greater market access in the domestic economy and improve the overall financial inclusion is also important. this includes the offering of new financial products to the different domestic economic segments. concluding remarks on this occasion of the official launch of hsbc amanah malaysia berhad, let me take this opportunity to congratulate hsbc bank malaysia berhad on the initiative to establish its own of the islamic banking subsidiary and for its commitment to contribute to the success of islamic finance. by allocating dedicated resources in the islamic subsidiary in malaysia, hsbc bank will enhance its potential to contribute to the advancement of islamic banking business going forward. i wish hsbc amanah malaysia berhad every success in its endeavours.

zeti akhtar aziz : sustaining malaysia as a platform for international islamic finance address by dr zeti akhtar aziz, governor of the central bank of malaysia, at the launching of hsbc amanah malaysia berhad : " sustaining malaysia as a platform for international islamic finance ", kuala lumpur, 25 november 2008. * * * it is my pleasure to be here today at this official launch of " hsbc amanah malaysia berhad " ( hsbc amanah ). this launch is significant in a number of respects. it reflects the continued expansion of islamic finance in malaysia, taking place at a time of great uncertainty in the glo bal financial system. the launch of hsbc amanah, as an islamic subsidiary of an international financial group, is also significant as it will contribute towards enhancing further the international dimension of islamic finance in malaysia, thus strengthening our international financial and economic linkages with other parts of the world. the islamic subsidiary represents the transformation of the islamic banking window operations into a dedicated entity that allows for greater strategic direction and drive of performance for the islamic banking business. the advancement of the islamic subsidiary institutions structure has the potential to further complement the goals of the group by providing an alternative model to spur the expansion of the banking business. it will pave the way for providing strong support in terms of capital, resources and operational infrastructure to elevate performance. in doing so, it will also contribute towards enriching further the diversity of players and strengthening the institutional infrastructure of the malaysian islamic banking system. the continued growth of islamic finance in malaysia the international economic and financial environment is expected to remain very challenging with several major economies now in recession and continued uncertainties prevailing in the international financial system. in spite of this, the asian economies are still growing, albeit at a more modest pace. the dominance of domestic demand and increasing regional economic integration have enhanced the prospects for asia to sustain a modest pace of growth. in this challenging international financial environment, it is encouraging that islamic finance has continued to demonstrate its evolution and strong growth. islamic finance has now become a new vehicle contributing to increasing the financial linkages not only within asia but also with the rest of the world thereby facilitating cross - border allocation of capital globally. indeed, a number of international financial centres have recognised islamic finance as an integral part of their financial system in order to complete the suite of financial products and services being offered, and therefore are actively developing this segment. the islamic finance industry has not only continued to