ASEAN’s SME business matching portal launched

At the event (Photo: asean.org)

Jakarta (VNA) – The ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME), on January 25, launched the ASEAN Access MATCH – a business matching platform – in a bid to step up trade within and beyond the region.

The flagship matchmaking platform is a new feature of the ASEAN Access, an online portal for business information on trade and market access in the bloc which was debuted in June 2021.  It offers registered members of the ASEAN Access an opportunity to be a part of an international business community and creates visibility for their businesses beyond the region.

The ASEAN Access MATCH, is an initiative of the ACCMSME, spearheaded by Thailand’s Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) and supported by the Federal Government of Germany and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). 

At the launch, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Veerapong Malai, OSMEP Director-General said the MATCH’s feature will be a game changer in linking enterprises across ASEAN and beyond to remain relevant in the global supply chain by establishing business connections from MATCH services, which include live market information events, 1-2-1 matchmaking meetings, and product, and technologies showcasing opportunities.

In her remarks, Dato’ Suriani binti Dato’ Ahmad, Chair of ACCMSME and Secretary-General of the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives of Malaysia, expressed hope that the introduction of the platform would remove limitations for SMEs and encourage ACCMSME members to take advantage of the tools to facilitate MSMEs under their purview to internationalise./.

VNA