KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 – Malaysia’s digital economy is on track to achieve the target of contributing 30 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, said Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
He said the country was on track, with policies including the National AI Plan and Malaysia Digital 2030 (MD 2030), which have clear targets that need to be achieved in time.
“Of course, we are on the right track. And I think at the end of the day, if we look at the policies that have been planned, we have the National AI Plan, MD 2030, etc.
“These are all clear policies that have targets that need to be achieved in time, and we also have a process where we can ensure that there is monitoring.
“Our target for 2025 is for the digital economy to contribute 25.5 per cent to GDP. I don’t have the official figure right now, but I am aware that we have more or less achieved it,” he told reporters after launching the Boost SME platform here today.
He said MyDigital Corporation, an agency under the Ministry of Digital, had been tasked with ensuring that everything launched by the ministry achieved the targets that had been set.
Gobind said the ministry remained focused on achieving Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s vision of making Malaysia an AI Nation by 2030.
On Budget 2027, the minister said the Government wanted to ensure a high level of utilisation of AI, which means adoption at scale, through initiatives under the Budget.
On another note, he said the launch of the Boost SME platform reflected the need to bring together the various assistance, incentives and facilities available to SMEs, which he said were currently “very, very sporadic”.
“We want to bring everyone together. So, I want the industry to see how they can create a platform where it is easy for SMEs or MSMEs to get the facilities they need. Financial assistance, incentives that are available from the government or from the industry, and it makes the process easier,” he said.
Axiata Group Bhd’s fintech arm Boost Holdings Sdn Bhd has introduced Boost SME, a digital platform that brings business banking, payments and financing into a single interface for Malaysian SMEs.
The platform enables account opening in as little as five minutes, same-day DuitNow QR settlements and payment acceptance via QR, online and in-store card payments.
Boost SME also gives businesses access to financing of up to RM300,000, along with 3.0 per cent annual interest on business balances and rebates on sales.