make 1 / 2 bis - central bankers'speeches reforms a reality. the symposium will discuss both immediate issues, such as strengthening external resilience, as well as long - term structural issues such as our labour market and the role of finance in our economy. ladies and gentlemen, sasana symposium is more than just keynotes and in - depth, technical discussions. the symposium is also about demonstrating how reforms and policy are more than just abstract concepts and ideas, about how reforms can make a positive impact in the lives of malaysians. for example, itekad, a social finance programme which we launched at the height of the pandemic has been making inroads. we're happy to share today that over six thousand small and micro businesses have benefitted from itekad, with them seeing almost a 90 % increase in monthly sales and creating job opportunities in their communities. i would like to invite you to drop by the itekad marketplace – just outside our museum and art gallery – to meet microentrepreneurs that have gained from the itekad programme. itekad is a human example of how the public and private sector can come together to make a meaningful, lasting impact in the lives and livelihoods of malaysians. ladies and gentlemen, to conclude, sasana symposium was originally conceived as a platform for discussing key issues and research of our flagship publications – the annual report, the economic and monetary review and the financial stability review. our experience last year proved that this was an impactful occasion for us to engage the public in meaningful dialogue, and exchange perspectives on our work and thinking to promote monetary and financial stability for sustainable economic growth in malaysia. my hope is that you will leave sasana symposium with a better appreciation of what we do, and your part in helping us secure a better future for all malaysians. thank you. 2 / 2 bis - central bankers'speeches

adnan zaylani mohamad zahid : launch of the world bank's islamic trade finance report opening remarks by mr adnan zaylani mohamad zahid, assistant governor of the central bank of malaysia ( bank negara malaysia ), at the launch of the world bank's islamic trade finance report, 23 august 2021. * * * thank you to the world bank for inviting me today. i am pleased to be part of this event to launch the world bank ’ s islamic trade finance report. the publication of this special report will provide greater insights into the substantial role that islamic trade finance can play to support trade, foster growth, and accelerate post - pandemic recovery. i therefore, wish to congratulate the world bank for this timely contribution towards advancing islamic finance. it was recently reported by the world trade organization ( w to ) that global trade in goods, which has been at record highs, could be near its peak. some indicators point to a slowing with the outlook clouded by downside risks. the biggest threat being the pandemic which could undermine the recovery. global trade, at least in goods, has been quite robust and resistant to the economic adversity that we see in general across many sectors and economies. indeed, w to still expects the volume of merchandise trade to hit 8 % growth in 2021 after the 5. 3 % drop last year while the international monetary fund estimates expansion of 9. 7 percent in 2021. as a trading country, malaysia has certainly benefited from this despite the pandemic - related challenges to domestic activity. the country ’ s exports to major markets experienced double - digit growth, surpassing rm1 trillion in value in the first half of 20211. this has buffered us during the downtime for domestic activity, of which now with the re - opening of the economy we could expect a better recovery into the fourth quarter this year. enormous opportunities therefore, lie for islamic trade finance to support global trade and the post - pandemic recovery. globally, islamic trade finance has reached usd186 billion in size and is growing both in scale and in demand as islamic finance plays a more significant role in oic countries. in mitigating the impact of the pandemic and sustaining trade supply chains, the islamic trade finance corporation has also provided support, approving usd4. 7 billion of trade financing in 2020, to benefit member countries. so what would the report tell us of how islamic finance in malaysia has fare