KUALA LUMPUR, March 15– Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) has launched its new enhanced guidelines for Services Export Fund (SEF) to enhance capabilities of Malaysia services providers (MSPs) in gaining market access into overseas projects.
The new SEF guidelines will commence on March 15.
In a statement today, Matrade said it has also introduced three new activities, which brought total activities to 12 from nine previously, under the SEF to enhance exports of services.
It said the additional three new activities cover the participation fees in training programmes held overseas; registration fees for certification including compliance to sustainability, and purchasing of software or purchasing/hire purchase/renting of machinery and equipment.
“With these additional activities, we hope that the SEF will help improve the international competitiveness of our service providers in implementing projects globally,” it said.
In 2020, Malaysia’s exports of services amounted to RM91.73 billion, with major sectors being transport, telecommunication, computer & information services and other business services (including research and development, management and consultancy services, engineering), accounting for 58.6 per cent of the total exports.
Chief executive officer Mohd Mustafa Abdul Aziz said Malaysia’s companies in the services sector have been very active in exploring overseas projects and some of them had successfully secured the projects through collaboration with local partners and host countries.
He said the government, through the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and its agency Matrade, were supporting these efforts through the SEF.
The SEF since its inception in 2015 has benefited 189 MSPs, covering such sectors as ICT, engineering, business services, construction and education, generating export value worth RM7.6 billion.
This fund has enabled the MSPs to export their services to Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Myanmar, Singapore, India, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States, Matrade said.
Hence, Matrade urged more MSPs to come forward and be part of the programme, but first MSPs must register via www.matrade.gov.my as a Matrade member which is complimentary.
For further information on SEF can be obtained via this link https://www.matrade.gov.my/en/malaysian-exporters/services-for-exporters/exporters-development/services-export-fund-sef or contact SEF Secretariat through telephone number 603 6207 7077/7593 or email at sef@matrade.gov.my.
