This is Monday's HRDF News Roundup for the week starting 25 May 2026 — a quick read of the HRD Corp circulars, leadership signals, and ministry announcements Malaysian HR Managers and L&D Heads should be tracking before they finalise their next claimable training cohort.
What's new
- Datuk Rusli Jaafar takes over as HRD Corp Chairman. The former Suruhanjaya Koperasi Malaysia (SKM) Chief Executive Officer assumed the chair effective 1 April 2026, in a leadership transition framed as strengthening HRD Corp's role in national human capital development. Reported by Business Today.
- Vetri Madani Skills Programme 2026 launched. HRD Corp this month introduced a new community-targeted skills initiative aimed at empowering the Malaysian Indian workforce, broadening the corporation's Madani-series programme stable. Announced via HRD Corp's official press release channel.
- Belanjawan Madani 2026 framed as catalyst for AI Nation 2030. MDEC reiterated that the 50% tax deduction for SME expenditure on AI and cybersecurity training — confirmed under Budget 2026 — pairs cleanly with HRD Corp SBL-Khas claims, giving smaller employers two stacked levers on AI upskilling cost. Source: MDEC media release.
- HRD Corp channelled more than RM130,000 via Ziarah Madani Ihya Ramadan 2026. The corporation reported distributing assistance to 1,000 recipients during its Ramadan 2026 community outreach — a smaller item on the news pile, but a useful signal that community-CSR activity now sits alongside the corporation's core training mandate. Source: HRD Corp press release.
Why it matters for your training claims
The chairmanship change at HRD Corp is the most consequential item for HR teams currently mid-claim. New chairs typically trigger internal reviews of approval thresholds, scheme priorities, and the scrutiny applied to high-value submissions. None of those are bad outcomes — but they often mean an interim window where decision queues slow as the new chair beds in. If you have an SBL-Khas application above RM50,000 sitting in queue, expect a slightly longer turnaround for the next four to six weeks and front-load your documentation accordingly.
The Vetri Madani launch matters more for medium-term planning. Madani-series programmes have, in earlier waves, been used as precursors to fully claimable course categories — meaning training providers who align curricula to the programme's stated skill areas often find their subsequent SBL-Khas course registrations move through faster. HR teams sourcing providers for the second half of 2026 may want to ask whether their shortlisted vendors are tracking the Madani programme themes.
The Budget 2026 SME tax deduction continues to be the most under-used lever in the Malaysian employer toolkit. Used in combination, the 50% tax deduction on AI and cybersecurity training expenditure and a 100% SBL-Khas claim under HRD Corp can compound — the levy claim covers the direct programme cost while the tax deduction further reduces the employer's net taxable position for the year. The mechanics are straightforward but require finance and HR to coordinate the submission paperwork; many SMEs claim one lever or the other rather than both.
What to do next
- Stress-test your in-flight claims. Pull the list of every SBL-Khas application submitted in the past 45 days and flag anything without status movement in the last 10 working days. With a leadership change in progress, queue stalls are more likely than usual — chase proactively rather than waiting for a portal notification.
- Coordinate finance and HR on the Budget 2026 stack. Brief your finance lead on the 50% tax deduction for SME AI and cybersecurity training and confirm the documentation flow so both the HRDF claim and the tax deduction can be filed against the same cohort cost without double-claim risk.
- Refresh your provider shortlist. Ask each prospective AI training provider for confirmation of HRD Corp registration status, an active course code, and any alignment notes to the new Madani-series themes. Providers that cannot evidence registration within five working days are not worth holding for.
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