These, among many other incidents, are growing evidence that climate change results in more frequent extreme weather events bringing destructive consequences along with them. While causing great upheaval, the pandemic and climate crisis provide an impetus for us to reset and reprioritise resources to re-steer our economies and financial systems to be more sustainable and inclusive. Islamic finance (IF) has large potential in this space. The concept of vicegerency on earth in the Quran, which asserts mankind’s responsibility to take on ownership over preservation of wealth and resources on earth, as well as the universal values of maqasid shariah resonates well with the principles of sustainability. As such, it is not surprising that Islamic financial institutions have stepped up to meet this challenge, evidenced through the Value-based Intermediation (VBI) initiative and practices by Islamic banks and takaful operators. Consequently, as sustainability becomes a global movement, IFIs are in a position and opportunity to take stewardship and influence financial developments, both within the financial groups, sector, and the wider community. Action-oriented leadership is key and to this, I would like to highlight three attributes that would complement the role of leaders assigned to this arduous task. Firstly, leaders must have the drive to cultivate a sustainability-focused culture within the organisation. For this, leaders must set that tone from the top and more importantly, walk the talk. A clear message that needs to resonate throughout the organisation is that the transition to sustainability is a transformational journey that will deliver long-term, sustainable outcomes.

Victims of financial scams may call their bank's hotlines which are operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or NSRC's 997 hotline to lodge reports. I also wish to highlight that in trying to trace and intercept stolen funds, and to prevent further losses, time is of the essence. Therefore, victims must immediately call their banks or 997 as soon as they discover that they have been scammed. The NSRC will initiate an immediate response, but victims must make a police report to furnish more detailed information to allow the authorities to investigate the matter. The NSRC is an important element in our fight to combat scams. But, as they say, prevention is better than cure. In this regard, it is important that all of us take actions to protect ourselves from becoming victims of financial scams. Each and every one of us should remain vigilant and on guard to safeguard our banking information. In the Financial Capability and Inclusion Demand survey which BNM recently conducted, one third or 37 percent of respondents stated that they would be willing to share their bank account passwords or PIN numbers with their close friends! This statistic is indeed very troubling. We must take responsibility of our banking security credentials just like how we should take good care of our prized possessions. We also need to ensure that our computers and mobile devices are secure and running up-to-date software. Remember not to download files or applications such as Android Package Kit from unverified sources or links.