KUALA LUMPUR, 17 December 2025 – CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad has allocated RM2.4 million to strengthen its flagship iTEKAD Programme, aimed at empowering up to 220 micro-entrepreneurs, gig workers, and agropreneurs through financial assistance, entrepreneurship training, and capacity-building support.
The Programme fosters sustainable livelihoods and long-term economic resilience through three key initiatives under one platform:
- iTEKAD Program Keusahawanan CIMB Islamic–Taylor’s
- iTEKAD CIMB Islamic Rider Entrepreneurship Programme
- iTEKAD CIMB Islamic Melon Manis Terengganu Graduate Agropreneur Programme
These initiatives leverage a blended funding structure combining matching grants from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) with allocations from CIMB Islamic’s Zakat Wakalah funds, ensuring targeted capital deployment for income growth.
Ahmad Shahriman Mohd Shariff, Chief Executive Officer of CIMB Islamic, said:
“Financial empowerment goes beyond addressing short-term challenges. It is about enabling long-term economic mobility and resilience. Through our iTEKAD Programme, we aim to provide underserved communities not only with financial support but also with knowledge, tools, and networks to thrive and transition towards self-sufficiency and business growth. This programme reflects our commitment to inclusive finance and social equity, aligned with our broader purpose of advancing customers and society.”
CIMB Islamic continues to collaborate with BNM and partners including Yayasan Belia Malaysia, MAIWP, Lembaga Zakat Selangor, Taylor’s Community, and Foodpanda to promote shared goals of community empowerment and sustainable income opportunities.
Since its launch, the iTEKAD Rider Entrepreneurship Programme has helped more than 200 gig workers transition to business ownership, expanding from Klang Valley to Melaka, Pahang, Sabah, Sarawak, Negeri Sembilan, and Penang. Recently, Datuk Syed Zaid Albar, Chairman of CIMB Group, presented over 60 motorcycles to gig workers in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor at Projek Perumahan Rakyat, Bukit Jalil.
CIMB Islamic’s broader suite of iTEKAD initiatives continues to strengthen economic participation among underserved communities:
- The iTEKAD Program Keusahawanan CIMB Islamic–Taylor’s has supported over 500 micro-entrepreneurs from the Asnaf and B40 community with business grants and structured training.
- In Terengganu, the iTEKAD Melon Manis Graduate Agropreneur Programme is nurturing youth in modern agriculture, providing entrepreneurship training and four greenhouses to empower 40 agropreneurs, each cultivating more than 1,500 melon plants per season.
Collectively, these efforts align with BNM’s iTEKAD umbrella programme, which promotes blended social financing, including Waqaf, Zakat, impact investments, microfinancing, and entrepreneurship development, to support sustainable income generation and long-term economic resilience.
