It’s been an exciting time at the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers. These past six months have seen a host of exciting programmes produced in collaboration with the Institute’s ever-expanding universe of partners.

As part of the ongoing AICB Sustainability Series 2024, our joint technical session with the United Nations Environment Programme — Finance Initiative (UNEP-FI), Advancing Sustainable Finance — Sustainability, Climate, and Nature was held from 27 to 28 February. It gives me great hope that this session is the first-ever training of its kind organised by UNEP-FI in Malaysia, indicating that the scales are tipping in favour of banking’s sustainability movement.

Together with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), this April, we were also proud co-organisers of the IFC Green, Social, and Sustainability (GSS) Bonds Executive In-person Programme, a closed-door event developed exclusively for the Institute’s membership. By cultivating an in-depth understanding of the mechanics of GSS bonds issuances amongst market players, we foresee this to be one of the many concrete steps that will act to counter-balance threats from the ongoing climate crisis.

It is against this backdrop that we’ve devised an editorial which represents the diversity of issues bankers and banking must contend with today.

In our exclusive interview with Ng Wei Wei, CB, UOB Malaysia’s first female CEO and conferred Chartered Banker this year, we explore her take on some of the most crucial issues in banking today.

A Fast & Furious Dress-down, our cover story in this issue by Angela SP Yap, walks us through the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s report on the impact of ‘window dressing’ and its proposed revisions to the Basel III assessment framework among the global systemically important banks. This important policy direction to negate window dressing behaviour concluded its consultation period on 7 June 2024 and will have a ripple effect in banking once it is rolled out in its final form. The proposed transitional period starts on 1 January 2026 with a proposed implementation date of 1 January 2027.

Bob Souster, a regular contributor to the Institute’s publication and Chairperson of the Ethics Committee at the International Association for Sustainable Economy, admirably explores Objectivity and Independence in the current context of banking and finance.

Discussing what’s at the forefront of talent management trends, Dr Amanda Salter shows how it is possible for people to be Happier by the Minute by applying the five pillars that will elevate your employee experience strategy.

With these and many more thought-provoking articles, I hope that you enjoy reading Banking Insight as much as we’ve had curating this issue.

The Editor