SME Corporation Malaysia, a central coordinating agency under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Malaysia that formulates overall policies and strategies for small and medium enterprises, wants more SMEs to list on Bursa Malaysia Bhd, an exchange holding company.

At the launch of the annual E50 Award (www.e50.com.my), which recognises the achievements of 50 home-grown SMEs, Chief Executive Officer Datuk Hafsah Hashim said the aim is to get two or three SMEs to list on an annual basis.

Out of 621 past E50 winners, 60 have been listed on Bursa Malaysia, with 46 companies on the Main Market and 14 on the ACE Market.

"We normally prepare the company's submission to go for listing, which may take 18 months to two years," said Hashim. "This would be a good time to prepare themselves to get listed when the economic condition picks up by 2017." 

The  E50 Award programme, which aims to push the companies' visibility in the international market and uplift their profile for global investors, is jointly organised by SME Corporation Malaysia and Deloitte Malaysia, with the support of MIDF, RHB Bank Bhd and Telekom Malaysia, among others.

Applications close on June 5, 2016, with the winners to be announced on Nov 18, 2016.