The traditionally reserved nature of Malaysians has tended to damage the country's aspirations of being recognised as an international financial centre. However, things have changed a lot in the past few years and Bank Negara Malaysia, the central bank, has embarked on a number of wide-reaching initiatives to boost its global presence, from monetary stability measures to microfinance initiatives.
Central governor Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz is particularly interested in developing the country's financial centre. "We'd like to enhance the international dimension of Islamic finance and our linkages with other financial centres - not only to international financial centres but also other financial systems in other emerging economies."
