This article was originally published in the Brand Finance Banking 500 2025 report
Maybank's brand value has increased 52% to USD5.2 billion. This places it among the top 30 most valuable banking brands in Asia & Pacific, ranking 28th in the region and 72nd globally.
President & Group CEO of Maybank, Dato’ Khairussaleh Ramli shares insights into Maybank’s transformative journey and vision for the future.
Interview with Dato’ Khairussaleh Ramli
President & Group CEO,
Maybank
Could you provide further insights into the key components of the M25+ strategy and how it has played a pivotal role in enhancing both your brand value and financial performance?
Our commendable brand performance can be attributed to the coordinated implementation of Maybank’s M25+ strategy which focuses on five strategic thrusts, one of which was on intensifying customer centricity.
Our focus was deeply rooted in putting customers at the core of everything we do, with the intent to drive sustainable business growth. In driving financial performance, we placed a strong focus on our super growth areas, involving key business segments. This includes segmental growth under wealth management, bancassurance and the mid-market segment. Through our concerted efforts, it has resulted in positive growth, and we aim to replicate this success in our other home markets of Singapore and Indonesia.
Another key component of M25+ is that while achieving the business outcomes in terms of performance is a priority, equally important is inculcating the agile way of working across the organisation. This has enabled our workforce to think about the customer first and foremost, from identifying customer pain points and journeys, to coming up with solutions and ideas in an interesting way, collaborating among the employees with empowerment.
Digital innovation is at the core of Maybank's strategy. How have you leveraged digital capabilities to not only enhance customer experiences but also to fuel business growth? What would you say are the most impactful digital transformations for banks to consider in today’s market?
On the digital front, we continue to build on our regional digital banking ecosystem with the aim to truly create a borderless environment for businesses and individuals transacting. Our continued leadership in this segment saw strong growth in digital payments with more than 9.9 million active digital customers in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Cambodia in FY2024.
In an ever-evolving digital landscape, the main priority for us will be to continue enhancing our online banking
platforms for our customers and identifying innovative digital solutions to drive this section. In Malaysia,
Maybank has recently launched a first-in-market counter fraud security feature on the MAE App called Money
Lock, which allows customers to lock funds in the savings or current accounts of their choice from being digitally accessed, keeping funds safe from online scammers. This initiative builds on the success of Maybank Singapore’s implementation of the same feature, once again showcasing our capability and capacity of our regional ecosystem.
For the banking industry today, the most impactful digital transformations are those that derive real social impact and spur sustainable regional growth for our customers. At Maybank, we are committed to driving an Inclusive Economy, especially by empowering Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). With this segment being the backbone of the economy for many countries in ASEAN, Maybank continues to support MSMEs by scaling up our offering across key markets via expanded funding access and integrating solutions for ease of operations.
Recently, Maybank announced a strategic investment in Funding Societies called ‘Modalku’, the largest
unified digital finance platform for MSMEs in Southeast Asia, in efforts to promote inclusivity and bridge funding gaps within the communities we serve.
Your leadership has earned the 85th position globally in our Brand Guardianship Index 2025, highlighting your significant contributions to Maybank’s 52% growth in brand value and its representation of Malaysia on the global stage. What principles do you believe have been most instrumental in your success in this role?
As a leading financial institution, Maybank truly embodies its purpose, which is to be a values-driven platform
powered by a bionic workforce that humanises financial services.
Through our values-driven platform, we continue to infuse principles of ethical banking to drive differentiated economic value for the Group while orchestrating digital ecosystem and integrating customer offerings region wide.
This is further supported by our bionic workforce, in ensuring our employees are upskilled and equipped with the right tools and are able to unlock their potential.
Connecting these factors together is our mission of Humanising Financial Services, pretty much serving our communities, customers and other stakeholders.
In addition, our success showcases our customer centricity approach, understanding customer journeys and
addressing their pain points.
In realising our purpose, we have also placed great importance in ensuring Maybankers can actively collaborate to serve our customers and communities. On this point, we continue to upskill our workforce through comprehensive talent development programmes, ensuring that they are future-ready.
This recognition reflects not just my leadership but the shared vision and dedication of the entire Maybank team. As we continue our M25+ strategy, we remain committed to driving sustainable value creation in all markets we operate in.
