Semart Wins World Summit Award in Business & Commerce

Winning the World Summit Award in the Business & Commerce category is one of the proudest moments in Semart's journey. In May 2026, our team travelled to Vienna to represent Malaysia and stand alongside digital innovators from around the world.

For us, this recognition is about more than a trophy. It affirms the reason we built Semart: to make practical business tools, clearer financial records and useful guidance more accessible to PICO, NANO and MICRO entrepreneurs.

A global award for a mission that started at home

The official WSA winner profile records our project as “Semart POS - Digitalizing PICO, NANO, and MICRO Entrepreneurs”. It names Nadzrul Hanif bin Ahmad Nadzer, Nurliyana Farhana binti Abd Karim and H'ng Yin Mun as the producers behind the winning solution.

We built Semart around a simple belief: very small businesses deserve technology that fits the reality of a busy working day. A digital checkout screen isn't enough. Entrepreneurs need records they can understand, tools they can use confidently and support that helps them turn daily transactions into better decisions.

That is why the Business & Commerce category means so much to us. WSA evaluates digital solutions not only for their features, but also for the real problems they solve and the social value they create. Our win recognised the combination we have worked towards from the beginning: accessible technology, financial capability and human support.

Representing Malaysia in Vienna

Our Vienna programme ran from 19 to 23 May 2026, with the official WSA Global Congress taking place from 19 to 22 May. We were proud to represent Malaysia alongside RoadPlus, the country's other winner in the 2025 award cycle.

Our two solutions address different challenges, but both began with a specific Malaysian need. Standing together in Vienna reminded us that locally grounded ideas can carry global relevance when they make everyday decisions clearer and safer.

Sharing why Semart exists

We presented Semart to an international audience and took part in the winners' pitch and question-and-answer sessions. Our task was to explain a reality familiar to many Malaysian micro-entrepreneurs: financial inclusion begins with tools that match a person's daily workflow, confidence and access to support.

The conversations that followed helped us see our work from new angles. Payment systems, business categories and support networks differ across countries, yet many small entrepreneurs face the same challenge. They need simple records, practical knowledge and guidance they can trust.

Learning with fellow impact founders

The congress brought together keynotes, discussions, co-creation sessions and peer exchange. According to WSA's official Vienna recap, more than 500 changemakers from over 90 countries joined the gathering.

We exchanged ideas about responsible AI, digital sovereignty, access, impact finance and the challenge of growing a mission-led product. The strongest lesson was a human one: technology only works when it respects the conditions in which people actually use it.

Receiving the award

On 22 May, the winning projects gathered at the Jugendstiltheater for the award ceremony. Receiving the World Summit Award there marked years of product development, field learning and collaboration with entrepreneurs, partners and mentors.

It also raised the standard we set for ourselves. Global recognition gives us a wider platform, but it comes with a responsibility to measure our impact carefully, protect the trust of our users and keep listening to the businesses we serve.

A special invitation to UNIDO

One of the most memorable parts of our Vienna programme was a special workshop at the Vienna International Centre, the official headquarters of UNIDO. According to our event records, UNIDO selected five WSA winners for the session, and Semart was among the invited teams.

Entering the United Nations complex was a milestone in itself. More importantly, the workshop gave us space to consider how a solution built around local realities could connect with wider development priorities, new partnerships and responsible paths to growth.

We are sharing the five-team selection as our first-hand account of the programme. Public WSA and UNIDO pages confirm the organisations, venue and congress partnership, but they do not publish the complete invitation list.

The guidance behind our WSA journey

We are especially grateful to Renuka Sena, Malaysia's WSA National Expert and the co-founder and CEO of PROFICEO. As National Expert, Renuka leads Malaysia's WSA pre-selection and nominations, drawing on more than 25 years in the country's technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Renuka mentored us throughout the WSA journey. Her guidance helped our team communicate not only what Semart does, but why its design matters for PICO, NANO and MICRO entrepreneurs. That clarity was invaluable when we brought a deeply Malaysian story to a global audience.

Celebrating the recognition back home

The welcome we received after Vienna made the achievement even more meaningful. The official Kesultanan Pahang Instagram account shared congratulations from His Royal Highness the Sultan of Pahang and Her Royal Highness the Tengku Ampuan of Pahang. The statement is also preserved on the official Istana Pahang website.

The royal message described the win as a source of pride for Pahang and Malaysia. New Straits Times, Pahang Media and UMNO Online also covered the achievement and the encouragement it received at home.

What the award means to us

This award validates a principle that has guided Semart from the start: digital transformation must work for the smallest businesses, not only for organisations with specialist teams and large budgets.

For a micro-entrepreneur, one reliable sales record can become the starting point for better stock planning, clearer cash decisions and stronger conversations about financing or support. The technology matters, but the real value appears when an entrepreneur can understand the information and act on it.

The work continues

Vienna was a milestone, not the finish line. We returned to Malaysia with new relationships, sharper questions and a stronger commitment to prove our impact through the experience of the entrepreneurs Semart exists to serve.

We are grateful to the WSA community, Renuka Sena, our partners, our mentors and every entrepreneur who has trusted Semart in their business. This award belongs to the people who tested early versions, gave us honest feedback and showed us that useful business technology begins with listening.

Our next chapter is to turn global recognition into deeper local value: clearer tools, stronger financial knowledge and more opportunities for small entrepreneurs to make decisions with confidence.