In this respect, I note that the banking industry has drawn up a communication strategy to raise consumers awareness of its convenience, speed and efficiency and to encourage its use. A smooth functioning payment system is critical to the effective functioning of the economy. As the payment systems continue to evolve, Bank Negara Malaysia, will continue to facilitate and foster the safety and efficiency of the payment systems to safeguard public interest. To enhance the efficiency of the payment systems, Bank Negara Malaysia has recently reviewed the legal and regulatory framework of the payments system. A comprehensive legislation on the payment systems is being put in place to provide the mandate for Bank Negara Malaysia to effectively oversee and facilitate greater development of the payment systems. The legislation would also promote a conducive and liberalised environment for the modernisation of the payment systems in Malaysia. Several policy decisions have also been made. Access to the payments system has been broadened with the relaxation of the policy on the offering of payment gateway services and issuance of credit cards. Banks are allowed to operate their own payment gateways and non-banks are permitted to issue credit cards if they have established line of credit mechanism from the banks, or have set up a joint venture company with the banking institutions.
It does however claim that there is a discrepancy between word and deed that raises questions regarding what status the stabilisation of the real economy really has in relation to stabilising inflation. I should perhaps underline here that this criticism, as I understand it, does not say that there has been greater clarity in countries that do not have specific targets for inflation. In my opinion, the assertion that the communication of inflation-targeting central banks generally tends to focus a lot more on the stabilisation of inflation than of the real economy is essentially correct. Inflation forecasts undeniably have the leading role in the reports published by these central banks, and it is usually on the basis of these forecasts that the banks explain their policy decisions. So why have central banks that pursue a flexible inflation targeting policy chosen to concentrate on inflation in their communication and often been rather vague as regards how they look upon the trade-off between stabilising inflation and stabilising the real economy? One important explanation, which I already have touched upon, is probably that many of the economies that have adopted inflation targeting policies were previously beset with high, sharply fluctuating inflation. The task, accordingly, was to create broad understanding and credibility for a new policy focused on price stability.