KUALA LUMPUR: Nihon M&A Center Malaysia, the local arm of Japan’s leading M&A advisory firm, has partnered with YYC, one of Malaysia’s largest SME-focused accounting firms, through a MoU to help more business owners unlock value, pursue growth, and navigate succession with clarity and confidence.

With this MoU, it makes M&A more accessible and actionable for Malaysian SMEs.

YYC’s SME clients will also have access to expert-led M&A seminars, personalised pre-deal consultations by Nihon M&A Center Malaysia’s specialist team, and direct intro-ductions to Nihon M&A Center Malaysia’s extensive list of buyers across Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

YYC Group CEO Datin Shin Yap said, “Our focus is not just on helping clients survive, but showing them how to build something that is sustainable and ultimately saleable. We estimate that 5% to 10% of our 20,000 clients could be viable M&A targets over the next five years. With Nihon M&A Center Malaysia as our partner, we can offer our clients sound, strategic advice to help them move forward, whatever their next chapter may be.”

Established in 1974, YYC has helped thousands of businesses grow, many of which are now publicly listed on Bursa Malaysia and have expanded globally. With this partnership, YYC strengthens its ability to support business continuity by adding M&A to its advisory services.

Meanwhile, Nihon M&A Center Malaysia will leverage YYC’s deep insight of Malaysia’s diverse and dynamic SME landscape to reach a broader pipeline of businesses ready for change.

“YYC brings deep trust and local insight, and we have built a strong working relationship over the years,” said Nihon M&A Center regional head for Southeast Asia Yusuke Ojima. “With the MoU, we are working towards a more focused, fruitful collaboration, one that gives SMEs access to the professional M&A guidance. This milestone collaboration also reinforces our commitment to helping SME businesses to scale, transition, and succeed with confidence.”

With over 30 years of experience and 10,000 deals completed globally, Nihon M&A Center is Japan’s largest independent M&A advisory firm.

Nihon M&A Center Malaysia specialises in Japan-Malaysia trans-actions and is backed by a global team of over 700-plus professionals.

With SMEs forming over 97% of all businesses in Malaysia and contributing significantly to job creation and GDP, their future is vital to the country’s economic resilience and growth.