In a banking sector that is lagging behind other Association of South-east Asian Nations markets in Tier 1 capital, asset and pre-tax profits growth, Malaysia’s Maybank remains one of the strongest lenders in the country. According to Abdul Farid Alias, bank president and CEO, stronger discipline in asset and liability management as well as strengthening regional subsidiaries, such as that in Indonesia, have contributed to this performance.
In 2016, Maybank’s net interest income grew 5.2% year on year to RM15,301bn ($3464bn) despite a slowdown in loans growth. Reducing costs of funding, pricing credit better and maximising income in client relationships all helped the bank achieve this result, says Mr Alias.
