Fabian S. Dee’s visionary leadership has driven Metrobank’s steady growth, financial resilience, business expansion, operational excellence, talent development and digital transformation, earning him the title of Best Bank CEO in the Philippines and securing the bank’s recognition as the country’s Best Managed Bank.

Finance Philippines 2025 brought together banking leaders, regulators and technology experts to explore how structural reforms, digital transformation and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) are redefining the country’s financial landscape. The event highlighted the Bankers Association of the Philippines’ five foundational priorities, strategies for scaling AI with governance and practical insights from a high-level panel discussion on ESG, inclusion and regulation.

DBS posted record earnings in the first half of 2025 by reinforcing balance sheet strength, integrating client flows across geographies and embedding digital infrastructure into its core business model. This combination has created a platform for sustained, scalable growth in a volatile environment.

Khairussaleh Ramli’s bold and disciplined leadership has propelled Maybank’s customer-focused digital transformation, sustainability commitments and talent development—earning him the title of Best Bank CEO in Malaysia.

Driving World-Class Bank Transformation in Asia Pacific, a recent report by TABInsights and FIS, highlights how leading banks are rearchitecting core systems to compete in a digital-first, AI-driven world.

Krungsri aims to redefine customer loyalty with GIFT, a personalised, gamified rewards platform embedded within its mobile banking app. By aligning everyday digital transactions with real-time incentives, GIFT is driving measurable improvements in engagement, product adoption and behavioural change.

Techcombank has rebuilt its core technology and data architecture, expanded its ecosystem partnerships and redefined its talent model as part of a multi-year transformation. Under CEO Jens Lottner, the bank is repositioning itself as a platform player in Vietnam’s evolving digital economy.

Through its multi-brand ecosystem— heygoody.com, Shield Insurance and Areegator—TIDLOR aims to reshape Thailand’s insurance landscape with digital-first services, cash instalment innovations and a customer experience rooted in empathy and behavioural insights.

RHB Banking Group is translating internal transformation into regional execution under PROGRESS27. Singapore anchors this shift as the group aligns platforms, commercial delivery and operational discipline across ASEAN.

With 18 million consumer banking clients across ASEAN and 11 million digitally active, CIMB is rethinking how it delivers value at every life stage. From payroll-linked onboarding to AI-enhanced advisory, the bank is blending digital scale with local relevance to deepen trust and grow sustainably under its Forward30 transformation agenda.

In the wake of Thailand’s approval of virtual bank licences, leading business, operation, risk management and technology heads from incumbent and emerging financial institutions met to discuss the challenges and opportunities in embedding agility, innovation and resilience into the next phase of banking transformation.

At CIMB’s inaugural ASEAN Media Trip, Group CEO Novan Amirudin and his fellow group banking leaders elaborated on how the bank’s Forward30 strategy, EPICC values and performance indicators are driving a unified, purpose-led approach to growth, digitalisation and execution across its regional network.

At Finance Thailand 2025, senior bankers, policymakers and technologists converged to address how artificial intelligence, digitalisation and regulatory innovation are reshaping the country's financial and economic future.

Chief executive officer for Hong Kong and Greater China & North Asia at Standard Chartered, Mary Huen reflects on the deeper impact of leadership beyond strategy and performance. She finds her greatest energy not in numbers or accolades, but in shaping the next generation of leaders and embedding a culture of aspiration, accountability and adaptability.

Service consumption is key to China's economic transformation, but several challenges must be addressed to enhance household consumption propensity and stimulate demand.