Maybank launches ROAR30; targets ROE of 13–14% by 2030

Maybank today unveiled its new five-year strategy till 2030, ROAR30. Designed around three strategic pillars – ROAR30 aims to reinforce its purpose of Humanising Financial Services via values-based offerings, build businesses at scale to claim leadership positions, and strengthen its foundation to future proof Maybank.

The first pillar and the heart of ROAR30 – its Purpose of Humanising Financial Services is premised on values-based offerings, touches on three primary objectives: delivering exceptional experiences to customers, impacting society positively and powering the real economy.

With the rise in the wealth segment, and trade and investment flowing into ASEAN, coupled with increasing global demand for Islamic Finance, Maybank will capitalise on the region’s rising prominence and its large addressable market. Against this backdrop, the second strategic pillar focuses on growing four Businesses at Scale namely; 1) global Islamic finance institution, 2) regional wealth management, 3) regional transactions and payments bank and 4) regional corporate and investment bank.

The third, to build a Maybank to last, intends to further enhance its Foundation, focusing on three core areas: cultivate an enviable workforce, culture, and organisation, harness the full potential of technology, data, and artificial intelligence, and optimise productivity and capital allocation to drive performance.

With all the above, ROAR30 aims to deliver stronger, sustainable growth, targeting return of equity (ROE) of 13–14% by 2030. Improvements in other key metrics includes delivering net interest margin (NIM) of >2.05%, cost-to-income ratio (CIR) of ≤47% and CASA ratio of >41%.

Comments from President & Group CEO of Maybank

Speaking at the launch media briefing, Dato’ Sri Khairussaleh Ramli said that ROAR30 is integral in driving Maybank’s capabilities and performance to better serve its customers and other stakeholders beyond 2030.

“Following the completion of M25+, the new five-year strategy reinforces Maybank’s purpose, with a focus on delivering shareholder value through continued improvement in ROE. Now is the time under ROAR30 to supercharge growth by building our businesses at scale as we aim to capitalise on ASEAN’s growing significance.”

“Through our proven track record, we see our home markets of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore to be key drivers of growth and profitability, through their respective unique offerings. Beyond our home markets, we will connect our regional footprint via a coherent network strategy to support our clients wherever they go. In strengthening our foundation, we endeavour to future-proof the organisation, shape mobile workforce with a transformative mindset and culture, encourage continuous learning, implement technology modernisation, as well as optimise productivity and financial performance. Ultimately, Maybank via ROAR30 aims to ensure meaningful impact and sustainable values creation for all stakeholders, including our customers, communities and the economies we serve.”

ROAR30: A strategic overview

Strategic pillar 1 – Reinforcing the purpose of Humanising Financial Services through values-based offerings

Anchored on Humanising Financial Services, with values-based offerings as overarching theme; ROAR30 will create meaningful outcomes for its customers, communities and the economy.

Delivering exceptional experiences to customers

With customers as its true north, Maybank remains steadfast to enhance end-to-end customer journeys while addressing their pain points. The focus is to deepen relationships and improve service experience. This is measured by its Relational Net Promoter Score (rNPS) – maintaining top position in Malaysia and reaching top quartile rNPS in Singapore and Indonesia. Currently, Maybank has exceeded +40 rNPS across its home markets of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Maybank will also leverage digital-first and omnichannel platforms to increase personalisation of solutions and engagements. This will be further enabled by a next-gen app with the evolution of MAE, latest technology and AI regionally.

Impacting society positively

Maybank believes social impact is a key differentiator for the Group and will lead meaningful initiatives through a sustainability-first approach, being a champion for good and ensuring wellbeing for all.

It targets to mobilise MYR300 billion ($73.8 billion) in sustainable finance over the next five years compared to over MYR156.32 billion ($38.5 billion) mobilised cumulatively as of 9M FY2025 under M25+; and is also on track to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and net zero by 2050. As of 9M FY2025, 57.7% reduction was recorded for scope 1 and 2.

To ensure greater accessibility for the underserved and unserved segments, Maybank aims to positively impact 3 million lives economically. It will deploy two times funds for social financing for individuals and SMEs in 2030 from a baseline of MYR12 billion ($3.0 billion) in FY2024. In efforts to benefit students, youth, women, Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) and marginalised communities, Maybank will invest on social empowerment initiatives annually, building up to MYR100 million ($24.6 million) p.a. by 2030. As of 9M FY2025, Maybank has invested around MYR56.7 million ($14.0 million) for social empowerment efforts, impacting over 1 million lives.

Powering the real economy

With ASEAN continuing to boost its economic growth, Maybank remains steadfast to support the growth of real economies – especially by empowering SMEs, the backbone of the region’s economic engine. Via its broad footprint and deep capabilities, Maybank is ready to support this segment, targeting to mobilise MYR100 billion ($24.6 billion) in SME financing. As of 9M FY2025, Maybank has mobilised around MYR60 billion ($14.8 billion) in SME financing.

To capitalise on the prospects of new economies, Maybank targets to mobilise MYR100 billion ($24.6 billion) in new economy financing. It also remains committed to supporting catalytic plans such as the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030), National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), and Johor Singapore – Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).

Strategic pillar 2 – Building businesses at scale

Maybank is deeply entrenched in ASEAN and this differentiation is on the back of strong momentum in certain businesses, Maybank will be building four businesses at scale, claiming leadership in: 1) global Islamic finance, 2) regional premier wealth management, 3) regional transactions and payments and 4) regional corporate and investment banking.

Leading global Islamic finance institution

Maybank is currently in the top five of Islamic banks globally by assets. In its pursuit for leadership position, Maybank will grow its suite of regional products and propositions for Islamic wealth management differentiating through its legacy planning and wealth purification solutions.

Maybank aims to spearhead innovation through its Islamic finance business as an example is the iBaaS (banking-as-a-service) model, to broaden acquisition of individual and SME segments in Indonesia. Maybank will explore partnership opportunities with non-banking ecosystem players and potentially offer services into new markets. As it builds its regional CIB franchise, Islamic CIB will be offered to clients seeking an Islamic proposition.

Maybank will also amplify its ecosystem play to penetrate the APAC Halal market by enabling halal facilitation, increasing capacity development programmes and embedding halal solutions in the regional supply chain through partnership with global e-commerce platform.

Leading regional wealth management

On refining its wealth business, Maybank will push for a unified wealth brand across ASEAN, supported by a-whole-of bank solutions for both personal and business needs – and strengthening hub and spoke model. Regional wealth management offerings will be bolstered by incorporating Islamic wealth expertise, including legacy planning solutions and being a trusted advisor for Islamic finance needs.

To drive superior customer experience and broaden ASEAN connectivity, Maybank’s internal capabilities will be fortified with AI-powered behavioral segmentation. This will support the delivery of proactive and personalised engagement while ensuring timely and relevant advice, insights and recommendations for its customers.

In leveraging the customer base that it has, Maybank will harness its capabilities in Malaysia to be the largest wealth manager in the country.

Leading regional transactions and payments bank

Maybank will build on its scalable regional transaction and payments platform across ASEAN, leveraging on its wide footprint in the region. Maybank will continue to enhance end-to-end customer journey with improved user interface and experience.

It aims to provide a unified and digital-first regional proposition that enables seamless money movement and liquidity optimisation. On simplifying cross-border trade, strategic partnership with reputable transactions and payments service provider will strengthen competitive advantage while delivering a consistent client experience.

Leading regional corporate and investment bank

Through its extensive market presence, Maybank will double down on the delivery of seamless and consistent client engagement while deepening network penetration via comprehensive Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) solutions. Investments in digital and future-ready capabilities will support improvements in efficiency through the integration of digital platforms such as regional Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and next-gen loan origination system.

Another focus is to connect its clients with the CIB network that it has in the region and beyond. In its core market, Malaysia will continue to offer full suite of services, whilst deepening client relationships and share of wallet across all segments. Indonesia and Singapore will continue to offer their unique propositions to niche segments. Through a coherent network strategy, Maybank will connect other markets to its core markets.

Strategic pillar 3 – Strengthening our foundation

ROAR30 is enabled by the Group’s Foundation, building future-proof capabilities via 1) harnessing the full potential of technology, data, and AI; 2) cultivating an enviable workforce, culture, and organisation; and 3) optimising productivity and capital allocation to drive performance.

Harness the full potential of technology, data, and artificial intelligence

Maybank will invest MYR10 billion ($2.46 billion) over the next five years in technology, data, and AI strategy to effectively build a robust foundation, optimise productivity with AI and machine learning, deliver best in class user experience and enable future ways of working to service customers better and to enable its workforce to be more productive in delivering services and solutions.

The investment will strengthen and scale long-term growth beyond 2030, in order to enhance resilience, adopt Cloud and AI architecture, and modernise core banking capabilities.

Cultivate an enviable workforce, culture, and organisation

Maybank emphasises on the need to build a next-gen workforce, upskilled with future-ready skills. This will include transforming the workforce via growth and learning mindset culture. On building strong and diverse talent pipelines, Maybank aims to strengthen its Regional ‘Talent Factory’ through structured cross-function, cross-border and enterprise mobility capabilities.

Optimise productivity and capital allocation to drive performance

Maybank targets to deliver shareholder value through continued improvement in ROE of 13–14% by 2030. Investment in technology and workforce capabilities will be balanced with optimised cost management, improving productivity and focusing on proactive balance sheet management as well as effective asset quality management. Fee to income ratio grew to 35% from 22% in FY2022.

Achievements of M25+

Under M25+, Maybank recorded steady rise in profitability with its compound annual growth rate (CAGR) improving +8% with net profit at MYR7.8 billion ($1.92 billion) as of 9M FY2025. Return on equity (ROE) stood at 11.5% for the same period, highest since 2016. Maybank delivered cumulative total shareholders return of 56.1% from 2022 up to 19 January 2025. The commendable progress was owing to uplift from M25+ supergrowth segments, namely, Wealth Management, Global Islamic Leadership, Mid-Market, Global Market FX Sales, Cash Management, Investment Banking and Insurance.

Maybank has proven itself as a sustainability leader; surpassing all its four sustainability commitments including mobilising MYR156.32 billion ($38.5 billion) in sustainable finance, improving the lives of 2.62 million households across ASEAN, a 57.7% reduction in carbon emissions and recording 1.7 million living sustainability hours as of 9M FY2025. Maybank has also set glide path to physical emission intensity across six key sectors and facilitated landmark transactions across ASEAN, while driving transition thought leadership. Most notably, its MSCI ESG rating was upgraded to “AAA” from “AA”.

Digital banking leadership improved following its hyper-personalisation strategy, stronger ecosystems play and digitalisation. This resulted in over MYR4 trillion ($985 billion) digital transactions facilitated since 2020, recording higher digital sales of 88.5%. With digital enablement and expanded tech capabilities, Maybank serves 10.68 million active MAE & M2U digital users with service uptime maintained at 99.9% as of 9M FY2025.

Agile ways of working has taken shape and is poised to support its objective to be more customer centric. Continued improvements in customer experience saw Maybank exceeding +40 rNPS across all core markets and maintaining its no.1 position in Malaysia. Globally, Maybank solidified its brand position with recognitions from TIME and Brand Finance.

Re-disseminated by Wealth and Society