The Maldives held its first-ever MSME Awards, recognising the achievements of small and medium enterprises across the country, with winners announced across 22 categories.

The awards, organised by the Business Centre Corporation (BCC) and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, aim to celebrate excellence, innovation, and resilience among micro, small and medium-sized businesses.

The winners were selected through a combination of public voting and judges’ scoring, signifying a nationwide effort to recognise outstanding contributions across diverse industries. The awards ceremony was attended by Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Finance and Planning Moosa Zameer, BCC’s Managing Director, and senior Government officials. 

Among the top honours, Valerian (Nody’s Coffee) was named Micro MSME of the Year, Loopcraft Pvt Ltd received Small MSME of the Year, and Oevaali Art Shop was awarded Medium MSME of the Year. Additional category winners included Synetecs for Startup of the Year, Fahigovaan for Green MSME of the Year, PiNetworks Pvt Ltd as Tech MSME of the Year, The Gift Basket Maldives for Outstanding Social Contributor of the Year, Encrea Pvt Ltd for Creative MSME of the Year, Javaabu Pvt Ltd as Next-Gen MSME of the Year, For The Soul as Youth-Led MSME of the Year, and Myanasih as Woman-Led MSME of the Year.

The ceremony also presented 11 Popular MSME Awards selected through public voting. Lights Out Pvt Ltd won Popular MSME of the Year – Photography, while The Crystal Company Pvt Ltd secured the Film Production category. Detune Band won in Entertainment, and Maldives Music and Arts Center was awarded Music Production. Macramama received the Fine Artisan award, Legacy Fitness won Fitness & Recreation, and Fatima was recognised for Fashion & Apparel Designing. Tropical Designs won Lifestyle Brand, Meraki was named Popular MSME of the Year – F&B, Thakethi took the Content Creation award, and Loopcraft Pvt Ltd won the Marketing Firm category.

BCC stated that this marks the first time Maldivian MSMEs have been formally recognised through a national awards platform, adding that the strong reception highlights the importance of acknowledging and supporting the country’s growing small business sector. The organisation said the MSME Awards will be held annually moving forward.