CIMB's biggest-ever OCTOFest connects 255 local businesses with communities across four states

31 October 2026

CIMB drives digital payment adoption and showcases new payment solution for business growth at the event

Kuala Lumpur: CIMB Bank Berhad ("CIMB") has launched its biggest-ever CIMB OCTOFest ("OCTOFest" or "the Festival"), expanding the annual event across four states and bringing together customers, communities and businesses through local culture, food, wellness and music experiences. Held across Penang, Kuantan, Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur throughout October, reinforcing CIMB’s commitment to making meaningful experiences more accessible to Malaysians. To date, the Festival has attracted over 100,000 visitors and supported more than 255 micro, small and medium enterprises ("MSMEs"), generating sales opportunities over RM1.2 million for participating businesses.

OCTOFest brings CIMB's brand promise of "Moving You Forward" to life, as a platform that moves local businesses forward with greater visibility, empowers communities and connects customers with local entrepreneurs. Through a vibrant mix of local food, wellness activities, interactive experiences and live performances by local artists, the Festival brings people together, creating meaningful experiences that deepen engagement and inspire lasting connections. 

Toni Darusman, Group Chief Brand and Marketing Officer, CIMB, said, "At CIMB, our purpose is to advance customers, businesses and communities. OCTOFest reflects this commitment by creating meaningful connections between people and businesses while opening up opportunities for local entrepreneurs to grow and reach new customers. This year, we have expanded OCTOFest beyond the Klang Valley across four states, to be closer to our customers outside the city, making it our biggest festival yet. Beyond celebrating local culture, food, wellness and music, OCTOFest serves as a platform for small local businesses to showcase their products and services, expand their customer base and embrace digital commerce. The Festival demonstrates how businesses, communities and customers can come together to create shared value and contribute to inclusive economic growth."

Empowering MSMEs through digital payments and business growth

As part of its efforts to support economic growth, CIMB integrated digital payment solutions across all participating vendors, enabling merchants to accept cashless payments conveniently while providing customers with seamless payment experience. Greater adoption of digital payments helps businesses operate more efficiently, broaden customer reach and participate more effectively in the growing digital economy.

Building on this commitment to help businesses scale, CIMB introduced OCTO Collect, an all-in-one collection solution designed to help omnichannel merchants get started with ease and provide seamless collection experience. Through a unified checkout experience and a single Application Programming Interface (“API”) integration, OCTO Collect enables merchants to accept card, FPX and eWallet, while simplifying payment collections and processing. The platform also offers an integrated sales dashboard that provides real-time visibility over transactions and incoming payments, helping merchants manage operations more efficiently. 

Highlights across the four-city festival included live performances by local artistes such as ALPHA, OAG, Ruffedge, Blues Gang, Fynn Jamal, Scha Nuril, Sai, Vikram and Danny Khoo; wellness activities such as Zumba, Fun Run and HIIT sessions with popular Malaysian personalities Syafiq Kyle and Meerqeen; and a diverse showcase of local food, fashion, fragrances and lifestyle products. The Festival also featured a giant OCTO phone as the centrepiece of "Mission Happiness", an interactive activation where visitors could complete missions to unlock surprise rewards worth up to RM85,000. CIMB OCTO App ("OCTO") users further extended the experience by participating digitally.

OCTOFest began at Andaman Island, Penang from 9 to 11 October, followed by KotaSAS, Kuantan from 16 to 18 October and Kota Jail, Johor Bahru from 23 to 25 October. The Festival concludes at LaLaport Bukit Bintang City Centre, Kuala Lumpur, from 30 October to 1 November 2026. For further information on OCTOFest, please visit https://www.cimb.com.my/cimboctofest.