Tuan-tuan dan Puan-puan, Kami amat berbesar hati dengan kesudian Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi untuk melancarkan Laman Informasi Nasihat dan Khidmat Bank Negara Malaysia atau Bank Negara Malaysia LINK pada hari ini. Kami mengambil kesempatan dari kehadiran Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Seri di taklimat ekonomi di Bank Negara Malaysia pada pagi ini untuk merasmikan Bank Negara Malaysia LINK. Penubuhan Bank Negara Malaysia LINK merupakan komitmen Bank Negara Malaysia untuk meningkatkan lagi perkhidmatan yang diberikan kepada orang ramai dan membantu meningkatkan akses pembiayaan kepada perusahaan kecil dan sederhana. Perasmian ini amat bermakna kerana Yang Amat Berhormat Perdana Menteri merupakan peneraju kepada peningkatan sistem penyampaian sektor awam. Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Seri juga telah memainkan peranan penting dalam usaha meningkatkan potensi perusahaan kecil dan sederhana sebagai enjin pertumbuhan ekonomi negara kita. Ladies and Gentlemen, Bank Negara Malaysia has always been in direct contact with the public. The Central Bank receives walk-in members of the public seeking information in relation to our operations, policies and regulations as well as those who seek redress on financial issues. The SME Unit in Bank Negara Malaysia also has direct contact with the SMEs relating to issues of access to financing. The establishment of Bank Negara Malaysia LINK is to allow the interface with members of the public as well as the SMEs to be centralised and conducted in a more efficient and effective manner. The premises of the Bank Negara Malaysia LINK was previously the Kuala Lumpur branch of Bank Negara Malaysia.

As part of our Financial Sector Master Plan, we have implemented a 10-year programme to increase consumers' financial literacy. We are now in the third year of the programme. The effective participation by the public in the financial system needs to be an informed participation. There needs to be better understanding of the consumer's financial rights and responsibilities, the opportunities and the associated risks and costs. Bank Negara Malaysia LINK through its exhibitions, interactive information kiosks and booklets, will serve as a channel to provide consumer financial education to the public. In this connection, Bank Negara Malaysia LINK will provide information relating to conventional and Islamic banking, insurance and takaful, SMEs, foreign exchange administration, Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS), Biro Maklumat Cek, development financial institutions, and other financing related matters. Bank Negara Malaysia LINK would also attend to public complaints on the above matters. As part of efforts to preserve the history on Bank Negara Malaysia's role in nation building, Bank Negara Malaysia LINK also includes a section on the Bank's contribution in shaping the country's economy and financial sector since the 1950s. Ladies and Gentlemen, The establishment of Bank Negara Malaysia LINK takes the Central Bank's public outreach programme to a higher level. By providing a centralised platform for the public to seek information and address financial issues, it is our hope that Bank Negara Malaysia LINK will be instrumental in building bridges between consumers, including SMEs, the financial business community, consumer associations and policymakers.