Since the onset of the digital revolution, information flows and networks have spread across borders. We are now in a new era of technology since the advent of cloud computing. More than ever, technology pervades nearly every aspect of our lives. Whilst Asia is home to some of the world’s most digitized and innovative economies, I believe the potential of technology is yet to be fully realised in the region’s banking industry. With the constant challenge from the vast amount of data, banks that can successfully capitalise on rapid access to critical information and able to act quickly and effectively will distinguish themselves in the future. This challenge becomes magnified in post-regulatory reform, as demand is growing across the financial services industry for greater transparency, better information and analytics and improvements to risk management. There is also increased expectation for financial institutions to tap on the new targeted segments of the unbanked. This is where the force of technology can come into play. Technological advancement such as business analytics and mobility solutions can be tailored to markets across Asia to access a wealth of data that can be used beyond strategic risk management to open up the previously inaccessible and unprofitable customer segments – in reaching new customers without the cost of establishing extensive branch networks, and in improving relationships and cross-selling prospects with existing customers. These forces of change present immense opportunities for Asia’s banking industry.

It is clear that a transformation strategy endeavor for any nation, industry or organization, cannot be achieved without the right quality of human capital. This is particularly the case for banking as a knowledge dominated industry. Capacity building programs to mould and generate the right skills, mindsets and values consistent with changing market dynamics will be the key success factors. It is therefore imperative for learning institutions around the region to continue to review and update their respective syllabus, contents and learning methodologies and ensure that education remain relevant and effective in meeting the talent needs in the region. On this note, I commend the commitment of the Institute of Bankers Malaysia (IBBM) to transform from; a provider of courses to a facilitator of professional education, from a consumer to a producer of intellectual capital, and from a national to a regional, or perhaps as a global service provider. We are now looking at a new landscape for our banking education infrastructure and plan to announce soon on the developments and delivery of a broad range of industry programmes that will embrace professional standards that are more applied and reflective of the times. It might include multi-disciplinary research that covers areas such as thought leadership, publications and flagship conferences. We aspire the transformation of IBBM into a forwardlooking, world-class provider in the development of professionals for the dynamic financial sector. The transformation of IBBM represents part of an overall capacity building and infrastructural development efforts to raise the standards on education in financial services.