24th ASEAN Banking Conference: Optimizing Banking Operations in the Digital Age

This year’s conference was hosted by the Myanmar Bankers Association (MBA) and was attended by more than 100 senior bankers from 11 ASEAN countries. The Vietnam Banks Association delegation, led by Vice President and General Secretary Nguyen Quoc Hung, included 10 members from Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank), Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development (BIDV), Vietnam Credit Information Joint Stock Company (PCB) and the Association’s Standing Body.

The conference agenda includes the 24th ASEAN Banking Conference on November 19, followed by meetings of the 3 Standing Committees - Cooperation in Finance, Investment, Trade and Technology (COFITT); ASEAN Inter-Regional Relations (IRR) and Banking Education; Closed Group Meeting and the 53rd ASEAN Banking Council Meeting on November 20-21, 2025.

In her welcome speech at the 24th ASEAN Banking Conference, Ms. Daw Khin Saw Oo, President of the Myanmar Bankers Association (MBA), said the conference was held in the context of the world facing many geopolitical fluctuations, trade shifts and climate challenges. However, ASEAN is still expected to maintain growth thanks to intra-regional momentum, young population and fast-growing digital economy.

“Cooperation among ASEAN banking leaders has never been more urgent than it is today. This conference, therefore, becomes an important platform to exchange experiences, build solutions and strengthen the competitiveness, flexibility and adaptability of the banking system in the coming years,” Ms. Daw Khin Saw Oo emphasized, expressing her hope that delegates will actively participate, share views and take advantage of the conference as an opportunity to promote understanding and expand regional connectivity.

In his opening speech, Mr. Joe Teodoro K. Limcaoco, President of the ASEAN Bankers Association (ABA), affirmed that the event in Yangon marks an important milestone when Myanmar hosts the ASEAN Banking Conference for the first time.

Mr. Joe Teodoro K. Limcaoco congratulated and welcomed Timor-Leste as the 11th member of ASEAN, in the context that the country has begun to establish its own banking association. He stressed that with its expansion to 11 countries, ASEAN is becoming a major attraction for both the region and the world. ASEAN's population is expected to exceed 700 million people - becoming the third largest market globally by 2030...

Regarding the banking sector, Mr. Joe Teodoro K. Limcaoco commented that digital transformation is profoundly changing this sector thanks to high internet penetration, mobile device penetration and increasing demand for digital financial services.

In that context, ASEAN is entering an important phase with the announcement of the “ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2026 - 2030, Vision 2045”, with digital transformation identified as one of the key drivers for long-term growth. Mr. Joe Teodoro K. Limcaoco assessed that this year's conference theme - “Optimizing Banking Operations in the Digital Age: Successes and Challenges” - is completely in line with ASEAN's strategic direction and called on delegates to contribute their views to be included in the upcoming Standing Committee and Council meetings

Speaking online from Jakarta, ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn highlighted the relevance of this year’s conference theme to ASEAN’s larger agenda of digital transformation and sustainable growth. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn said that ASEAN has made significant progress with the conclusion of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) in October 2025, promoting digital financial integration through commitments related to financial services, electronic payments and tariffs.

Accordingly, digitalization is reshaping the ASEAN financial system, with digital payments accounting for 56% of total transactions in 2024 and expected to reach 72% by 2030. However, gaps in connectivity, regulatory readiness and increasingly sophisticated fraud risks remain major challenges.

In parallel with digital transformation, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn emphasized that green transformation is also an important driving force for ASEAN's long-term growth. The ASEAN Carbon Neutral Strategy – if effectively implemented – could contribute up to 5,000 billion USD to the region's GDP as well as attract about 6,700 billion USD in green investment, creating 66 million new jobs by 2050.

For the banking community, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn made four recommendations: Promoting cross-border digital payment connectivity; Enhancing financial inclusion; Strengthening public-private partnerships to build a unified management framework; Promoting innovative finance to attract green capital.

Dr. Kao Kim Hourn affirmed that ASEAN financial integration will depend on the innovation of banking institutions and pledged that the ASEAN financial system will continue to be the foundation of regional resilience.

Speaking at the conference, Ms. Daw Than Than Swe, Governor of the Central Bank of Myanmar, welcomed the delegates and affirmed Myanmar's pride in hosting an important event of the banking industry in the region.

Ms. Daw Than Than Swe emphasized that the ASEAN banking industry is facing a time of both great opportunities and unprecedented challenges, with digitalization having a strong impact on the traditional banking model. In Myanmar, the Central Bank is prioritizing financial modernization, expanding financial inclusion and enhancing resilience through developing payment infrastructure, promoting mobile banking services, agent banking and issuing regulations that balance innovation and safety.

“Myanmar is committed to harmonizing digitalization initiatives with regional frameworks and continuing to contribute positively to cross-border payment cooperation, financial transparency and banking regulation in ASEAN,” affirmed the Governor of the Central Bank of Myanmar. He thanked the Myanmar Bankers Association and the ASEAN Bankers Association for their role in organizing the conference, and wished the event a great success in Yangon.

At the conference, speakers from the World Bank, international research institutes, financial institutions and banking associations in the region presented and discussed many key issues related to the regional economic outlook and the transformation of the banking industry in the new context. Mr. Habib Nasser Rab, Director of Economic Policy, East Asia - Pacific Region of the World Bank Group, analyzed the macroeconomic picture of ASEAN, emphasizing trends affecting growth and trade. Dr. Andrew Sheng, President of the George Town Institute for Open and Advanced Studies (GIOAS), University of Hong Kong (China) presented on global trends that are strongly affecting the banking and finance industry, along with implications for countries in the region.

Within the framework of the conference, there were 2 thematic discussion sessions. The first session focused on the topic “Optimizing Banking Operations in the Digital Age: Successes and Challenges”, revolving around the achievements and challenges in the journey of optimizing banking operations using digital technology.

The second session “Forms of Fraud and Deception in Payments”, focused on comparative research on fraud management among ASEAN banks as well as sharing practical implementation experiences.

The Myanmar Bankers Association (MBA) is hosting the 24th ASEAN Banking Conference and the 53rd ASEAN Banking Council Meeting, which will take place from 19 to 21 November 2025, in Yangon, Myanmar.

The theme of this year’s Conference is “Optimizing Banking in the Digital Age: Successes and Challenges”, with in-depth discussion topics on: (i) The Future of Finance: Optimizing Banking in the Digital Age; (ii) Digital Transformation in Banking: The Era of GenAI and Digital Assets; (iii) Agile and Adaptive Banking: Managing Risk in Times of Turbulence.

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