Malaysia
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’
Thailand and Hong Kong launch cross-border settlement scheme
Bank of Thailand and Hong Kong Monetary Authority look to eliminate cross-border settlement risk through establishment of Asia's third PvP link between different currencies
Bank Negara Malaysia seeks to limit superfluous supply of banknotes
Central bank prints 500 million new banknotes for celebrations at the end of Ramadan each year; urges public to accept high-quality recycled notes in their stead
Malaysia’s Zeti calls for greater macro-prudential supervision of Islamic finance
Bank Negara Malaysia governor says ‘new wave of internationalisation’ of Islamic finance necessitates greater prudential supervision and cross-border cooperation
Asean pioneers lay foundation for economic union with capital markets move
Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore press ahead with capital markets integration in bid to jump-start Asian Economic Community
Zeti promotes Islamic finance expansion
Says the industry’s rapid growth is dependent on its ability to serve the real economy
Malaysia deputy pushes for progress on data
Bank Negara Malaysia’s Muhammad bin Ibrahim says data compilation should become more forward-looking and statistical needs identified more quickly
Malaysian deputy puts burden of education on financial advisers
Bank Negara Malaysia deputy governor says high demand for financial products has caused the central bank to refine its conduct guidelines but responsibility for education still falls with advisers
Insurers must prepare for climate change, says Zeti
Bank Negara Malaysia’s Zeti says climate change presents a huge challenge to Asian insurance industry; risk management systems must adapt
Asian integration holds key for Malaysia’s Zeti
Bank Negara Malaysia governor says integration necessary if Asia is to continue to develop; funds need to be able to reach investment opportunities
Central Bank of Malaysia raids ‘Ponzi’ scheme companies
Four gold-trading companies raided by central bank amid charges they were running illegal gold-trading schemes described as ‘Ponzi’ operations, according to the Malaysian central bank
Malaysia’s Zeti encourages cross-border collaboration
Zeti Akhtar Aziz promotes the need for cooperation in achieving financial stability; outlines positive impact of this approach in Asia
Malaysian growth rate exceeds target
Report published by Bank Negara Malaysia on economic developments in second quarter shows increase in growth beyond level forecast in annual report; central bank expects trend to continue
Malaysia’s Zeti considers economic challenges facing Asia
Zeti Akhtar Aziz examines impact of global spillovers on Asian countries; says greater regional cohesiveness and co-operation have boosted region’s potential to overcome difficulties
Zeti stresses importance of training in improving bank governance
Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia says training for directors of financial institutions is an effective method of promoting financial stability; praises FIDE programme’s role in achieving this
IMF paper compares Islamic and conventional finance
Working paper examines returns on Islamic and conventional finance; finds differences in returns are not statistically significant
Malaysia releases Basel III proposals
Bank Negara Malaysia issues concept paper setting out plans to strengthen capital adequacy standards for banking institutions; requests feedback on requirements, which follow Basel III recommendations
Bank Negara Malaysia reports slower economic growth
Overview of economy shows growth fell to 4.7% in Malaysia in the first quarter of 2012; domestic demand stays strong but export market slows
Malaysia and Turkey sign memorandum of understanding
Central banks agree to work to “foster strategic co-operation” between the two countries; want to promote bilateral investment and liquidity arrangements
Asia regional FSB discusses deleveraging in Europe
Financial Stability Board Regional Consultative Group for Asia focuses on problems arising due to deleveraging of European financial institutions; also share thoughts on recent FSB initiatives