Does Maybank have a shot at leading it?
Maybank built the financial backbone of Malaysia. For 60 years the formula worked: Scale + Trust + Distribution. But banking is changing. Distribution is becoming digital. Trust is becoming programmable. The institution that wins ASEAN will not only be the most banked. It will be the most embedded.
What customers want has moved. Payments, shopping, mobility, identity—all beginning in apps outside the bank. Banks are becoming infrastructure. Platforms are becoming relationships.
If banks lose the daily relationship, they lose the future value. Banks are where money sleeps but no longer where money lives.
A strong core to defend. Maybank is in the best position of any Malaysian bank to lead ASEAN's digital finance ecosystems.
| Capability | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Largest low-cost deposit base | Cheap funding = pricing power |
| Retail and Islamic leadership | Scale advantage that compounds |
| Regional presence in ASEAN | Access to faster growth markets |
| Digital transformation (M25+) | Solid platform to build new franchises |
Maybank innovates. But transformation stalls inside the Core. If new businesses must behave like a 60-year-old bank to survive, they will never grow into the next core.
Maybank mastered banking scale. Now it must master platform scale.
| Zone | Purpose | Current | Ideal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Defend deposit franchise | ~70% | 50–55% | Safe but aging |
| Edge | Build new digital franchises | ~25% | 35–40% | MAE, embedded finance |
| Beyond | Create future economic systems | ~5% | 10–15% | AI + digital identity |
Maybank dominates the Core. But that no longer guarantees leadership.
Innovation active but trapped
Boldest Beyond appetite locally
Digitising but conservative
Platform-native transformation
Structured innovation + scaling
SME ecosystems scaling regionally
Not a digital gap. A leadership architecture gap.
Younger customers build financial habits outside bank ecosystems. If the bank does not follow user gravity, user gravity will not return to the bank.
This is not disruption from outsiders. It is expansion from the most trusted incumbent.
| Engine | TAM | Network Effects | Trust Synergy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embedded finance for SMEs across ASEAN | High | High | High |
| AI-led personal wealth and advisory | High | High | High |
| Digital identity + trust infrastructure | High | High | High |
| Cross-border payments and remittance rails | High | High | High |
One strategic move: Allow Edge to become the next Core.
| Shift | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Governance | Risk-first | Growth-first with guardrails |
| P&L | Integrated into Core | Autonomous business units |
| KPIs | ROE + CASA | Lifetime value + network scale |
| Talent | Protectors | Builders |
| Culture | No until yes | Yes until no |
Maybank has everything to win the next chapter of ASEAN finance: Trust, Brand, Scale, Capital, Customers.
Leadership that does not only safeguard what Maybank built. Leadership that absorbs what it will become.
The question is no longer whether Maybank can transform. It is whether Maybank is willing to choose a new core.