Youth Entrepreneurship Financing Phase 2: How to Prepare Before 1 November
Phase 2 of the BML × SME Digital youth financing opens on 1 November 2026. What the facility offers, what you would repay each month, the profit a lender looks for, and what your business plan should show.
Key Takeaways
- Up to MVR 150,000, collateral-free, at a 7% profit rate over five years, for Maldivians aged 18–30.
- MVR 150,000 over 60 months is about MVR 2,970 a month (about MVR 3,250 if repaid over 54 months).
- Lenders commonly look for profit before loan payments of at least 1.25× the repayment.
- Prepare your numbers now: sales, running costs, startup costs and how the money will be used.
Check your DSCR free
See whether your loan repayments clear the cover ratio a lender looks for, before you apply. No account needed.
Check your DSCR freeWhat the facility offers
Bank of Maldives (BML) and SME Digital launched the Youth Entrepreneurship Financing in July 2026 for Maldivians aged 18 to 30. It offers up to MVR 150,000 without collateral, at a 7% profit rate a year, repaid over five years with a six-month grace period. SME Digital has also said it will provide business guidance and mentoring to recipients.
Phase 2 opens for applications on 1 November 2026. Terms and requirements can change between phases, so confirm the current details with SME Digital and BML before you apply. Funderly is an independent planning tool and is not affiliated with either.
What you would repay each month
At 7% a year over the full 60 months, MVR 150,000 works out to about MVR 2,970 a month, MVR 100,000 to about MVR 1,980, and MVR 50,000 to about MVR 990. If the six-month grace period comes out of the five years, the same loans are repaid over 54 months instead: about MVR 3,250, MVR 2,160 and MVR 1,080 a month. Your bank confirms the exact schedule.
Borrow what the business actually needs. A smaller loan means a smaller repayment from month one, when sales are usually still growing.
The profit a lender looks for
The number lenders check first is the debt service coverage ratio (DSCR): your profit before loan payments divided by the loan repayment. Most look for at least 1.25 — the business makes MVR 1.25 for every MVR 1 it owes.
For MVR 150,000 over 60 months, that means roughly MVR 3,700 a month in profit before loan payments. If your plan shows less, borrow less, phase the investment, or strengthen the revenue plan with evidence such as pre-orders or comparable businesses.
What your business plan should show
- What you will sell, to whom, and why customers will choose you over what already exists.
- What the money is for: equipment, fit-out, stock and working capital, adding up to the amount you request.
- Realistic monthly sales and running costs, including how long it takes to reach full sales.
- Proof you can repay: profit before loan payments that covers the repayment with room to spare.
Get your numbers ready this week
You don’t need to wait for 1 November to prepare. Work out your expected monthly sales and costs, list your startup costs, and check the repayment against your profit with a DSCR calculator. Funderly’s free plan helps you shape the idea; the Founder and Lender plans build the full business plan and financial projections from your own numbers, exported to PDF, Word and Excel, with Islamic financing (profit rate) supported. The bank makes its own decision on every application.
Check your DSCR free
See whether your loan repayments clear the cover ratio a lender looks for, before you apply. No account needed.
Check your DSCR free
