Make your project easy to explain
Prepare a short brief covering the proposed investment, location, owner, expected cost, timing and environmental or social benefit. Include the amount you want to finance and where repayments would come from.
For a factory solar installation, that might bring together a supplier proposal, electricity records and an explanation of who controls the site. For a community service, describe the need, intended beneficiaries and funding for ongoing operations.
Keep estimates clearly labelled. A useful brief shows what you know, the assumptions behind the proposal and what still needs confirmation.
Gather the business records behind the proposal
Use the following as a preparation list, then ask the financier which documents and periods it requires:
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| Information to gather | What it helps you explain |
|---|---|
| Business registration, ownership and applicant details | Who is seeking financing and who will own or operate the project |
| Available financial statements and management accounts | How the business is performing |
| Bank records and relevant tax documents | The financial records supporting the application |
| Existing borrowing and payment commitments | The obligations your business already needs to meet |
| A cash-flow forecast: expected income and payments, with the assumptions | Where money for repayments and operating costs will come from |
For small and medium enterprises (SMEs), CIMB's SME Renewable Energy Financing-i page provides one example: financial accounts, bank statements, tax records and a solar-installation proposal or agreement. Its lists differ by business form. Obtain the checklist for your chosen facility.
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) explains that applications for its SME funds go through participating financial institutions and are subject to their credit assessment. You can find the routes in BNM's SME fund information.
Connect the project cost to a workable payment plan
Bring together quotations and a breakdown of what you expect to spend. Identify purchase, installation and ongoing costs separately, then ask which items the proposed facility can finance.
Your funding plan should help you discuss:
- Your contribution: what you expect to fund from your own resources.
- The financing request: the amount needed and when payments to suppliers fall due.
- Repayment: the business income, savings or committed funding you expect to use.
- Timing: installation, commissioning and the point when benefits or income may begin.
- Changes to the plan: how delays, lower savings or higher operating costs would affect payments.
If your forecast relies on energy savings, show how you estimated them. Keep the saving in electricity use separate from the saving in money, which also depends on the price assumptions. This makes the proposal easier to discuss and update. Show how you would meet payments if delivery is delayed or savings are lower, and keep unapproved grants or tax benefits separate from the cash you rely on for repayment.
Show the improvement you expect
Start with a baseline: a record of the situation before the project. Then explain what you expect to change and how you will check the result.
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| Evidence to prepare | What to record |
|---|---|
| Starting position | Current energy or water use, waste records, service access or another relevant measure |
| Expected improvement | The change you expect, including its timeframe and unit of measurement |
| Basis of the estimate | Supplier information, operating records, calculations and assumptions |
| Measurement plan | Which data you will collect, how often and who will maintain it |
| Project risks | Issues that could affect delivery, environmental or social outcomes, and how you plan to address them |
Imagine you're replacing a machine to reduce electricity use. Existing energy records and the supplier's technical proposal support the estimate. Recording operating hours and production levels can help you explain later changes in consumption.
For a social project, describe who should benefit, what need you are addressing and how you will assess access or outcomes. For a flood-resilience project, explain the disruption you are trying to reduce and how the proposed work addresses that risk.
The Green Loan Principles, March 2025, address project assessment, tracking funds and reporting environmental outcomes. They provide voluntary industry guidance; the applicable criteria and your financing documents determine what your project needs to demonstrate.
Organise any ESG information you are asked for
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) information can help a financier or customer understand your wider business. It may overlap with your project evidence, but the request can extend beyond that investment.
Capital Markets Malaysia's Simplified ESG Disclosure Guide, Version 2 helps SMEs organise relevant disclosures. Keep the actual information request beside you as you use it.
Record the source, period and person responsible for each figure. If something has not been measured, say so and identify how you could obtain it. That gives you a clearer basis for the next discussion.
Check ownership, permissions and delivery arrangements
Establish who controls the site, owns the asset and is responsible for installation, operation and maintenance. Where relevant, gather leases, supplier agreements and information about permissions, certifications or technical assessments.
Ask which of these must be in place before an application, approval or release of funds. Note anything still pending, who is handling it and the expected timing. The requirements depend on the project and financing route.
Add the evidence your chosen route needs
Your initial pack is a starting point. Use it to ask about the additional work for your route:
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| Route | What to clarify |
|---|---|
| Green project loan or financing facility | Eligible costs, project criteria, tracking of funds, reports and any independent review |
| Sustainability-linked financing | Relevant performance measures, baselines, targets and how progress would be verified |
| Transition investment | The wider transition plan, milestones and how the proposed investment contributes |
| Bonds or Islamic capital-market instruments (sukuk) | The adviser's or arranger's requirements for the framework, disclosures, external review and subsequent reporting |
| Guarantee, grant or tax incentive | Applicant category, application timing, eligible costs and the current official checklist |
The guidance accompanying the Green Loan Principles distinguishes financing for defined projects from financing tied to sustainability performance. Use that distinction when asking which evidence matters to your proposal.
For the Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS), the portal advertises 5.0 applications as open. Confirm funds, acceptance for your category and which current documents apply before preparing a full submission. Our GTFS guide explains the published summary and unresolved application questions.
Give someone responsibility for the records
Decide who will maintain invoices, project information and performance data, and who will review updates. Keep a simple list of each document's date, version and owner.
Ask the financier how often it expects reports and what happens if the project scope changes. Planning this early helps you understand the work involved in accepting the offer.