Hong Leong Bank Named 'Best SME Bank in Malaysia' by The Asian Banker, Driven by Strong Loan Growth Rate and Customer-Focused Innovations

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on its consistent excellence and deep commitment to the SME ecosystem, Hong Leong Bank ("HLB" or "the Bank") has been named the Best SME Bank in Malaysia for the sixth time at The Asian Banker Global Excellence in Retail Finance Awards 2025. This accolade is a testament to HLB's enduring history of delivering industry-leading SME banking solutions that serve its customers' diversified needs.

Kevin Lam, HLB’s Group Managing Director & CEO [center] and Yow Kuan Tuck, HLB’s Managing Director of Business & Corporate Banking [3rd from left] at a recent SME-focused forum hosted by HLB. The Bank is committed to providing its SME customers with targeted advisory and industry insights, alongside its tailor-made business banking solutions and networking opportunities.

The Bank continues to record strong strides in its SME banking sector, achieving a commendable 8.5% year-on-year ("y-o-y") growth in SME loans and expanding the Bank's SME loan book to RM36 billion as of March 2025. This sustained growth has also strengthened HLB's overall performance, with SME banking now contributing 12.1% to the total Bank's revenue and Profit Before Tax (PBT) rising to 12.6% in March 2025.

According to Kevin Lam, Group Managing Director and CEO of HLB, the strength of the Bank's SME segment highlights HLB's commitment to supporting its customers towards achieving their business objectives.

"The global economic landscape is characterised by continuous change, presenting businesses with a spectrum of opportunities and complexities as we witness the unfolding of a 'new trade world order'. And on these geoeconomic crossroads, we believe in proactively equipping our SME customers with the necessary resources and strategic support, regardless of global shifts in trade or market sentiment. The consistent positive momentum within our SME banking segment is powerful evidence of our commitment, demonstrating the strength of our long-term partnerships with our customers, enabling them to confidently pursue their diversified business objectives with our comprehensive suite of bespoke business banking solutions."

HLB's recognition as the Best SME Bank in Malaysia reflects its comprehensive approach to supporting its SME customers, combining digital innovation and tailored solutions to ensure a seamless customer experience boosted by strategically-integrated digital efficiencies. Expanding on the Bank's own tablet-based onboarding feature, one key advancement in HLB's business banking solutions is the Partnership Onboarding feature, which allows SME customers to onboard partnership entities directly in-branch, providing more flexibility and convenience for partnerships seeking banking services with HLB while allowing the Bank to accommodate a wider range of business structures. The in-branch tablet-based onboarding feature can now also be used to support the opening of Foreign Currency Accounts ("FCA"), providing further convenience for businesses dealing in foreign markets.

HLB has also enabled businesses to validate their LHDN registration number via an LHDN API, allowing customers to make statutory payments through the Hong Leong ConnectFirst ("HLCF") platform. With this enhancement, customers can conveniently register their LHDN number directly at HLB branches, simplifying compliance with regulatory requirements.

According to Yow Kuan Tuck, HLB's Managing Director of Business & Corporate Banking, the consistent positive growth among HLB's SME segment underscores its dedication to designing tailor-made banking solutions that are innovative, efficient, and cater to customers' unique business needs.

"HLB has a long history of working closely with our customers to deliver tailor-made solutions that cater specifically to their diversified business needs. In supporting our SME customers in their business growth, we have consistently integrated technological advancements and innovative digital solutions to simplify certain processes and execute tasks more efficiently and effectively. From introducing the in-branch tablet-onboarding feature, to launching our digital business banking platform and integrating features such as cash flow analytics and automated transactions, our banking solutions serve to empower SMEs to scale, pivot, and compete in today's economy."

This latest accolade builds on the Bank's previous win in 2023, and this consistency has also been celebrated across the industry, notably with HLB being named Best SME Bank in Malaysia for three consecutive years at the Asian Banking & Finance Retail Banking Awards, and receiving top honours at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2024.

To know more about HLB's SME banking solutions, please visit: