CIMB Islamic to assist SimplySiti in offshore expansion

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd and SimplySiti, a brand founded by popular singer Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin, today jointly announced a collaboration to expand the homegrown beauty care business beyond Malaysian borders.

SimplySiti will also leverage the end-to-end support of the CIMB-ASEAN Halal Corridor and CIMB’s strong regional network, to meet the demand for quality halal beauty, cosmetics and skincare products across the region.

Signing on behalf of SimplySiti was its president, Siti Nurhaliza, while CIMB Islamic was represented by Rafe Haneef, CIMB Group chief executive officer (CEO) of group Islamic banking.

Witnessing the signing were Azuddin Rahman, SimplySiti group CEO; Mohamed Adam Wee Abdullah, CIMB Group chief marketing officer; and Mohd Fadhli Mohd Yusof, assistant senior director, Secretariat Halal Affairs Malaysia of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM).

Siti Nurhaliza described SimplySiti as a brand that not only promised great quality and international standards but had the assurance of certification by JAKIM that it adhered to halal standards, thus serving the needs of the growing market for halal beauty products in the region and beyond.

“The support for SimplySiti’s products from customers and fans has been really encouraging and we are very happy to soon be able to bring our brand to Indonesia, and moving forward, to other parts of ASEAN.

“We also appreciate our strong relationship with CIMB Islamic and look forward to this collaboration in taking our business a long way forward,” she said.

Rafe said: “For any homegrown business and small and medium enterprise (SME), opportunities for growth are aplenty but the challenge is always on how to scale up.

“This is where CIMB Islamic’s expertise, the CIMB-ASEAN Halal Corridor and CIMB’s regional network provide a strong value proposition to our customers.

“Through this collaboration, we are excited to facilitate SimplySiti’s move into its next growth phase by reaping the vast Halal business opportunities within ASEAN.”

Rafe said businesses were welcome to leverage CIMB Islamic’s solid network across industries within the global halal ecosystem.

“Our end-to-end banking and transactional support to customers also contributes to our strong value proposition to help businesses such as SimplySiti build their offshore halal business,” he added.

The CIMB-ASEAN Halal Corridor is an enhanced trade network linking halal businesses with trade infrastructure and ecosystems across ASEAN to take advantage of increasing demand for halal products in the region and beyond.

ASEAN is home to more than 240 million Muslims, presenting not only a huge but also growing market for halal businesses.

CIMB Islamic has also joined the Trade Club Alliance, a strong worldwide network comprising over 16 banks and their clients in 19 countries.

This will enable business clients of CIMB to link with trade partners worldwide through a global directory of reliable and trusted buyers and sellers which are supported by globally reputable banks.

-- BERNAMA