Malaysia to Showcase SME Excellence at PHILSME 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, 8 MAY 2025 (THURSDAY) – The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is leading Malaysia’s inaugural participation at the 16th Philippine SME Business Expo (PHILSME) through a National Pavilion featuring 10 Malaysian companies at the SMX Convention Centre, Manila, from 9 to 10 May 2025.
This marks the first time MATRADE is coordinating a unified Malaysian presence at PHILSME, one of the Philippines’ largest and most established business-to-business (B2B) trade events focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Having a national pavilion in PHILSME 2025 demonstrates Malaysia’s firm commitment to strengthening trade and business ties with the Philippines, particularly within the SME segment.
“MATRADE’s debut at PHILSME reflects a significant step in our strategic efforts to strengthen trade ties with the Philippines, one of our key trading partners within ASEAN,” said Datuk Mohd Mustafa Abdul Aziz, Chief Executive Officer, MATRADE.
“We are confident that Malaysian SMEs bring valuable solutions and competitive advantages that align well with the evolving needs of the Philippines’ market.”
The 10 participating Malaysian companies represent a wide range of sectors, including ICT and digital solutions, halal consumer products, food & beverage, franchising and business support services. The Pavilion will showcase Malaysia’s innovate and high-quality offerings, while fostering opportunities for partnerships, distributorships and joint ventures with Filipino counterparts.
PHILSME 2025 comes at a time of strong economic momentum in the Philippines. The country’s GDP is forecast to grow by 6.0% in 2025 and 6.1% in 2026, driven bystronger domestic demand and sustained public investment, creating a favourable environment for business expansion and cross-border collaboration.
In tandem with this momentum, trade between Malaysia and the Philippines grew by12.6% in the first quarter of 2025 to USD2.05 billion (RM9.12 billion), compared toUSD1.82 billion (RM8.59 billion) in the same period of 2024. Malaysia’s exports rose12.5% to USD1.48 billion (RM6.57 billion), while imports from the Philippines increased by 12.9% to USD0.57 billion (RM2.55 billion), indicating a positive trend in bilateral trade recovery and growth.
As members of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Malaysia and the Philippines enjoy smoother trade facilitation and regulatory cooperation, creating a favourable environment for bilateral commercial activities. With both countries benefiting from ASEAN’s integrated market and trade facilitation frameworks, the Philippines’ dynamic SME landscape offers Malaysian companies a strategic platform to explore long-term commercial collaborations and expand their regional footprint.
