Maybank Investment Bank’s research business is a formidable force in Malaysia, whether it is research tailored for retail clients or for institutional clients.

What should a bank do when the prized, jumbo capital markets deals taper off? For Maybank Investment Bank, the move was to pivot to mid-market and small cap companies, identify their fundraising needs, and offer them the right solutions.

Under the leadership of president Khairussaleh Ramli, Maybank has exceeded the broader industry performance and achieved several milestones this year, for which it receives the award for Malaysia’s best bank. With total assets exceeding RM1 trillion ($212 billion) and a remarkable 17.5% rise in net profit to RM9.35 billion in 2023, the bank has grown while delivering record dividend payouts. Profit before tax was up 5.6% and return on equity rose to 10.8% from 9.6% in the previous year.

Maybank Islamic wins best domestic Islamic bank in Malaysia following a period marked by strong financial results, impactful environmental, social and governance initiatives and landmark transactions.

By virtually any measure, Maybank is Malaysia’s best Islamic bank. It is ahead of its rivals in market share for total assets, financing, deposits and unrestricted investment accounts.

Maybank’s global Islamic presence can be compared favourably with any of the biggest Gulf region banks. The bank is east Asia’s biggest in terms of total assets, which stand at more than $67 billion. Globally, Maybank Islamic trails only Al Rajhi Bank, SNB Capital, Dubai Islamic Bank and Kuwait Finance House.

The proposed merger of CIMB, RHB Capital and Malaysia Building Society (MBSB) will transform the economics of the country’s banking and capital-markets business in the coming years and shake up south-east Asian banking in general.