Koperasi Celcom Berhad

What Koperasi Celcom Berhad does

Koperasi Celcom Berhad (KOPCEL) is a Malaysian Islamic cooperative established in 1994/1995 and headquartered at Kopcel House, 4 Jalan Kent 5, Kuala Lumpur. It serves as the dedicated cooperative for employees of Celcomdigi Berhad and its parent Axiata Group subsidiaries, including Edotco Malaysia and On-Site Services, as well as retired/resigned staff who maintain contributions. Membership is gated to confirmed employees, and KOPCEL functions on a member-owned, not-for-profit basis that returns surplus to members through annual dividends and hibah distributions (1% on yuran and 1% on saham declared for 2019).

KOPCEL's core offering is a suite of Shariah-compliant personal financing products — Tawarruq (RM3,000–RM50,000, 3-year max, 5% p.a., RM30 fee), Bai Bithaman Ajil (commodity-based, 2-year max, 5% p.a., RM30 fee), and Al-Qardhul Hassan (interest-free, up to RM3,000, 1-year max, RM100 fee) — supplemented by facilitated access to Bank Rakyat personal financing (RM2,000–RM250,000, up to 10-year tenure). Repayments are collected via employer salary deduction, which functions as both a collection mechanism and a customer-acquisition channel. Beyond financing, KOPCEL operates a retail diversification under the BigSmile sub-brand: two convenience stores physically embedded in Celcom premises in Petaling Jaya (Wisma Celcom PJ since 2012, Celcom PJ since 2019), a WhatsApp-based online store (MyBigSmile) selling merchandise and RO Water, and a laundry service (BigSmile Laundrette). Member services include Khairat Kematian (death benefits), disaster welfare assistance, an online pre-registration portal, and e-statements.

The business model is hybrid: transaction fees and processing margins from cooperative financing, retail sales from convenience stores, and a subscription/recurring component via member contributions that fund dividend distributions. The cooperative is governed by a Board under Chairman Tuan Haji Mohd Mudasir bin Abdullah. Reported revenue declined from RM1,941,174 (2018) to RM1,522,822 (2019) to RM1,375,800 (2020), with management attributing the contraction to COVID-19 and reduced member credit activity; the organization is small (6 employees), with no external funding, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed.

Name

Koperasi Celcom Berhad

Legal name

Koperasi Celcom Berhad

Website

https://kopcel.com.my

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Koperasi Celcom Berhad is a Malaysian Islamic cooperative providing Shariah-compliant personal financing (Tawarruq, Bai Bithaman Ajil, Al-Qardhul Hassan), Bank Rakyat personal loans, and BigSmile retail services to Celcomdigi and Axiata Group employees via salary-deducted repayments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Financial Services

NAICS

Credit Unions (522130), Convenience Retailers and Vending Machine Operators (44513)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Shariah-compliant Financing Products (Murabaha, Ijara, Tawarruq, Istisna, Salam) (FSABAGAH)

Keywords

• Shariah-compliant financing
• Cooperative lending
• Islamic personal loans
• Tawarruq financing
• Employee cooperative services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kuala Lumpur

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Credit/Financing Activities: Provides Shariah-compliant financing products to members including Tawarruq (RM3,000-RM50,000), Bai Bithaman Ajil, and Al-Qardhul Hassan (RM3,000 max, interest-free). Revenue generated from financing margins and processing fees.
2. Retail Operations (Big Smile Convenience Stores): Operates two convenience store locations (Big Smile@Celcom PJ and Kopcel Shoppe@Wisma PJ) selling daily necessities, snacks, and beverages. Revenue from retail sales.
3. Dividends and Hibah to Members: Annual dividend distribution (1% yuran and 1% saham for 2019) and hibah to members based on cooperative's annual performance.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Koperasi Celcom Berhad (KOPCEL) is a Malaysian cooperative that provides Shariah-compliant personal financing products—including Tawarruq, Bai Bithaman Ajil, and interest-free Al-Qardhul Hassan loans—to its members, primarily Celcomdigi and Axiata Group employees. It complements these credit offerings with retail convenience stores (BigSmile) and a small online store (MyBigSmile) selling daily necessities, snacks, beverages, and branded merchandise.

Product overview

Koperasi Celcom Berhad operates as a cooperative providing financial services and retail offerings primarily for CelcomDigi employees and Axiata Group staff. The product portfolio consists of Islamic and conventional financing products (Tawarruq, Bai Bithaman Ajil, Al-Qardhul Hassan, and Bank Rakyat personal financing) and a retail division under the BigSmile brand comprising convenience stores and an online store. The cooperative also offers member services including e-statements and membership management. The core offering centers on credit/financing products with retail stores and online commerce as complementary business diversification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Smile: Convenience store brand offering daily necessities, snacks, and beverages. Includes Big Smile@Celcom PJ and Big Smile@Wisma Celcom PJ locations.
• MyBigSmile

Products and services

• Pinjaman Tawarruq (Tawarruq Financing) Shariah-compliant Islamic personal financing product offered to confirmed Celcomdigi/Axiata Group employees and former staff maintaining contributions. Financing range RM3,000 to RM50,000 (based on member contribution), maximum 3-year tenure, 5% per annum rate, RM30 processing fee, repaid via salary deduction, no guarantor required.
• Pinjaman Bai Bithaman Ajil (Bai Bithaman Ajil Financing) Shariah-compliant Islamic financing based on commodity purchase and resale pricing, with a 5% per annum profit rate, RM30 processing fee, maximum 2-year tenure, and witness requirements (two men, or two women and one man). Available to cooperative members.
• Pinjaman Al-Qardhul Hassan (Al-Qardhul Hassan Financing) Interest-free Islamic benevolent loan facility for cooperative members, up to RM3,000 maximum, 1-year maximum tenure, RM100 processing fee. Open to confirmed employees and former Axiata Group staff with salary deduction arrangements.
• Pembiayaan Peribadi Bank Rakyat (Bank Rakyat Personal Financing) Conventional personal financing facilitated through a Bank Rakyat partnership, available to CelcomDigi group members and active monthly contributors. Financing range RM2,000 to RM250,000, tenures from 2 years to 10 years, repaid through salary deduction.
• BigSmile Convenience Stores Two physical convenience store locations serving CelcomDigi employees, members, and walk-in customers with daily necessities, snacks, beverages, and drinking water. Locations: Big Smile@Wisma Celcom PJ (opened August 2012) and Big Smile@Celcom PJ at Podium 6 (opened February 2019).
• MyBigSmile Online Store Online retail platform selling BigSmile-branded merchandise and essentials, including Premium Collar T-shirts (RM29), Umbrella Golf Kopcel (RM45), and RO Water (RM18 per carton), with orders placed via WhatsApp.
• BigSmile Laundrette Laundry service offered under the BigSmile brand, providing convenience services to cooperative members and customers.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Axiata Group BerhadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKOPCEL serves as the cooperative for Axiata Group employees, primarily Celcomdigi staff. The partnership provides KOPCEL access to employees across subsidiaries including Celcom, Edotco Malaysia, and On-Site Services as potential members.
• Celcomdigi BerhadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary corporate partner; KOPCEL membership is primarily open to Celcomdigi employees. The partnership enables salary deduction arrangements for loan repayments and membership contributions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings: Dominant convenience store operator in Malaysia. Comparable to KOPCEL's Big Smile stores but at vastly larger scale across hundreds of locations nationwide.
• Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad: Malaysia's first full-fledged Islamic bank, offering Shariah-compliant personal financing, Tawarruq, and Bai Bithaman Ajil products. Overlaps directly with KOPCEL's core product offering but operates at full-scale commercial level.
• Maybank Islamic: Largest Islamic banking arm in Malaysia, offering Shariah-compliant personal financing to the same employee demographic. Represented a much larger incumbent alternative for KOPCEL's members.
• RHB Islamic Bank: Islamic banking arm of RHB offering Shariah-compliant personal financing and consumer credit products in Malaysia. Represents another competing lender for KOPCEL's target member demographic.
• CIMB Islamic: Major Malaysian Islamic banking provider offering Shariah-compliant personal financing, Tawarruq, and consumer credit products. Competes for the same corporate employee segment.

Direct peers

• Bank Rakyat: Malaysian cooperative Islamic bank and KOPCEL's primary financing partner. Both are member/Islamic cooperative institutions providing Shariah-compliant banking to Malaysian employees, with overlapping product sets in personal financing.
• Koperasi Petronas Berhad: Malaysian cooperative serving Petronas employees with similar structure, financing products, dividends, and welfare benefits. Closest structural peer given the same cooperative/corporate-employee model.
• Koperasi Telekom Malaysia Berhad: Telecommunications-sector employee cooperative offering Shariah-compliant financing and welfare benefits to TM Group employees. Highly comparable business model and member base composition.
• MyNews Holdings Berhad: Largest homegrown convenience store chain in Malaysia. Comparable to KOPCEL's Big Smile retail operations, though MyNews operates at materially greater scale and geographic reach.

Emerging players

• Funding Societies: Malaysian digital financing platform offering Shariah-compliant micro-financing to SMEs and individuals. Represents the fintech competitive threat to KOPCEL's manual personal financing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/koperasi-celcom-berhad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Koperasi Celcom Berhad