Malaysia and Morocco are linked in Islamic culture and history. The earliest linkage between our nations can probably be traced back to Ibn-Battuta landing in Malacca during his voyage in 1325. In modern times, our countries enjoy well-established diplomatic and economic relations, and it is my hope that this business mission will pave the way for stronger ties between our two countries. In particular, I hope it will foster closer collaboration in Islamic finance, which is also known as participative finance here in Morocco.

Morocco, located at the confluence between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, is well-placed as a gateway for trade and investment not just in Africa, but also in Europe and the Middle East. Likewise, Malaysia, being at the heart of Asean, is strategically located to access markets in the Asia Pacific — an advantage that Malaysia has leveraged upon to develop itself as a well-developed Islamic finance hub over the last three decades. There is no doubt that greater connectivity between our Islamic financial centres would enhance both our countries’ capacity and capability to deliver services, products and value beyond the reach of each country.

KUALA LUMPUR 1 April – Bank-bank komersial di negara ini perlu lebih mesra kepada perusahaan kecil dan sederhana (PKS) de­ngan mewujudkan dana Pelaburan Tanggungjawab Sosial (SRI) bagi menyokong industri tersebut.

Pengerusi dan Pe­ngasas Kumpulan Amanie, Datuk Dr. Mohd. Daud Bakar berkata, bagaimanapun terdapat beberapa bank mi­salnya Agrobank dan SME Bank yang mendapat geran daripada kerajaan untuk membantu usahawan dan perkara tersebut amat baik memandangkan PKS adalah tulang belakang ekonomi negara. Namun, katanya, PKS mempunyai pilihan terhad dengan beralih kepada pasaran modal seperti mewujudkan tabung tertentu yang menawarkan dana lebih besar.