of the new environment. this may involve significant changes to the governance arrangements, the empowering legislation, the skills required, the role of communications, the human capital management and development and the organisational culture. indeed, capacity building is a further robust area of collaboration in the asian region. going forward, asia ’ s participation in the global economic and financial system is set to increase exponentially. as the countries of the region connect with each other and the rest of the world, there is every reason to hope for a better future of sustained stability and enhanced growth prospects for the benefit of the regional and world economy.

that saw more than 47 million interactions with fen ’ s various outreach programmes. a key achievement by fen members working collaboratively has been the integration of financial education elements into all levels of the formal school curriculum, from pre - school right up to upper secondary levels. financial education modules have also been introduced as electives in college programmes. another important milestone was the development of the financial literacy core competency framework for malaysian adults which now serves as a key reference for 1 / 3 bis central bankers'speeches financial education interventions to effect lasting behavioural change. today ’ s event is part of a month - long national campaign on financial literacy organised annually by fen to raise awareness on the importance of financial literacy and take fen ’ s message directly to the public. with the theme “ navigate your finances : stay safe and act wisely ”, this year ’ s financial literacy month is focused on providing financial education support during these challenging times, creating greater awareness on advisory and redress avenues, and encouraging informed and responsible practices to manage exceptional financial challenges in the short term, but without losing sight of longer term financial goals and needs. financial education is of course a marathon, rather than a one - month sprint. it requires us to constantly adapt and flex our approaches to take into account the different experiences that individuals have with money and finance ; the changing attitudes of society ; and changing risks facing consumers as the financial landscape continues to evolve. this is why an opportunity like this to share approaches, considerations and insights is invaluable. the financial hardships brought about by covid - 19 has been a sobering revelation of the critical knowledge gaps that exist in our community. too many malaysian households have been thrust into vulnerable financial positions that might have been mitigated, due to high debt levels, low buffers and poor financial habits that left them sorely unprepared to cope with unexpected shocks during the pandemic. when confronted with having to deal with their financial difficulties, many struggled to take appropriate steps to gain control of their situation and make good choices. as a result, individuals have had to resort to drawing down on retirement funds, or incurring higher debt just to get by. and there are still too many who continue to fall prey to desperate financial scams and fraud. indeed, the need to double down on financial education has never been clearer. we need to build stronger resilience among all malaysian households. we need to equip and empower malaysians with the right knowledge and