expanding their partnership to speed up digital adoption among Malaysian MSMEs.
The new MoU will see Ant International roll out EPOS, the all-in-one SME platform under its Antom unit.
EPOS brings together payments, multi-channel online store deployment, operations management, digital banking features, growth tools and AI-driven capabilities in a single system designed to give small businesses faster access to digital solutions and data insights.
MDEC will back the rollout by engaging MSMEs, industry bodies and ecosystem partners, and by leading outreach, training and co-developed programmes under its national digitalisation agenda.
The collaboration builds on earlier work through Ant International’s global digital business centre in Kuala Lumpur under the Business Digitalisation Initiative.
MSMEs account for 97 percent of business establishments in Malaysia but continue to face digitalisation barriers linked to cost, limited access and technical capabilities.
The partnership aims to ease those constraints and support growth across online and offline channels.
Retail and food and beverage merchants are expected to benefit as they manage rising labour costs, manpower shortages and higher expectations for digital customer experiences.
The shift toward mobile-first behaviour has made digital tools critical for competitiveness.
Anuar Fariz Fadzil, CEO of MDEC said,
“Digitalisation has become a fundamental requirement for MSMEs to stay competitive and resilient. Our deepened collaboration with Ant International directly supports Malaysia’s journey towards an AI Nation, ensuring that even the smallest enterprises can access modern, AI-enabled tools.
By synergising global technology capabilities with Malaysia’s national priorities, we are empowering MSMEs to transform how they operate, strengthen their business foundations, and participate fully in the opportunities of the digital economy.”
Ian Cheong, CEO of EPOS, said,
“Malaysian MSMEs are ambitious, resilient, and eager to grow, but they need the right tools to compete in an increasingly digital economy. MDEC has made great strides in supporting MSME digitalisation, and through EPOS, we can advance this national strategy even further.
By making advanced technology accessible within minutes, so that even the smallest business can operate smarter, serve customers better, and scale with confidence, we can ensure no MSME is left behind.”
Featured image: (Form left) Chen Leiming, Senior Vice President & Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International; Ir. Wan Murdani Wan Mohamad, Vice President of Digital Adoption, MDEC; Ian Cheong, CEO of EPOS
