. they filed a complaint under the canadian human rights act. the case inspired canada ’ s banking system to make important changes such as offering brochures in braille and offering talking atms. canada became the first country to offer “ talking atms ” in 1997. talking atms have been around in other countries for almost 20 years, easily available in countries like the uk, us, australia, japan and canada. countries like the philippines, india and turkey have also introduced talking atms. in the united states, the ada ( americans with disabilities act ) requires that atms be equipped with innovative technology to enable the visually impaired customers to use the machines without assistance. in india, it is a requirement for its banking industry that all atms installed from 1 july 2014 should be talking atms with braille keypads. for the hearing impaired, barclays bank in the uk provides hearing induction loop fitted at the counters which act as transmitters for hearing aids users. professional sign language interpreter are available by camera to facilitate video communication. strong legislation to back up the requirement to provide insurance products as for the development in the insurance industry, life insurers in australia are permitted under the disability discrimination act to offer applicants for insurance different terms based on the risk they present, provided they are basing this discrimination on actuarial data or statistics. it is unlawful under the disability discrimination act for insurers to deny applications for insurance without having reasonable and relevant information and data to support their decision. in malaysia, we often received complaints from the oku community that their applications were imposed with high premium loading as the okus are considered high risk. therefore, we urge for the insurance industry here, to base their decisions on statistical evidence and not purely on assumptions. in light of these global trends, going forward, being a vibrant and progressive financial industry, we must always be at the forefront, embrace new innovation and adopt best practices in serving the needs of all segments of society including the okus. expectations moving forward : role of industry ’ s association – to drive industry towards oku inclusive moving forward, each party has to play its role in promoting and contributing towards this important agenda. given the need to address the issues faced by the oku community in gaining access to financial services in this country, the associations should drive the industry in enhancing the role of the financial sector towards this endeavor. the industry needs to develop and implement an action plan to increase access of the okus to the financial products and services

muhammad bin ibrahim : sukuk as a viable fund - raising and investment instrument opening remarks by mr muhammad bin ibrahim, deputy governor of the central bank of malaysia, at the hkma - bnm joint conference on islamic finance, hong kong, 14 april 2014. * * * much has been talked about the global financial crisis that had brought about unparalleled financial miseries, economic calamities and social grievances. while the focus has been on financial reforms and economic remedies, the thought on the minds of governments and regulators is how to create a more sustainable global financial landscape. emphasis on ethics is key to this approach. greater involvement in ethical - related business has made its strides in contributing towards the overall strength of the global financial system. ethical investment itself has gained international recognition in recent years. estimated to be worth more than usd13 trillion, the ethical investment market now represents over a fifth of total assets managed globally. pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and institutional investors are leading the way. europe, the united states of america and canada make up 96 % of the share of this market. in asia, the market is still relatively small – at less than usd100 billion. as ethical investment catches on in asia, so too has investment in sukuk. sharing a close affinity, they optimise financial returns while maintaining social good and upholding strong governance. it is my pleasure to be here today at this joint conference on islamic finance, organised by the hong kong monetary authority and bank negara malaysia. this inaugural conference is set to mark a significant step to enhance collaboration and deepen financial linkages in islamic finance between malaysia and hong kong. the theme “ sukuk as a viable fundraising and investment instrument ” is most apt, given that the ethical - based fixed income instrument has increasingly gained recognition by the global financial community as an attractive source of funding for real sectors and long - term development. adoption of best practices for sukuk issuance the growth of the global sukuk market has been very promising. it reached a stock value of usd268 billion at the end of 2013 and since 2000 has grown at a cumulative average rate of 50 % per annum. the creation of a sukuk market in hong kong is a timely initiative as it has the potential to further spearhead its foray into islamic finance. sukuk, as a new asset class, is ideal for portfolio diversification and is increasingly well - accepted all over the world. from