zeti akhtar aziz : recent initiatives to promote financial inclusion speech by dr zeti akhtar aziz, governor of the central bank of malaysia, at the 2006 graduation ceremony of the malaysian insurance institute, kuala lumpur, 19 august 2006. * * * members of the board of the malaysian insurance institute, faculty members, distinguished guests, graduating students, ladies and gentlemen. assalamualaikum dan salam sejahtera, saya berasa amat berbangga dan berbesar hati kerana dapat turut serta meraikan kejayaan yang dicapai oleh para graduan mii pada hari ini. majlis ini menandakan usaha berterusan industri insurans, khususnya mii, untuk meningkatkan tahap profesionalisme kakitangan industri insurans melalui pendidikan berterusan, serta kesungguhan industri insurans untuk sentiasa mempertingkatkan tahap perkhidmatan bagi menjana perkembangan industri. tahniah dan syabas saya ucapkan kepada saudara dan saudari. ladies and gentlemen, today, we recognise the achievement of yet another group of graduands of the mii. let me again congratulate all the 642 individuals who have successfully completed their programmes, among whom are 276 who will receive the masters in business administration, associateship and post - graduate diploma qualifications while 26 will receive the certification as chartered financial consultants. there are also 340 individuals who will receive their undergraduate diplomas and certificates in various insurance - related fields. i am particularly pleased to welcome the graduands from bangladesh, india, indonesia, the maldives, thailand and vietnam. the increasing participation of candidates from abroad is a welcome development as it adds an international dimension to the mii's programmes by promoting an exchange of cross - border experiences and expertise shared in the programmes. it also strengthens the network among the workforce of the industry in the region. on this day, all of you have indeed achieved an important step forward in your professional career. the skills and knowledge acquired in achieving your qualifications will enhance your ability to contribute to the performance and development of the insurance industry. in this increasingly competitive and challenging economic and financial environment, knowledge has emerged

asean insurance training and research institute, or aitri, in malaysia, serving as a regional network centre for insurance education and research. for this purpose, aitri conducts an annual series of insurance programmes and courses for the asean regulators and practitioners. complementing the mii's efforts for the insurance industry, the international centre for education on islamic finance, or inceif which was launched in march this year seeks to produce high - caliber practitioners, professionals, specialists and researchers in islamic finance. it offers the world's first certification on islamic finance, the certified islamic finance professional ( cifp ) programme as well as post - graduate programmes in islamic finance. this initiative is aimed at supporting the global development of the islamic financial services industry. ladies and gentlemen, the further development and growth of the insurance industry brings with it new potential and opportunities for professionals like yourselves. the challenge is to embrace the opportunities as they present themselves and to continuously develop new skills and competencies that will be needed in this changing environment. in relation to this, i would like to urge you to rise to the challenge by building on your achievements today to continually improve your skills and knowledge. the inculcation of a culture of lifelong learning is essential to enable you to adapt to the constantly changing environment and to contribute to the growth and development of the insurance industry, and to the overall financial services industry. in closing, let me congratulate once again all the graduands of mii. i wish each of you every success in your career and future endeavours. thank you.