YAPEIM Contributes RM500,000 To Support Asnaf Entrepreneurs Under iTEKAD ISHRAF 4.0

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 (Bernama) -- Yayasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Islam Malaysia (YAPEIM) has contributed RM500,000 as business capital assistance to support asnaf (tithe recipeient) entrepreneurs under the SME Bank iTEKAD ISHRAF 4.0 programme.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan said the contribution reflects the continued commitment of religious agencies in building a sustainable Islamic economic ecosystem.

“Through capital injections and synergies such as this, we have witnessed remarkable success, with asnaf entrepreneurs now generating very encouraging incomes. Current data shows that the iTEKAD ISHRAF programme has benefited about 420 asnaf entrepreneurs nationwide in this cohort.

“Some participants have even achieved monthly incomes of between RM60,000 and RM70,000, while recording annual sales of up to RM1.5 million,” he said at the SME Bank iTEKAD ISHRAF 4.0 Graduation Ceremony here today.

Also present were Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin and SME Bank chairman Zulkiflee Hashim.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives will continue to strengthen the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) ecosystem through various initiatives and assistance programmes channelled via SME Bank, the National Entrepreneur Group Economic Fund (TEKUN Nasional), Bank Rakyat, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), UDA Holdings Berhad and the National Entrepreneurship Institute (INSKEN).

He said that as of April, the PowerUp 10K initiative had disbursed more than RM4 billion to over 154,000 MSMEs nationwide.

“This is supported by RM100 million allocated for entrepreneur capacity-building programmes. To improve accessibility, the government will also launch the Empower Malaysian Businesses Portal in June 2026 as a one-stop platform for entrepreneur support,” he said.

Led by Bank Negara Malaysia and implemented by SME Bank, the iTEKAD ISHRAF programme aims to empower asnaf entrepreneurs through training, mentoring and start-up capital support to improve their economic standing.

The programme also seeks to help participants transition from zakat (tithe) recipients to zakat contributors, reflecting the role of Islamic social finance in building a more resilient and sustainable entrepreneurial community.

-- BERNAMA