speech is timely given so much interest shown by both domestic and international investors in the malaysian economy. both the prime minister and governor will offer invaluable insights into strategic orientation of important policies that will chart the malaysian economy going forward. therefore, these are the main events not to be missed. of course you should not miss other speakers too! they will touch on various topics according to their areas of expertise. more importantly, you will get to hear investment opportunities in malaysia with a special focus on conventional and islamic financial institutions products. for selected topis, there will be workshops for in depth discussions with panel members who are prominent speakers from industries as well as regulatory bodies. it will be interesting to find out what will transpire in the workshops that await you. ladies and gentlemen, this investors conference is also a gathering of investors, bankers, fund managers, regulators and industry leaders from malaysia and the world over. this is an excellent opportunity for you to capitalize on their presence by networking with them. i am sure you have a lot to gain from their experiences and first - hand knowledge in their own fields. furthermore, for information on investment opportunities in malaysia, there are 15 exhibition booths from major financial institutions and regulators set up in this convention centre specifically for you. please make a point to visit the exhibition booths, which showcase financial products and services in malaysia. i am sure these booths have informative brochures to give out and are more than happy to answer any queries you may have. there will be a very special event at the end of the second day. tan sri dato'seri dr. zeti akhtar aziz, governor of bank negara malaysia will launch two new indices - the citigroup malaysian government bond index and dow jones - rhb islamic malaysia index. the launching of these indices marks yet another milestone in the development of the malaysian capital market. as you are well aware, credible and transparent indices are very significant market infrastructure to raise the awareness and interest of investors. this will bode well for our aspiration to broaden and deepen the bond market in malaysia. ladies and gentlemen, i would like to remind you that both the day one and day two programs promise to be eventful. i know the very conducive environment for shopping at the kuala lumpur city center or klcc can be very tempting for some of us. but please resist that temptation for a while and wait until the conference is over. then please, by

achieving greater economic efficiency through electronic payments ; ( viii ) empowered consumers ; and ( ix ) talent development for the financial sector. a strong focus in the blueprint is on developing the financial ecosystem to enhance funding for innovation which represents a key transformative agenda in our new economic model. ten initiatives in the blueprint are devoted directly to nurturing sources of financing for innovative enterprises in all sectors and at various stages of development. over the next ten years, steps will be taken to achieve a wider range of funding sources for new ideas, including new conduits for financing and investments in innovative industries. with the foundations now in place for greater liberalisation, the blueprint extends this path by assuming a more regional and international complexion. this will entail positioning our financial sector to participate more effectively in the mobilisation of regional surplus funds to productive investments in the region. the financial sector will also advance the country ’ s external orientation by serving malaysian corporations in their regional and international operations, as well as facilitating greater participation of international and regional corporations in our economy. malaysia will also continue to spearhead the internationalisation of islamic finance to facilitate greater cross - border islamic financial activities. the blueprint will also pave the way for the integration of the existing national - level shariah councils into a single apex authority on shariah matters to be established for all institutions offering islamic financial services in malaysia. in the blueprint, financial liberalisation will be pursued in the best interests of malaysia. the goals for financial liberalisation are twofold. firstly, to improve allocative efficiency to productive economic activities, to increase the operational efficiency and lower further the intermediation costs, and to encourage greater financial innovation. secondly, to strengthen further malaysia ’ s economic and financial linkages with the region and other parts of the emerging world. key recommendations in the blueprint include more flexible limits on foreign participation in financial institutions, the issuance of new licenses to financial institutions with specialised expertise that are able to contribute to malaysia ’ s economic aspirations and financial sector development. in implementing these strategies an assessment will be made on the factors contributing to the best interests of malaysia. in addition to the prudential criteria that must be met, the presence of strong and well - managed domestic banking groups that will account for a significant share of resident deposits will remain important for the orderly growth and development of the financial sector and of the malaysian economy. as our financial sector continues to advance over the next decade, priority will continue to be