Zeti Akhtar Aziz: Sasana Kijang – Malaysia’s centre for central banking and financial collaboration and cooperation Welcoming remarks by Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Governor of the Central Bank of Malaysia, at the launch of Sasana Kijang, Kuala Lumpur, 14 September 2011. *  *  *  It is my honour and great pleasure to welcome you to the official opening of Sasana Kijang. Today we are also honoured by the presence of Yang Amat Berhormat, the Prime Minister of Malaysia to officiate the launch of Sasana Kijang. Sasana Kijang began with a vision to have a centre for the development of thought leadership and for the promotion of greater regional and international collaboration in Central Banking and finance. Sasana Kijang is also an integral part of the initiatives that have been undertaken by Bank Negara Malaysia in the modernisation and transformation of our Central Bank. These have involved the introduction of new legislation and governance arrangements, the increased leverage on technology, the adoption of new practices in the management of talent, work arrangements and corporate culture, as well as the new institutional arrangements that facilitate our cooperation and collaboration with other monetary authorities and regulators in other parts of the world. The global economic and financial landscape is currently at an important turning point, as we transition to a fundamentally changed future. The challenges facing us in this environment are manifold. We therefore want to have the skills for this future – to be well equipped to effectively manage our future.
Jean-Pierre Roth: Swiss outlook and global developments Summary of a speech by Mr Jean-Pierre Roth, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank for International Settlements, at the Icon Roadshow Euro 2008, Frankfurt am Main, 17 March 2008. The complete speech can be found in German on the Swiss National Bank’s website (www.snb.ch). *  *  *  The Swiss economy looks back on a number of successful years during which it was a very active participant in the growth of the world economy. The export sector rapidly expanded its presence in the new markets, thereby making an important contribution to this development. What was remarkable was that the increased foreign activities were not detrimental to Switzerland as a production location. On the contrary, the Swiss location benefited overall. Reforms aimed at strengthening and opening up Switzerland as a business location have also made a substantial contribution to economic prosperity in recent years. The turbulence on the financial markets that erupted in mid-2007 is unlikely to leave the Swiss economy unscathed. The export sector, including the banks, will be affected by the slowdown in the international economy. An additional factor is the substantial rise in the value of the Swiss franc over the past few months against the euro and the US dollar. However, we are already in a position to learn quite a bit from the financial market turmoil.