I want to build on that track record to do the same for our new tasks because in everything the Bank does, I and my colleagues are conscious that we are accountable to you. The Bank of England has changed radically since that Bank Holiday Monday in 1997 when Eddie George and I sat in the Bank contemplating our new role, unaware of the roller coaster ride on which we were about to embark. The Bank will change again next year with its new responsibilities. But some things don’t change. Here again is Mr. Montagu Norman: AUDIO INSERT: “I would sum up the vital characteristics of the Bank as experience in affairs, cooperation on all sides, independence of judgement. But you know these three things – experience, cooperation, independence – are no good unless people have confidence in you. I like to believe that the Bank, with its long history and tradition, stands high in public esteem. But only by service to the community can that esteem be maintained through times good and bad.” That’s true not just for Montagu Norman’s day, but for today too. The present crisis is far from over, as events in the euro area illustrate weekly. Our own economy is still not back to health. Although inflation has fallen back in recent months, it is still too high. And despite efforts to stimulate the economy, the recovery is proving slower than we had hoped. It will come.
Bancassurance and bancatakaful provide immense potential for further market penetration given the relatively higher level of public confidence in financial  4  BIS Review 123/2007  dealings with banks and the significant spin-offs that can be reaped through data mining arrangements with banks. Although bancassurance has become firmly entrenched in Malaysia (accounting for 45% of new business premiums in 2007), it also continues to develop rapidly in terms of market reach and operational sophistication. Fourthly, with the rapid technological advancements and increasing consumer demands for more efficient delivery of products and services, the Malaysian insurance industry has continued to transition towards information technology-driven solutions, as well as, leveraging on more efficient payment and settlement systems such as e-payments. This has significantly enhanced the delivery of personalized and customized insurance solutions, made possible through the utilization of new delivery channels, including those that are internet-based. In the area of general insurance for instance, the successful implementation of e-cover notes for motor insurance policies led to vast improvements in service efficiency, better enforcement of cash-before-cover regulations as well as reduction in premium collection fraud. In the area of capacity building, human capital development is key to the future development and growth of the financial sector. As competition intensifies, the role of human capital in defining the areas of comparative advantage will become more prominent.