Dear Muzammil Arif

Strategic orientation significantly influences Malaysian SMEs' access to Fintech financing by shaping their perceived creditworthiness and operational readiness for digital lenders. A strong market orientation, demonstrated through a deep understanding of customer needs and a clear value proposition, allows an SME to present a compelling business case to Fintech platforms, thereby increasing its attractiveness for funding. Concurrently, a learning orientation, which fosters organisational adaptability and a proactive approach to acquiring new knowledge, prepares a firm to meet the stringent, data-driven due diligence processes. This cultural propensity for innovation and improvement signals to lenders that the business is a lower risk and capable of utilising funds effectively to generate growth.

Furthermore, a technology orientation directly enhances an SME’s compatibility with the very foundation of Fintech services. SMEs that prioritise technology adoption develop the necessary digital infrastructure and data ecosystems, such as integrated accounting software or digital sales records, which are crucial for seamless API integration with lending platforms. This integration provides Fintechs with the transparent, real-time operational data required for accurate algorithmic credit scoring. Ultimately, the interplay of these orientations—where technology enables access, market focus justifies the investment, and learning ensures agility—collectively positions Malaysian SMEs more favourably to secure alternative financing.

I hope this helps.

Strategic Orientation and Access to Fintech Financing

Strategic Orientation refers to the long-term vision, goals, and positioning adopted by firms (start-ups, MSMEs, or corporates) to achieve growth, competitiveness, and sustainability. A proactive and innovative strategic orientation often emphasizes digital adoption, agility, and leveraging technology-driven ecosystems.Fintech Financing encompasses technology-enabled financial solutions such as digital lending, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer platforms, bockchain-based funding, and AI-driven credit assessments. It reduces traditional barriers of collateral, lengthy approval processes, and geographical constraints.

• Linkage:
• Alignment of Vision & Financing – Firms with a strong innovation-driven orientation are better positioned to access fintech funding channels.
• Risk Appetite & Flexibility – Strategically risk-taking organizations leverage fintech lending models faster than conservative firms.
• Digital Readiness – Adoption of digital tools, data transparency, and governance practices improves credibility with fintech lenders.
• Inclusivity – Fintech financing broadens access for underbanked entrepreneurs, women-led enterprises, and rural startups whose strategies align with sustainable and inclusive growth.
• Competitiveness – Strategic alignment with fintech financing allows quicker capital mobilization, enabling firms to seize market opportunities and scale.
• Outcome: Organizations with a forward-looking strategic orientation gain easier, faster, and more flexible access to fintech financing, thereby enhancing innovation, resilience, and market competitiveness.

Strategic orientations influence Malaysian SMEs’ access to Fintech financing because market-oriented firms better understand and signal customer demand, learning-oriented firms adapt more quickly to digital onboarding and compliance requirements, and technology-oriented firms generate digital transaction records that reduce information asymmetry, and empirical studies confirm that these orientations significantly improve fintech access, while entrepreneurial innovativeness alone does not moderate the relationship, highlighting the importance of digital capabilities and organizational learning.