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MALAYAN Banking Bhd (Maybank) has unveiled ROAR30, a new five-year strategic plan running to 2030 that places a strong emphasis on improving shareholder value through higher returns, tighter cost control and a major expansion in technology investment.
Under ROAR30, the country’s largest lender by asset size is targeting a return on equity of between 13 and 14 per cent, a net interest margin of more than 2.05 per cent, a cost-to-income ratio of 47 per cent or below, and a current account savings account ratio exceeding 41 per cent.
President and group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Khairussaleh Ramli said the strategy builds on the completion of the bank’s M25+ plan and is anchored on three pillars, with the first centred on reinforcing Maybank’s purpose of “humanising financial services”.
Speaking at a media briefing yesterday, Khairussaleh said ROAR30 would see a step change in technology spending, with RM10 billion earmarked for investments in technology, data and artificial intelligence, compared with RM1 billion allocated under M25+ as of September 2025.
The investment, he said, is intended to strengthen and scale Maybank’s long-term growth beyond 2030. As part of this push, the bank is developing a new digital application that is expected to eventually replace its existing MAE app.
“We have started development (of the new app) and hopefully we can update you on this throughout the course of the year. We think it should happen sooner rather than later,” he said.
While significantly ramping up its technology spend, Maybank is also focused on managing costs. Khairussaleh said productivity improvements, workforce composition and enhanced strategic procurement capabilities are among the key areas being reviewed to optimise expenses.
On competition from local digital banks, he said Maybank does not underestimate any rivals. “The most important for us is to stay close to our customers,” he said, noting that while there was early competition for deposits, interest rates offered by digital banks have since moderated to more “rational levels”.
Addressing margin trends, Khairussaleh acknowledged that net interest margins across the industry have come under pressure in recent quarters but said Maybank had defied that pattern. “We bucked the trend in the last quarter on a quarter-on-quarter basis, and we believe this can continue,” he said.
As of September 2025, Maybank’s net interest margin stood at 2.03 per cent, and the bank has guided for a full-year margin of the same level for 2025. Its full-year financial results will be announced next month.
Elaborating on the broader ambitions of ROAR30, Khairussaleh said Maybank intends to capitalise on the expansion of the wealth segment, rising trade and investment flows into Asean, and growing global demand for Islamic finance. “Against this backdrop, the second strategic pillar focuses on growing four businesses at scale – global Islamic finance, regional wealth management, regional transactions and payments, and regional corporate and investment (banking),” he said.
The third pillar, he added, is aimed at building a resilient institution for the long term by strengthening foundations across workforce and culture, maximising the use of technology, data and AI, and improving productivity and capital allocation to drive performance.
Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore will remain Maybank’s core markets and key contributors to growth and profitability under the new strategy, Khairussaleh said.
Under the completed M25+ plan, Maybank delivered a steady improvement in performance, recording a compound annual growth rate of 8 per cent and net profit of RM7.8 billion for the first nine months of the financial year ended Dec 31, 2025.
Return on equity for the period stood at 11.5 per cent, its highest level since 2016.
The bank also achieved a cumulative total shareholder return of 56.1 per cent from 2022 to Jan 19, 2025, driven by progress across its so-called supergrowth segments, including wealth management, global Islamic leadership, mid-market banking, foreign exchange sales, cash management, investment banking and insurance.
Khairussaleh said Maybank had also exceeded all four of its sustainability commitments, including mobilising RM156.32 billion in sustainable finance, improving the lives of 2.62 million households across Asean, achieving a 57.7 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, and logging 1.7 million sustainability hours as at the first nine months of 2025. - January 21, 2026