Overview
The 15th Annual Conference and Exhibition of BankTech Asia 2025: Kuala Lumpur Series emerged as a pivotal platform, revolutionizing traditional banking models and showcasing the transformative potential of financial technology within Southeast Asia. The conference focused on reshaping the future of the banking sector by exploring innovative technologies, disruptive trends, and strategic collaborations driving the industry’s evolution. Key discussions centered on the dynamic relationship between FinTech innovations, robust cybersecurity measures, and AI-powered transformations, demonstrating how these advancements empower financial institutions to thrive in a rapidly changing environment. The event emphasized the crucial integration of technology with customer-centric strategies, the importance of adhering to regulatory compliance, and the ethical considerations surrounding FinTech’s expansion.
Beyond core banking topics, the 15th Annual Conference and Exhibition of BankTech Asia 2025: Kuala Lumpur Series explored future-oriented perspectives on sustainability, financial inclusion, and emerging technologies specifically tailored to Malaysia’s unique market requirements. By facilitating dialogue among industry leaders, policymakers, and technology innovators, the event provided practical insights into establishing a resilient, inclusive, and technology-driven financial ecosystem in the region. This flagship event served as a crucial catalyst for the future of banking in Malaysia, laying the groundwork for continued innovation and collaboration across the financial landscape.
Registration
15th Annual Conference and Exhibition of BankTech Asia 2025: Kuala Lumpur Series
Panel Discussion
Beyond the Black Box: Can Finance Trust the Minds We’ve Built?
- Assessing AI’s impact on lending decisions and discover strategies for ensuring fairness, reducing bias, and upholding ethical standards. Leveraging
- Explainable AI (XAI) to clarify credit and risk assessments, boost customer confidence, and build financial trust through algorithmic transparency.
Moderator
Bobby Varanasi
Chief Executive Officer, Regenerative Futures, Malaysia
Panelist
Ranjini Suppiah
Group Head of Legal, Risk and Compliance, Boost, Malaysia
Lakshitha Jayaweera
Vice President – IT Business Lead Analyst, Citibank, Sri Lanka
Dr. Guru Subramanian Anand
Former Executive Director, Mizuho Bank, Singapore
Opening Remarks
Opening Remarks
Selva Nagappan
Organising Chairman, 15th Annual Conference and Exhibition BankTech Asia 2025 Kuala Lumpur Series & Managing Director, Knowledge Group of Companies
Keynote Address
Driving Financial Inclusion Through AI and Generative AI: A Strategic Roadmap for Innovation, Trust, and Responsible Growth
- Demonstrate how AI and Generative AI are enabling inclusive, customer-centric financial services through digital onboarding, intelligent automation, and tailored solutions designed to reach underserved and remote populations.
- Discuss the importance of embedding trust, transparency, and regulatory alignment into AI strategies, ensuring ethical deployment while maintaining innovation momentum within the financial services sector.
Speaker
William Streitberg
Chief Information and Technology Officer, Hong Leong Bank Berhad, Malaysia
Break
Morning Refreshment and Exhibition Walkabout
Presentation
Ghost Protocol: Machine Minds vs. the Shadows of Cybercrime
- Discover how Reactive and Adaptive AI systems enhance banking infrastructure, countering cyber threats with real-time precision to build a more resilient and secure banking infrastructure.
- Learn how Machine Learning and AI-driven threat detection systems lead the fight against cybercrime to proactively mitigate and manage cyber risks effectively.
Speaker
Dr. Martin Leo
Former APAC Head of Technology Risk, Citi and State Street Bank, Singapore
Presentation
Building Resilient and Compliant Banking IT Operations with ManageEngine
- From customer trust to regulatory mandates, resilience and compliance are at the heart of modern banking IT. This session explores how ManageEngine helps banks and financial organisations strengthen resilience and compliance across their IT landscape.
- ManageEngine offers solutions that streamline service delivery, improve visibility into critical infrastructures, secure identities and access, ensure regulatory readiness and provide AI-powered analytics for decision-making. The session will discuss how these capabilities enable banks to reduce risks, enhance IT efficiency and maintain compliance in an increasingly complex banking IT environment.
Speaker
Fauzan Ali
Technical Solution Consultant, ManageEngine, Malaysia
Break
Networking Luncheon and Exhibition Walkabout
Panel Discussion
From Digital to Human: How AI is Shaping the Future of Customer Experience in Banking
- Explore how banks are already using AI, data, and personalization to deepen customer engagement and strengthen trust in digital channels.
- Look ahead to the possibilities of Emotion AI and affective computing—the next frontier in banking, where technology won’t just process transactions but also understand customer emotions to create more human-centered financial experiences.
Moderator
Cyrene Kong
Chief Digital Officer, RHB Bank, Malaysia
Presentation
Adaptive Cyber Defense: Real-World Strategies for a Hyperconnected World
- Explore how integrated detection and response frameworks—powered by modern XDR and MDR solutions—enable rapid threat detection and response across complex, hyperconnected environments.
- Learn how automation, machine learning, and real-world strategies can help build resilient, adaptive defenses to counter evolving cyber threats.
Speaker
Caddy Tan
Vice President of Sales, APAC, LMNTRIX, Singapore
Panel Discussion
Narrow Intelligence, Monumental Change: How Specialized Systems Are Building Tomorrow’s Financial Powerhouses
- Learn how Narrow AI is changing banks by powering specialized systems that make operations more efficient and improve customer experiences.
- Identify the importance to have strong rules and oversight for AI ethics, compliance, and ongoing management to ensure these technologies are used responsibly.
Moderator
Michael Heaney
Partner, Ernst & Young Consulting Sdn Bhd, Malaysia
Panelist
Melvin Ooi
Chief Executive Officer, Ryt Bank, Malaysia
Dr. Guru Subramanian Anand
Former Executive Director, Mizuho Bank, Singapore
Presentation
Understanding the Ecosystem of Online Scams and Financial Institution Vulnerabilities
- Explores common tactics used in online scams and the psychological factors that make individuals vulnerable, such as trust manipulation, urgency, and emotional appeal.
- Examines how banks and other financial entities can help prevent fraud through improved security, customer education, and proactive monitoring systems.
Speaker
ACP Tay Kim Chuan
Head of Commercial Crime Department, Royal Malaysia Police
Registration
15th Annual Conference and Exhibition of BankTech Asia 2025: Kuala Lumpur Series
Panel Discussion
Unleashing the Power of GenAI: Transforming Finance with Creative Minds Beyond the Code
- Discover how Generative AI drives hyper-personalization, smarter forecasting, and real-time decisions to deliver intuitive customer experiences and innovative financial products. Learn how financial institutions can harness
- Generative AI to innovate faster by designing smarter products, anticipating customer behaviours, and staying ahead of market shifts with greater agility.
Moderator
Bobby Varanasi
Chief Executive Officer, Regenerative Futures, Malaysia
Panelist
Gaitri Sharma
Chief Risk Officer, Group Global Banking, Maybank, Malaysia
Dr. Martin Leo
Former APAC Head of Technology Risk, Citi and State Street Bank, Singapore
Presentation
The Brain of the Bank: How Learning Systems Are Creating Smarter Financial Institutions
- Explore how real-time, data-driven insights are making banks smarter and more efficient, enhancing their decision-making processes.
- Learn how Machine Learning and Knowledge-Based AI can interpret complex financial data like human analysts, enhancing accuracy and operational efficiency.
Speaker
Lakshitha Jayaweera
Vice President – IT Business Lead Analyst, Citibank, Sri Lanka
Break
Morning Refreshment and Exhibition Walkabout
Presentation
Bridging Borders and Becoming Future Fit: Innovation in Liquidity Management
- Digital tools enhance real-time visibility and forecasting, helping treasurers optimize global liquidity and funding decisions.
- Emerging technologies empower users with greater financial control, fueling innovation and competition in the financial ecosystem.
Speaker
Dwitil Mahimkar
Senior Vice President, Liquidity and Investment Product Management, HSBC, Hong Kong SAR
Panel Discussion
Hacking the Hackers: Mind AI Powering Banking Security
- Revealing how banks are using AI to detect and prevent cyber threats, combining technologies like blockchain, biometrics, and encryption for a more robust ecosystem.
- Uncover about the future potential of Theory of Mind AI, which could help banks better understand attacker and user behaviour, enabling more proactive and customer-friendly cybersecurity strategies.
Moderator
Tanvinder Singh
Director, Cyber Security and Privacy, PwC South East Asia Consulting, Malaysia
Panelist
Ruban Bala
Digital Trust and Cyber Risk, Advocate - Banking, Malaysia
Dr. Martin Leo
Former APAC Head of Technology Risk, Citi and State Street Bank, Singapore
Break
Networking Luncheon and Exhibition Walkabout
Presentation
When the Code Knows You: Inside the Silent Forecaster That Sees What’s Coming
- Exploring how banks can utilize past behavioural data to anticipate customer needs, tailor experiences, and drive engagement with real-time predictive insights for a seamless experience.
- Delving into AI’s ability to go beyond conventional drop-off rates and lead scoring by predicting deeper motivations and sentiment-driven actions that shape long-term customer relationships.
Speaker
Peggy Leong Sook Wai
Head of Innovation and Data Management and Analytics, Hong Leong Bank Berhad, Malaysia
Panel Discussion
Shari'ah-Powered Digital Finance: Revolutionizing Governance and Growth
- Explore the transformation of Shari’ah-compliant financial models through AI and blockchain, driving inclusive economic ecosystems and transparent operations for diverse communities.
- Evaluate robust governance frameworks and advanced digital infrastructures, like secure cloud systems and smart contracts, to ensure compliance, foster trust, and scale Shari’ah-based financial services.
Moderator
Aries Setiadi
Researcher, Center for Indonesian Policy Studies, Indonesia
Panelist
Mohammad Ridzuan Abdul Aziz
Independent Director, Corporate Technology Strategist, AEON Bank, Malaysia
Mohd Feqah Mohd Ngadil
Head of Compliance, Hong Leong Islamic Bank Berhad, Malaysia
In Conversation
The Digital Compass: How Data Analytics Are Leading the Green Revolution in Sustainable Banking
- Examining the intelligent systems that are fundamentally changing sustainable banking by enabling the identification and promotion of green financial products and investments.
- Discuss on how data analytics and AI are providing banks with the tools to measure, reduce, and transparently report their environmental impact, driving the green revolution in sustainable banking.
Speaker
Arina Kok
Asia-Pacific Climate Change Advisory Leader; Asean Climate Change and Sustainability Services Co-Leader; Malaysia Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) Leader; and Partner, Ernst & Young Consulting Sdn Bhd, Malaysia
Panelist
Roy Heong
Chief Sustainability Officer, Alliance Bank, Malaysia
Lightning Chats
CTRL+ALT+FINANCE: Rebooting the System in the Age of Thinking Machines
- Dive into how AI is redefining the core of finance, as it moves from automating advice to reshaping risk, blurring the lines between code and cognition.
- Unpacking the high-stakes challenge of building intelligent financial systems that drive innovation responsibly while avoiding the next digital-era crisis.
Moderator
Aries Setiadi
Researcher, Center for Indonesian Policy Studies, Indonesia
Panelist
Dwitil Mahimkar
Senior Vice President, Liquidity and Investment Product Management, HSBC, Hong Kong SAR