Picture this: you are 38, mid-career, with a home loan, a car, and two kids in school. At a routine check-up, your doctor finds something that needs further tests, and two weeks later you are staring at a cancer diagnosis. Chemotherapy will run for the next six months. Your employer covers some of it, but the medication, follow-up appointments, and unpaid leave stack up fast, and your savings were meant for a mortgage or house renovation, not this. In worst-case scenarios, this may land you and your family in very desperate financial times while you need to focus on recovering or fighting for your life.
For most working professionals, this is the scenario their finances are least prepared for. Medical inflation in Malaysia reached an estimated 15% to 16% per annum in 2025 and 2026, according to industry reports, well above the Asia-Pacific average of around 11%. Critical illness takaful exists for exactly this situation, paying out a lump sum upon diagnosis to cover treatment, daily expenses, and the income shortfall while you recover. Yet it keeps getting pushed down the priority list. Between a home loan, car repayments, childcare, and everyday spending, another standalone plan with its own contributions and health declarations can feel hard to justify.
The CIMB Salary Account, launched in May 2026 under the CIMB@Work programme, removes that barrier. It is the first salary account in Malaysia to include complimentary critical illness takaful protection directly with the account. That means no medical check-up or health declaration, no separate application, and no monthly contributions required.
How The Takaful Protection Works
With the CIMB Salary Account, you will receive complimentary Group Term Takaful protection ranges from RM 5,000 to RM 200,000, covering 36 critical illnesses, death, and total and permanent disability (TPD), subject to terms and conditions. The protection continues throughout your working years, up to age 70.
To qualify, you need to be between 18 and 69 years old, have your salary credited into the account, and maintain a monthly average balance of at least RM2,500. Opening the account only requires a minimum deposit of RM20 at any CIMB branch, and there is no medical check-up or health declaration needed.
Protection Tiers Based On Your Account Balance
The protection amount is not fixed. It moves in line with how much you keep in the account, calculated based on your monthly average balance from two months prior. The amounts are tiered as follows.
The takaful protection is a single shared amount across critical illness, death, and TPD. A full lump-sum claim on any of the three terminates the takaful certificate. The one exception is angioplasty, which is subject to a partial payout based on the treatment cost, with the remaining protection continuing after the claim.
Potential Savings On Takaful Contributions
Standalone critical illness protection does not come cheap. According to AKPK, Malaysia’s credit counselling agency, it is not uncommon for critical illness protection covering the full range of illnesses to start from around RM100 per month, or RM1,200 a year, depending on your age, gender, and smoking status. Contributions also generally increase as you get older, and most plans require medical underwriting before you are accepted.
With the CIMB Salary Account, someone who maintains a monthly average balance of RM50,000 receives RM100,000 in protection without paying any contributions. But beyond the cost, it is living life with peace of mind knowing that you and your family are protected. Against a standalone plan costing RM1,200 a year, that could amount to over RM12,000 in contributions that never need to be paid across 10 years, and without any medical underwriting to go through.
Additional Perks That Come With The CIMB Salary Account
Opening a CIMB Salary Account also automatically enrols you into the CIMB@Work programme, which comes with additional banking perks beyond the takaful protection. For example, the income requirement for selected CIMB credit cards is lowered to RM60,000 per year, including the CIMB PETRONAS Visa Infinite-i and CIMB Travel World Credit Card, both of which come with perks such as complimentary airport lounge access.
CIMB@Work members also receive lower financing rates for personal financing, home financing, and Term Financing-i secured by ASB Certificate.
Get Protected Without Paying Anything
Switching your salary crediting to a CIMB Salary Account, or opening one as your first salary account, is all it takes to put this protection in place. As long as your monthly average balance stays at RM2,500 or above, the takaful protection runs in the background. There are no separate applications to remember, no contribution payments to make, and no renewal reminders to keep track of.
Whether you already have a standalone takaful or insurance plan or are just starting to think about critical illness protection, this can work as an additional layer of coverage alongside your existing financial commitments. If you currently do not have any critical illness protection, it could also be a practical way to get started without adding another monthly expense.
Your CIMB Salary Account deposits are protected by Perbadanan Insurans Deposit Malaysia (PIDM) up to RM250,000 per depositor. The complimentary Takaful protection is managed by Sun Life Malaysia Takaful Berhad.
To open a CIMB Salary Account, visit any CIMB branch nationwide today.
CIMB Group Holdings Berhad 195601000197
Member of PIDM.
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