Crewstone, MBC partner to scale RM130 million private credit platform

KUALA LUMPUR Sept 4 – Crewstone International Sdn Bhd has entered into a strategic co-investment with Mirai Bridge Capital Sdn Bhd (MBC) through Thirty Three Digitec Solutions Sdn Bhd (Digitec), as the partners seek to scale a structured Malaysian private credit and non-bank financing platform that facilitated more than RM130 million in financing disbursements in 2025.

Crewstone, a licensed and regulated private equity and private credit manager, is leading the partnership with an initial RM5 million commitment, building on its wider financial services private credit strategy, which has seen more than RM30 million deployed into financial services companies through previous private credit transactions.

MBC is also a licensed Private Equity Management Corporation, while Digitec operates as a non-bank financing platform within a wider financing ecosystem that has recorded more than RM500 million in financing transactions over the past three to five years.

The partnership brings together Crewstone’s capital and growth capabilities, MBC’s licensed investment-management platform, Digitec’s operating infrastructure and a network of more than 30 money-lending partners licensed by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT).

The companies said the collaboration is designed to scale a more structured non-bank financing ecosystem supported by capital access, governance discipline, origination data and repayment monitoring.

Crewstone and MBC strengthen Digitec’s financing platform

The structure also strengthens credit alignment through personal guarantees provided by key members of Digitec’s operating team, supported by MBC’s corporate guarantee role as a licensed Private Equity Management Corporation.

Digitec’s principals have more than 30 years of combined industry experience across consumer credit and micro-lending, with hands-on expertise in credit operations, underwriting and borrower management, while MBC provides regulated investment-management credibility to the guarantee framework.

Digitec currently supports approximately 83,000 borrowers and processes around 8,000 applications each month, serving gig economy workers, micro-entrepreneurs and borrowers with limited credit histories or conventional income documentation.

The platform expects to expand its footprint by approximately 40% over the next 12 to 18 months following the partnership.

Digitec has recorded 40% year-on-year growth in digital customer acquisition, supported by a streamlined six-step onboarding journey and a current turnaround time of approximately 30 minutes from application to credit decision.

Approximately 55% of approved applications are successfully disbursed within three hours, highlighting the platform’s ability to reduce friction at the front end while improving customer responsiveness, particularly for borrowers seeking timely access to financing for urgent personal and small business needs.

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Digitec operates as a central technology and underwriting platform supporting more than 30 KPKT-licensed lending partners.

By integrating borrower sourcing, credit assessment, loan administration and collections into a single operating ecosystem, the platform aims to bring greater structure and discipline to a market that has traditionally been fragmented and inconsistently underwritten.

Automation cuts credit assessment time from days to minutes

Digitec’s digitalisation efforts extend beyond customer onboarding into underwriting and collections, where automation is increasingly being used to improve operating efficiency and portfolio management.

Its credit decisioning engine currently processes approximately 60% of applications on an end-to-end automated basis, while automated income verification and document extraction have achieved an accuracy rate of around 80%.

Manual credit assessment, which previously took approximately two to three days, has been reduced to around 30 minutes through workflow enhancements involving optical character recognition (OCR), artificial intelligence-enabled processing and operating controls.

The enhancements have strengthened the platform’s underwriting and servicing capabilities while reducing the time required to assess and process credit applications.

On the collections side, Digitec uses personalised dunning strategies, risk-based prioritisation, unified account views for agents and real-time reporting for supervisors.

Early-stage delinquency alerts are triggered by missed payment behaviour, deteriorating repayment patterns, repeated broken promises to pay and higher-risk balance migration, allowing intervention to begin earlier and with greater precision.

The companies said these enhancements have contributed to an approximately 700-basis-point year-on-year reduction in default rates, reflecting stronger underwriting and repayment monitoring.

Crewstone International Chief Executive Officer Keng Fai Wong said the partnership reflected the firm’s belief that the strongest outcomes in an increasingly competitive market would come from companies that know when to join forces and scale with intent.

“By combining Crewstone’s capital and growth capabilities with MBC’s platform familiarity and operating proximity, we are building from a stronger base.

“That matters not only for Digitec, but for how both firms position themselves for the next phase of opportunity across Asia, “ he said.

MBC co-founder Tommy Ng said the partnership with Crewstone would bring meaningful strategic value to Digitec.

“Crewstone’s strength in capital formation, structuring and growth strategy makes them a strong partner for this next phase.

“More broadly, we see this as the beginning of a wider relationship, with potential to pursue additional opportunities together over time,” he added.

Meanwhile, Thirty Three Digitec Solutions director Ng Kae Shen said Crewstone’s participation reflected strong conviction in the platform and its growth prospects.

“This initial commitment strengthens our ability to scale the loan book, deepen our underwriting capability, and expand access to structured financing across segments that continue to be underserved,” he said.

Targeting underserved borrowers as private credit market expands

The strategic partnership is centred on Digitec’s role in serving segments of the Malaysian market that remain insufficiently reached by conventional credit channels.

As of January 2026, Malaysia’s labour force stood at 17.28 million, including 3.13 million own-account workers, a segment more likely to have less conventional income documentation.

On the enterprise side, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) employed 8.10 million people and contributed 39.5% of Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP), pointing to a large borrower base whose financing needs are not always well served by traditional underwriting models.

This is particularly the case where income trails are less formal, credit histories are limited or faster turnaround times are required.

The partnership also comes as the global private credit market continues to expand, with the market estimated at approximately US$1.8 trillion and private credit strategies attracting more than US$220 billion in 2025.

Institutional direct-lending funds also raised at least US$16 billion in the second quarter of 2026 alone, reflecting continued demand for non-bank financing channels.

Against this backdrop, Crewstone and MBC said Digitec provides them with access to a scalable Malaysian private credit platform supported by licensed origination, borrower-level data, underwriting automation and repayment monitoring.

In 2025, Digitec facilitated more than RM130 million in financing disbursements and is led by a team with more than 30 years of combined experience in consumer credit and micro-lending.

Crewstone is a licensed private equity and investment management firm regulated by the Securities Commission Malaysia and specialises in cross-border private equity, private credit and fund strategies, with an emphasis on value creation for institutional and government partners.

The firm has also recently expanded its presence into the United States and the United Arab Emirates, strengthening its global market access and capital deployment capabilities.

MBC, meanwhile, is a registered Private Equity Management Corporation regulated by the Securities Commission Malaysia and manages debt and equity investments across corporations and holding entities.

Its investment approach spans private credit, trade credit financing and private equity, serving high-net-worth individuals, families and institutions through investment solutions focused on sustainable growth, capital preservation and long-term returns. - DagangNews.com