A success fee when your facility completes, and nothing before that. This page sets out exactly what we charge, who pays it, and the one other way money reaches us.
The initial review costs nothing. If we prepare and submit an application and the bank approves and releases the facility, we are paid a success fee. If the application is declined, or you decide not to proceed, there is nothing to pay.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Initial review | No charge |
| Success fee | 2% of the facility amount drawn down |
| When it becomes payable | On drawdown, within 14 days of the funds reaching your account |
| Who pays it | The SME. We receive nothing from the bank. |
| If the application is declined | Nothing is payable |
| If you withdraw | Nothing is payable, at any stage before drawdown |
Charging upfront would pay us the same whether or not you get funded. Charging on success does not. It also means we have no reason to submit an application we do not believe in, because a declined application costs us the work.
Be careful of intermediaries who ask for a processing or arrangement fee before anything has been submitted. There is no shortage of them, and an upfront fee with no completion is the most common complaint made about this industry in Malaysia.
The success fee above is the only money SMEBox receives. We are not paid a commission by banks for sending them applications, we hold no appointment or agency with any bank, and no institution named anywhere on this site pays us anything.
That is worth stating plainly because it is not the norm. A good deal of what looks like independent advice in this market is paid placement, and you have no way of telling from the outside. If our recommendation ever changes because someone started paying us, this page changes with it.
It matters most when we tell you which bank to approach. That recommendation is based on which one we think will say yes to your file, and nothing else. The banks we work with do not pay us, appoint us or endorse us.