ALLIANCE Bank Bhd expects its small and medium enterprise (SME) loans to grow by more than 15 per cent this year, its head of SME banking Steve Miller said yesterday.

The SME industry in Malaysia has been good in the first half of this year, he said, due to some of the projects under the country's economic transformation programme.

"Some of the projects the government is supporting, like a lot from the ETP projects are trickling down to the SMEs," he told Business Times yesterday.

Last year, the bank's SME loans grew by about 15 per cent too, contributing some 20 per cent to the Alliance Bank's loan portfolio.

"Our SME loans are quite significant and this year, so far, the industry has been quite good for our business," said Miller, adding that the non-performing loans for the SME portfolio has also been quite consistent with the industry level.

He said Alliance Bank may not be the biggest lender for the SME market, but it does want to become the best.

"We want to always build a good relationship with our clients in terms of giving them the best products and services that they require," he said.

Alliance Bank's participation in next week's forum for women entrepreneurs, he said is just one of the bank's "community service" to women who aspire to become successful in their respective field of business.

Through this forum, the bank hopes to establish and enhance its business relationships with existing and potential customers.
"We will assist them through every stage of their business with solutions tailored to their respective unique needs and requirements," said Miller.