Malaysia
Zeti sees ‘immense scope’ for greater financial integration in SE Asia
Bank Negara Malaysia governor tells SME conference that greater integration can help support small business growth; points to banking, insurance and capital markets as ‘next phase of development’
Zeti deems shadow loan regulation ‘highly effective'
Bank Negara Malaysia governor says macro-prudential regulation of non-banks has stabilised the overheated property market, but IMF warns of risks lurking in the shadows
Malaysia deputy governor says better credit reporting crucial to Asean integration
Asean Economic Community faces challenging test of successfully integrating regional financial markets, Bank Negara's Muhammad bin Ibrahim says
Malaysian deputy unveils ‘ink-staining’ technology for ATMs
Muhammad bin Ibrahim says ATMs have been ‘frequent target’ for criminals in recent years; new technology will stain notes with indelible ink if machine is being robbed
Zeti highlights ‘v-shaped’ recoveries in Malaysia
Bank Negara Malaysia’s governor argues the economy has ‘time and time again’ demonstrated the ability to emerge from commodity price shocks and financial crises
Malaysia launches new payments system to boost online transactions
Malaysia’s central bank aims to simplify online payments with new ‘JomPAY’ platform, which has the goal of reaching 5,000 merchants by 2020 and reducing usage of cash and cheques
Bank Negara Malaysia and MIT Sloan to set up joint business school
The Asia School of Business will open next year on the central bank's premises; will host inaugural class of 25-35 students in a two-year MBA programme
Bank Negara Malaysia expands MPC
Two external members, Yeah Kim Leng and Noor Azlan Ghazali, to join policy committee for first time on April 1, taking total number of members from eight to 10
Zeti argues ringgit is ‘undervalued’ but rules out dollar peg
Bank of Negara Malaysia governor rules out pegging the ringgit to the dollar, but revealed she considers the currency to be ‘significantly undervalued’
Zeti: Greater financial integration will boost growth potential in South East Asia
Greater financial integration in the Asean economies will help channel funds towards ‘productive’ investment, says Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz
Malaysian banks will use cheque fees to incentivise electronic payments
To reduce the use of cash and cheques in the financial system, Bank Negara Malaysia is introducing a scheme whereby cheque fees will be used to incentivise e-payments
Malaysian banks working on a Swift rulebook for Islamic transactions
A Swift rulebook ‘will provide an efficient platform for the exchange of messages for Islamic finance transactions’, says governor of Bank Negara Malaysia
Malaysian deputy backs ‘constructive ambiguity’ in comms
Muhammad bin Ibrahim says less might be more when it comes to communicating macro-prudential policy; Bank Negara Malaysia allows for some ‘constructive ambiguity’
Zeti: Sukuk market has potential to fund infrastructure projects
Bank Negara Malaysia governor argues infrastructure projects need broader funding with sukuk markets an ‘important new source’
Malaysian central bank looks to set up financial ombudsman service
Scheme would ensure ‘effective and fair handling of complaints' against financial service providers, says bank, which adds service could be up and running in 2015
Malaysian deputy targets 'distortions’ in payments market
Muhammad bin Ibrahim says ‘more needs to be done’ to correct price distortions that he believes are holding back electronic payments in the country
Zeti calls for governance overhaul at central banks
Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Aziz says central banks need to understand ‘the new realities’ of crisis management; argues for new internal committees dedicated to the cause
Malaysian deputy laments ‘price distortion’ between cheques and electronic payments
Muhammad bin Ibrahim says the $240 million spent on processing cheques by the Bank Negara Malaysia each year is a ‘huge and sheer wastage’ and could be avoided by more accurate pricing
Shariah principles will engender financial stability, says Zeti
Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti says Shariah principles, if properly adhered to, will help Islamic finance make a positive contribution towards overall financial stability
Malaysia central bank opens office in Beijing
BNM's newly established presence reflects growing trade and financial ties with China; governor also reveals new renminbi liquidity facility and MoU to establish cross-border collateral arrangements
Malaysia deputy touts progress on money laundering, terrorism financing
Alshari Yahaya also notes due diligence in some instances remains inadequate and not reflective of the level of risks; says 'reward system' should reflect strong risk culture and performance
Digital payments key to financial inclusion, says Gates report
New report into financial inclusion says digital payments are the way forward – but financial service providers will need to charge fees in order to cover the cost of serving the poor
Bank Negara Malaysia strikes deals with AFI and HKMA
Malaysian central bank joins forces with the Alliance for Financial Inclusion to develop global capacity-building programmes; will work with HKMA on offshore renminbi business development
Bank Negara Malaysia looks to co-operatives to boost financial inclusion
Central bank sets out framework for assessing whether a co-operative is governed well enough to accept deposits from non-members and extend finance to the ‘underserved’