and the largest bank in indonesia, bank mandiri can bring much experience and leadership across the region. bank mandiri ’ s current scope of activities covering trade financing, sme and micro banking products is highly relevant towards advancing the interests of both malaysia and the broader asean region. the entry of bank mandiri into malaysia via the abif framework would also provide an opportunity to further enhance the regional integration in payment systems between malaysia and indonesia. the current collaboration between the atm switches in malaysia ( meps ) and indonesia ( atm bersama ) to facilitate cross - border cash withdrawals can be enhanced to facilitate cross - border remittances leveraging on over 11, 000 atms in malaysia and 17, 000 atms in indonesia. this can be leveraged upon by both the malaysian and indonesian population including the diaspora groups to undertake safe and efficient cross - border remittances. such collaboration can also be extended to facilitate retail payment card transactions via the domestic debit card schemes of both countries. eventually, i envision atms in malaysia and indonesia will be linked seamlessly. this will reduce cost, enhance safety and expand outreach. conclusion let me conclude with a quote by malaysia ’ s second prime minister, tun abdul razak hussein, who said in 1967 that, “ we cannot survive for long as independent but isolated peoples unless we also think and act together and unless we prove by deeds that we belong to a family of southeast asian nations bound together by ties of friendship and goodwill ” we have indeed come a long way in our cooperation and journey between indonesia and malaysia. the potential of bank mandiri as a qualified asean bank in malaysia will be a significant milestone for both our countries and the asean region. it represents the realisation of a vision that was formed more than six years ago with the asean banking integration framework, with roots that go even further back. we should expect greater achievements by both our countries. 2 / 3 bis central bankers'speeches thank you. 3 / 3 bis central bankers'speeches

. this occasion is also a testament to the leadership of indonesia and malaysia and the excellent working relationship between the two countries. it gives me great pleasure and satisfaction to see many familiar faces today who have been instrumental in realising this efforts, especially pak muliaman and pak wimboh. for those who are not aware, we go back a long way. in 2011, pak muliaman and i were given the privilege to lead the taskforce on asean banking integration framework. we were succeeded by deputy governor abdul rasheed and pak wimboh. coincidentally, both of them were at the imf together representing our constituency, in their roles as alternate ed and ed respectively. they were replaced by aznan aziz and pak mulya sirega. when they completed their term at the imf, pak wimbo became the chairman of bank mandiri and rasheed became the deputy governor. as fate had it, pak muliaman became ojk chairman and yours truly became the governor. 1 / 3 bis central bankers'speeches all the planets were perfectly aligned. all of our efforts culminated in 2014 with the signing of the asean banking integration framework by asean central bank governors. another key achievement was the signing of the bilateral abif agreement between indonesia and malaysia in august 2016 by pak muliaman and i. six years since its genesis, we are proud to see the conceptualisation and realisation of asean banking integration beginning to take shape. under abif, banks in the region will be able to play a greater role in facilitating cross - border trade and investment. it will further enhance linkages. the framework allows deeper integration while providing adequate safeguards to account for national development objectives and financial stability. given the significant role of banks in regional economies, the successful implementation of abif will be a major catalyst for sustainable, inclusive and mutually reinforcing growth in the region. as a sign of malaysia ’ s commitment towards this agenda, the ratification of abif commitments was completed in march this year. i hope that the ratification process can be concluded swiftly to enable indonesian qabs to operate in malaysia in the near future. dawn of a new era the operationalisation of the asean banking integration framework represents the dawn of a new era of banking relationship between indonesia and malaysia. we are privileged to be a witness and contributor to this historical event. financial integration is a key agenda for the asean region and will only intensify further in the future. as an asean bank embodying the asean spirit,