PUNB Aims To Approve RM195 Million In Loans For This Year

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Bhd (PUNB) aims to approve loans worth RM195 million for this year, said its Chairman Khairy Jamaluddin.

Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v6/newsbusiness.php?id=923548
Published: January 23, 2013

He said the amount will finance more than 620 entrepreneurs through four schemes, namely, the Retail Prosper Scheme, Wholesale Prosper Scheme, Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Scheme (SME) and the Young Entrepreneurs Prosper Scheme (PUMA),offering between RM5,000 and RM5 million.

Last year PUNB approved loans totalling RM166.78 million to 539 entrepreneurs, Khairy told reporters after handing out prizes to winners of the PUNB Biz Plan Challenge 2012.

He said attention would be given to the youth, particularly in the PUMA Scheme, to inculcate the entrepreneurship culture among them.

"We will cooperate with institutions of higher learning and entrepreneur clubs to expose students to the field of entrepreneurship, as a more attractive career," he added.

Khairy said perception problems, such as difficult application conditions, would be given attention by PUNB.

"A lot of entrepreneurs feel that it is difficult to get loans. In reality, we are unlike banks which require collateral for any loan. For even the PUMA scheme, there is no need to furnish a record of company performance," he added.

As such, Khairy said PUNB was not taking a passive approach in respect of applications, but always acted proactively to seek out eligible entrepreneurs to receive loans.

Meanwhile, PUNB Chief Executive Officer Dzulkifli Fadzilah said the Biz Plan Challenge 2012, had succeeded in recording 299 business plans from the student and public categories.

Of this figure, 10 groups were shortlisted and received cash prizes in the form of business grants worth an overall RM170,000.

-- BERNAMA