Marriott International’s 12,000 small- and medium-sized entrepreneur (SME) suppliers in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia will enjoy same-day invoice financing from Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) under a new strategic partnership between the two groups.
Under the partnership, SMEs suppliers working with Marriott International via its procurement platform will be able to tap same-day financing approval from OCBC of up to 80% of the invoice amount.
They do not need to submit bank statements or financial reports, as the bank will assess their credit quality based on the transaction data from the invoices on Marriott International’s procurement platform.
According to a Dec 4 announcement, the loan disbursement and settlement will be automated.
In addition, the bank will equip these suppliers with tools to establish a baseline measurement of their sustainability performance, along with resources to strengthen their sustainability capabilities.
Through partnering external assessor EcoVadis, OCBC will guide the SMEs to establish a baseline measurement of their sustainability performance. SMEs will also be offered targeted training and workshops to help improve their sustainability practices.
In addition, SMEs can access sustainability-linked loans from OCBC, where the cost of borrowing is tied to their ability to improve their baseline sustainability measurement over time.
Launched in Singapore in 1H2025 and Malaysia in 4Q2025, OCBC and Marriott International plan to expand this programme to Indonesia in 1H2026.
As of December 2024, OCBC has extended sustainable financing to over 4,000 SMEs across the region, with total commitments exceeding $9 billion — representing a more than 40% y-o-y increase.
Rashida Ismail, head of SME embedded finance, global commercial banking, OCBC, says: “We are passionate about supporting SMEs across Southeast Asia to achieve their growth ambitions. In striking up this partnership with like-minded Marriott International, we intended to focus on two important areas — helping their SME suppliers gain quicker access to financing to improve their cashflow, and providing the SMEs support and resources to kickstart their sustainability journeys.”
Marriott International has committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050.
Cristiano Rinaldi, Marriott International’s chief lodging product and services officer for APAC excluding China, says: “Tackling climate change in a meaningful way requires a whole-of-society approach. The partnership with OCBC empowers our suppliers in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia to join us in our mission by providing frictionless lower financing cost.”
