• Today: July 30, 2026

Sound judgement, trust remain key to future of finance, says minister

The future of finance will undoubtedly look different from its past. New technologies will emerge. Markets will evolve. New opportunities will be created. Yet one responsibility will remain unchanged: to exercise sound judgement, to strengthen trust, and to ensure that the prosperity built today endures for the next generations, said Minister of Finance II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah.

The minister said this in a keynote address during the 4th ASEAN Forum: The Future of Finance yesterday, adding that finance “has never existed simply to move capital more efficiently or adopt new technologies more quickly. At its best, finance transforms today’s resources into tomorrow’s opportunities – supporting enterprise, strengthening resilience and expanding prosperity. The true measure of finance is not simply the prosperity it creates today, but the prosperity it preserves for tomorrow”.

Innovation, he said “creates opportunity. Integration creates scale. Growth creates resilience. Our responsibility is to ensure that all three endure for future generations. One lesson that periods of transition consistently teach us is that it is often easier to build new technologies than enduring institutions. Technologies can emerge almost overnight. Institutions cannot. They are built patiently, decision by decision, year after year.

“That is why finance ultimately depends not only on innovation, but on judgement: judgement to embrace innovation without compromising stability, to pursue growth without losing sight of resilience, and to ensure that today’s opportunities do not come at tomorrow’s expense.”

In Brunei Darussalam, he said “this understanding continues to shape our approach. We seek to embrace innovation while strengthening trust, encourage growth while safeguarding resilience, and build institutions that will continue serving our nation long after today’s technologies have evolved. Whether through our Sustainable Finance Roadmap 2025-2030, our FinTech Regulatory Sandbox, or initiatives such as TARUS, our objective remains unchanged: to build a financial system that is trusted, resilient and prepared for the future”.

The minister added, “No economy, however strong, can navigate this period of transition alone. ASEAN has always understood that our greatest strength lies not only in the size of our economies, but in our ability to work together. That is why integration matters. It is about more than expanding markets. It is about strengthening trust. Trust that encourages investment supports resilient institutions and underpins lasting prosperity.”

The same principle is reflected in Islamic finance. While financial services continue to evolve, the values that underpin Islamic finance remain timeless: fairness, accountability, transparency and the responsible management of entrusted resources. These principles ensure that innovation remains grounded in responsibility.

Ultimately, he said “our responsibility extends beyond responding to today’s challenges. It is to ensure that the decisions we make today preserve prosperity for the generations that follow us. That is the responsibility of finance. And it is a responsibility we all share”.

Themed ‘Innovation, Integration and Growth in an Age of Transition’, the forum aimed to foster dialogue among policymakers, regulators, institutional investors, and industry leaders to explore innovative investment strategies, emerging opportunities in Islamic and digital finance, and the evolving role of public and private markets, while promoting regional financial integration, knowledge exchange, and collaboration to support a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable financial ecosystem across ASEAN. – James Kon

Photos show Minister of Finance II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah delivering an address; and at the event. PHOTO: SIM Y H
PHOTO: SIM Y H

 

SOURCE/AUTHOR : BORNEO BULLETIN/JAMES KON

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