KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sept. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hong Leong Bank ("HLB" or the "Bank") has received 4 industry awards this year, reinforcing its position as a leading financial institution in Malaysia. These accolades span SME banking, innovative financial products and even financial inclusion initiatives, reflecting the Bank's dedication to providing an end-to-end banking experience that offers innovative, customer-centric financial solutions, while leveraging digital innovation to uplift communities.
Best SME Bank in Malaysia
HLB has been named "Best SME Bank in Malaysia" at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2024, and for the third consecutive year at the Asian Banking & Finance ("ABF") Retail Banking Awards 2024. This achievement is attributed to an impressive 10.4% year-on-year ("YoY") increase in its SME loan/financing portfolio, reaching RM33 billion in the past financial year. The Bank's community banking initiatives also saw an outstanding 12.6% YoY growth, nearly double the industry average.
The Bank's commitment to SMEs goes beyond providing loans and financing. It offers a fully-digital onboarding experience where SME customers can apply for banking products and services from their own premises, eliminating the need for business owners to open accounts at a physical branch. With this, HLB provides a diversified suite of online banking capabilities, including enhanced features for faster trade processing, an optimised loan origination system that expedites loan approvals. HLB also has an extensive network of Community Business Managers ("CBMs") and Cash, Trade & FX ("CTFX") specialists which are embedded within the nationwide SME community, equipped with the solutions and insights needed to provide unparalleled support to SMEs and business owners.
Best Deposit Product in Malaysia
In line with its commitment to optimising customer experience through innovative banking solutions, HLB's Pay & Save Account/-i ("Pay & Save") has been named "Best Deposit Product in Malaysia" at The Asian Banker Excellence in Retail Finance and Technology Innovation Malaysia Awards 2024.
The Pay&Save account provides multi-currency flexibility and offers higher interest/profit on everyday transactions. The account is designed for a seamless user experience, leveraging on HLB Connect and an integrated multi-currency debit card. Customers can manage finances in both Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) and 12 major foreign currencies, convert currency easily at competitive rates, and spend and withdraw foreign currencies abroad while receiving FOREX alerts at their preferred rates, a testament to the Bank's commitment to designing financial solutions that cater to its customers' diversified lifestyles.
Best Financial Inclusion Initiative
HLB's commitment to customer-centricity and uplifting the community is evident in its financial inclusion program, HLB @ Kampung, which equips underserved communities with digital payment tools and online banking infrastructure. Following its successful launch in Sekinchan, Selangor in 2023, HLB has further initiated 71 HLB @ Kampung projects that look to support the digital transformation of rural towns across Malaysia, turning them into a Cashless Kampung. On the back of the program's success, the Cashless Kampung program was internationally-recognized as the Best Financial Inclusion Initiative at The Asian Banker Excellence in Retail Financial Services International Awards 2024.
Built Around You
Kevin Lam, Group Managing Director and CEO of HLB commented on the widespread recognition of HLB's banking excellence.
"As a financial institution, we constantly look to reimagine our digital banking products and services, ensuring that we truly design them to provide a seamless banking experience for our customers. These awards are not just a reflection of the relentless dedication and hard work from our team at HLB, but it also underscores our pursuit of innovation and customer-centricity. From designing a multi-currency, digitally-enabled savings account, to enhancing our SME banking capabilities and uplifting communities with digital innovation, we look to provide financial solutions and services that are integrated into our customers' diverse lifestyles, becoming a bank that is truly Built Around You."
HLB has also recently upgraded their HLB Connect mobile banking app, further enhancing and streamlining the user experience when it comes to digital banking. The new app comes with a new and improved Forex Rate converter interface, which complements the multi-currency Pay & Save account by making it easier for customers to calculate conversion rates. Besides that, the app now allows for auto-detect biometric settings, where users can use their pre-set security settings on their mobile phones (biometrics for Android and Face ID for iOS) to unlock their HLB Connect app.
For more information about HLB's Pay & Save account, please visit:
https://www.hlb.com.my/en/personal-banking/deposits/savings-account/pay-and-save-account.html
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Hong Leong Bank Picked Up Four Notable Wins at Recent Financial Industry Awards
ABU DHABI, UAE, Nov. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform the energy industry and accelerate decarbonisation has emerged as a critical topic of conversation amongst energy ministers and business leaders, as was made clear at the world's largest energy event, ADIPEC 2024.
On the opening day of ADIPEC, His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, emphasised the critical need for industry leaders to come together and support era-defining breakthroughs such as AI.
The emphasis on AI's game-changing impact reflects a wider sense of optimism across the energy industry, as the government leaders and business executives attending ADIPEC 2024 were united in the belief that AI can fast-track the energy transition and unlock new avenues for progress and prosperity.
In a session titled "The power of AI for the energy transition", top executives from the private sector - including Tayba Al Hashemi, CEO, ADNOC Offshore, ADIPEC 2024 Chairperson; Michel Lutz, Chief Data Officer and Digital Factory Head of Data & AI, TotalEnergies; and Magzhan Kenesbai, Acting MD, AIQ - explored how AI is transforming business operations, and offered their expert insights on the long-term implications of wide-scale AI implementation.
Speaking to his company's experience with AI, Michel Lutz, Chief Data Officer and Digital Factory Head of Data & AI, TotalEnergies, stated: "We are using AI to improve operational efficiency, which supports our company's development in the renewables space. This allows us to better assist our clients in understanding their behaviour and what they need."
Building on this sustained focus on AI's role in the energy industry, speakers across ADIPEC's ten different conferences emphasised the pressing need to address the challenges and opportunities surrounding this transformative technology. Alongside other top CEOs and energy executives, Tengku Muhammad Taufik, President & Group CEO, PETRONAS, urged industry players to adopt a measured and holistic approach to AI:
"Before we perfect artificial intelligence, we need to address fundamental issues. AI can initiate either a virtuous or vicious cycle, depending on how we utilise this technology and how we feed it. While AI consumes a significant amount of energy and its production requires vast resources, it nonetheless helps economies and societies grow. It is up to us to respond wisely to the fork in the road ahead."
Anima Anandkumar, Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Caltech, also contributed to these critical conversations, highlighting the evolving impact of AI on both the energy industry and the environment:
"We should consider not just the energy reduction achieved using AI, but also the time and money saved by employing these AI models. AI is helping us take corrective action in response to natural disasters and other climate-related issues, and the more data we have available, the better our AI models will become. The impact that AI can have in designing from scratch and creating simulations enhances our work in energy and technology."
ADIPEC's commitment to accelerating AI-enabled energy solutions and projects was reflected in the event's inaugural AI Zone, which featured AI studios and demo pods that showcased transformative solutions from leading energy and AI businesses. This dynamic space provided attendees with a comprehensive view of the innovations shaping the future energy system.
The space also played host to the dedicated AI Conference, where leaders from the energy, technology, and government sectors worked together to develop a strategic roadmap for integrating AI into the energy landscape.
The AI conference featured several Innovation Showcases throughout the day, where tech giants and energy majors presented their latest breakthroughs and projects in the field of AI. Participants included Neeraj Joshi, Worldwide CTO of Energy & Resources, Microsoft; Aniruddha Sharma, Chair and CEO, Carbon Clean; Dr. Mike Roshchin, Head of AI, AIQ; and Ali Al Zaabi, acting CEO of AYP/ADP, ADNOC.
The newly launched Digitalisation & Technology Conference delved into how next-generation technologies, including AI, can unlock decarbonisation and efficiency opportunities presented by Industry 4.0. Sessions covered advancements in new materials, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), with a focus on sustainable scaling of these technologies.
In the exhibition halls, companies demonstrated their latest AI-enhanced hardware and energy equipment. Attendees explored innovative products and services designed to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and accelerate the transition to cleaner energy sources.
As ADIPEC 2024 moves into its third day, the event continues to serve as a global platform for driving innovation, collaboration, and sustainable progress in the energy transition. With its unique blend of strategic insights and technological showcases, ADIPEC remains the premier forum for addressing the complex challenges of creating a low-carbon, high-growth future for the global energy sector.
About ADIPEC
Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and hosted by ADNOC in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on 4-7 November 2024, ADIPEC is the world's largest energy conference and exhibition.
Building on 40 years of energy leadership, ADIPEC 2024 will enable innovation and accelerate action, exploring the intersection of energy and AI to drive the transition and deliver global impact.
The ADIPEC Conferences will comprise of 10 conferences and 370+ conference sessions, featuring 1,800+ speakers, including ministers, CEOs, academics, energy experts and youth. These diverse voices – united under this year's theme "Connecting Minds. Transforming Energy." - will be invited to consider how collaborative energy innovation can empower lives and drive global prosperity.
The ADIPEC Exhibition, spanning 16 halls, will feature 2,200+ exhibitors including 54 NOCs, IOCs, NECs and IECs, 30 country pavilions, and four specialised industry areas focused on decarbonisation, digitalisation, maritime and logistics, and AI. The exhibition will provide a platform for the energy world to demonstrate its game-changing solutions and forge the cross-sector partnerships needed to deliver secure, equitable and sustainable energy for all.
For more information, visit www.adipec.com
To register as media, visit https://www.adipec.com/press-media/media-registration/
About ADNOC 
ADNOC is a leading diversified energy and petrochemicals group wholly owned by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. ADNOC's objective is to maximise the value of the Emirate's vast hydrocarbon reserves through responsible and sustainable exploration and production to support the United Arab Emirates' economic growth and diversification. To find out more, visit: www.adnoc.ae
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Embracing AI is critical to a sustainable and prosperous energy future, say ADIPEC speakers and industry leaders
Embracing AI is critical to a sustainable and prosperous energy future, say ADIPEC speakers and industry leaders
Embracing AI is critical to a sustainable and prosperous energy future, say ADIPEC speakers and industry leaders
