the pocket money book to be used in the school adoption programme was launched. the central bank of malaysia has also laid out a blueprint known as the financial sector master plan that charts the development of the malaysian financial system over a ten year period commencing in 2001. a key component of that plan is the 10 - year consumer education programme for the banking and insurance sectors. this programme is known as bankinginfo and insuranceinfo, and was launched in 2003. to reach a wide spectrum of the population, various channels are being employed to disseminate information, including through media, road shows, information brochures and a dedicated web site. there is also a dedicated outreach programme aimed at specific target groups, which includes women in rural areas, low income earners and disadvantaged women such as single mothers. to date, the bankinginfo website has received an overwhelming response - about 14 million hits and more than 2. 5 million booklets were taken up by the public. in the insurance sector, over 1. 4 million hits have been received on the insuranceinfo website, and more than 1. 3 million insurance info - booklets have been disseminated by the insurers to the public. ladies and gentlemen, similar to many other asian economies, microenterprises in malaysia are a substantial contributor to employment. women are extensively involved in microenterprises, often operated as family run businesses. to support the growth of microenterprises, dedicated agencies and funding mechanisms have been established. in order to equip the microenterprises with proper knowledge, education materials were developed on the fundamentals of starting a business, specifically addressing issues of getting access to appropriate financing within the constraints faced by microenterprises. dedicated agencies, including specialist development financial institutions, were identified to provide training and advisory services to complement these initiatives. in addition to the consumer education programmes, the central bank has put in place a consumer protection framework. in collaboration with the financial industry the central bank has established a financial mediation bureau. the financial mediation bureau aims to serve as a one - stop center for the resolution of retail consumer complaints against financial institutions regulated by the central bank. the central bank is also establishing a one - stop service centre in the bank that will function as a public information centre for the promotion of financial literacy among the malaysian public. the service centre will provide advisory services on financial matters to small and medium enterprises. ladies and gentlemen, concluding remarks financial literacy among women is all about having

these virtues led him to set the highest standards of professionalism and excellence for himself, his staff and the people he dealt with. by his own admission, this made him a difficult leader to work for – but to create the able talent to build this fledgling nation, he demanded nothing less. bank negara malaysia is proud to continue this tradition of fostering talent such as through the establishment of the tun ismail ali chair on monetary and financial economics at the university of malaya. this year, in conjunction with our celebration today, the bank has awarded the tun ismail ali scholarship to miss thulaja thessa vasudhevan who is pursuing her master ’ s degree in nature, society and environmental governance at oxford university. beneath governor ismail ali ’ s reserved appearance, lies a warm soul. he cared deeply for his staff ’ s welfare and, like any parent, was stern to those under him so that they may grow into the best versions of themselves. he treasured friendship and spoke of his close relationship with fellow central bankers as one of the “ most satisfying things for a governor ”. this underpinned his unwavering commitment to harness the spirit of trust and cooperation amongst the regional and international central banking community amidst the rising crescendo of challenges confronting the global economy and financial system. he sowed the seeds for collaboration, such as through the establishment of the south east asian central banks centre ( seacen ). governor ismail ali strove for perfection, yet he understood that neither economic assumption, ceteris paribus, nor econometric models can accurately predict this world. he said that “ the central bank works in an uncertain world, with policy tools that are often not easily understood, and seeking to meet objectives of policy that are always broadly defined. with these uncertainties in an imperfect world, the central banker needs to have the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what cannot be accepted, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other ". as we sifted through the mementoes of governor ismail ali for the book, we noticed that rarely were there pictures of him at the centre of attention ; in most, he was at the side of a dignitary dispensing advice. i believe this aptly encapsulates his deep understanding of the role of a central bank. in 1978, he told a group of central bankers that a central bank needs to earn the right to advise the government by winning the confidence and