Executive Summary

To seize a pivotal opportunity in ASEAN’s evolving financial landscape, this report delivers actionable sales strategies for CelcomDigi’s enterprise team to forge a powerful alliance with CIMB Group (CIMB), the region’s second-largest banking institution. The strategic imperative is to position CelcomDigi as the critical enabler of CIMB’s “ASEAN-first digital banking” vision, as articulated in its Forward30 strategic plan. CIMB’s Forward30 targets ambitious growth in digital revenue (15-20%), significant annual technology investments (over USD 181 million) , and aims to serve its 28 million+ customer base more effectively through initiatives like core system modernisation , Generative AI (GenAI)-powered risk management , and enhanced cross-border payment hubs.

CelcomDigi is uniquely positioned to address CIMB’s key technology gaps—including legacy infrastructure integration , real-time data scalability , and cybersecurity for digital banking —by leveraging its advanced 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud solutions. This report details four high-impact focus areas where CelcomDigi can deliver substantial value:

• AI-Driven Customer Experiences: Utilising CelcomDigi’s Edge AI infrastructure to power CIMB’s hyper-personalisation roadmap.
• Cyber-Resilient Banking Infrastructure: Implementing CelcomDigi’s Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA) aligned solutions to secure CIMB’s expansive mobile banking ecosystem.
• ASEAN Digital Banking Expansion: Leveraging multi-country 5G network orchestration for CIMB’s cross-border payment hubs.
• Sustainable SME Financing: Deploying IoT-enabled solutions for carbon footprint monitoring to support CIMB’s ESG-linked loan portfolio.

The proposed engagement approach aligns with CIMB’s preference for OPEX-focused technology partnerships and includes outcome-based pricing models, particularly for cybersecurity solutions. Proof points, such as CelcomDigi’s successful IoT rollout for Bank Rakyat , will substantiate our capabilities.

A prioritised 90-day action plan, featuring a 5G proof-of-concept for cross-border payments and a co-development workshop for AI-driven fraud detection models, is designed to build immediate momentum and demonstrate tangible value. Ultimately, this partnership aims to help CIMB achieve its 2027 targets, including significant digital revenue growth, 40% cloud migration completion, and a top 3 ranking in ASEAN digital banking , establishing an ASEAN-first, telecom-integrated, AI-native banking platform.

Sales Conversations Framework

Context: CIMB’s ASEAN Leadership and Forward30 Ambitions

CIMB Group stands as a formidable financial institution in Southeast Asia, recognised as the region’s second-largest banking group by assets. Its extensive network and deep market penetration, serving over 28 million customers across ASEAN , provide a strong foundation for its ambitious Forward30 strategic plan. Launched on March 5, 2025 , Forward30 is a six-year roadmap designed to accelerate growth, future-proof the organisation, and reinforce its core purpose of advancing customers and society.

Key financial and operational targets under Forward30 underscore CIMB’s commitment to digital leadership and efficiency:

• Return on Equity (ROE): Targeting a top-quartile ROE among regional peers by 2030, with an interim goal of 12-13% by 2027, up from 11.2% in 2024.
• Digital Revenue Growth: Aiming for a 15-20% increase in digital revenue.
• Technology Investments: Committing over USD 181 million (RM800 million) annually to technology upgrades, focusing on platform resiliency, security, and user experience.
• Cost-to-Income Ratio (CIR): Striving for a CIR in the low 40s by 2030, a significant improvement from 46.7% in 2024.
• CASA Ratio: Targeting a current account savings account (CASA) ratio of 45% by 2030 to lower funding costs.
• Non-Interest Income (NOII) Ratio: Aiming for a NOII ratio of 33-34% by 2030 through enhanced cross-selling and wealth management.

To achieve these targets, CIMB is pursuing several key initiatives:

• Core System Modernisation: Investing significantly in upgrading its core banking systems to enhance agility, security, and customer experience. This includes partnerships with technology providers like Red Hat for OpenShift adoption to gain agility and efficiency.
• GenAI-Powered Risk Management: Exploring and implementing Generative AI for predictive analytics, risk management, and operational efficiency to improve productivity and streamline operations.
• Cross-Border Payment Hubs: Expanding its capabilities in facilitating seamless and efficient cross-border transactions across ASEAN, including participation in QR payment linkages.

Despite these ambitious plans, CIMB faces strategic gaps:

• Legacy Infrastructure Integration: The challenge of integrating new digital solutions with existing legacy systems is a significant hurdle that can slow innovation and increase complexity.
• Real-Time Data Scalability: Managing and scaling data infrastructure to support real-time analytics and personalised services for its vast customer base across multiple markets presents a considerable challenge. CIMB Vietnam’s migration to Google Cloud, which accelerated server provisioning by 80-90%, highlights the need for such scalability.
• Cybersecurity for Digital Banking: The expanding digital footprint and the increasing sophistication of cyber threats necessitate robust and adaptive cybersecurity measures to protect customer data and maintain trust.

Strategic Imperative: CelcomDigi as the Enabler of CIMB’s “ASEAN-First Digital Banking” Vision

CelcomDigi is strategically positioned to be the pivotal technology partner for CIMB, enabling its transformation into an “ASEAN-first digital banking” leader. The convergence of advanced telecommunications capabilities with banking services offers a unique opportunity to create a truly integrated and AI-native financial platform. This directly addresses CIMB’s Forward30 mandates for digital resiliency and cross-border growth.

CelcomDigi can empower CIMB by:

• Providing a Foundation for Next-Generation Services: Leveraging CelcomDigi’s robust 5G network, including capabilities like network slicing and multi-access edge computing (MEC) , CIMB can build and deploy innovative digital banking services with enhanced speed, reliability, and security. Network slicing, for instance, can provide dedicated, secure, and low-latency virtual networks for critical banking operations like cross-border payments or real-time fraud detection.
• Enabling AI at the Edge: CelcomDigi’s edge computing infrastructure allows for AI processing closer to where data is generated and consumed. This is critical for CIMB’s ambitions in hyper-personalisation and real-time risk management, enabling faster insights and responses without the latency associated with centralised cloud processing.
• Facilitating Secure and Scalable Connectivity: As CIMB expands its digital offerings and customer touchpoints, CelcomDigi’s advanced connectivity solutions, including IoT and secure private networks, can ensure that these services are delivered reliably and securely across diverse ASEAN markets.

By partnering with CelcomDigi, CIMB can accelerate its Forward30 objectives, overcome its strategic technology gaps, and solidify its position as a digital pioneer in the ASEAN financial landscape. The synergy between CelcomDigi’s telecom expertise and CIMB’s banking acumen can unlock new avenues for innovation, operational efficiency, and superior customer experiences, ultimately realising the vision of an AI-native, telecom-integrated banking platform.

Focus Areas

This section details four high-impact areas where CelcomDigi’s solutions can directly address CIMB’s technological gaps and advance its Forward30 strategic priorities. Each area outlines the strategic relevance to CIMB, the key challenges faced, the specific opportunity for CelcomDigi, and recommended bundled solutions.

AI-Driven Customer Experiences

• a. Strategic Relevance CIMB’s Forward30 plan places significant emphasis on customer-centricity and digital innovation. A key objective is to achieve a Top 3 Net Promoter Score (NPS) among regional peers by 2030.. This ambition is supported by its roadmap for GenAI-driven hyper-personalisation and leveraging its high mobile app adoption rate, reportedly at 78%. The bank aims to deliver “Simpler, Better, Faster” experiences , which necessitates a deep understanding of customer needs and the ability to deliver tailored solutions in real time. The success of digital platforms like OCTO, with over 110 million monthly transactions , underscores the importance of a seamless and intelligent digital customer journey.
• b. Key Challenges Delivering hyper-personalised experiences to over 28 million customers in real-time across diverse ASEAN markets demands significant data processing and AI capabilities, which can strain traditional infrastructures. Ensuring a consistent omnichannel experience and overcoming data latency for timely insights are critical hurdles. Effectively managing vast customer data for AI, while ensuring privacy and compliance, remains an ongoing challenge.
• c. CelcomDigi Opportunity CelcomDigi’s Edge AI infrastructure , powered by its 5G network, offers a solution by processing customer data closer to the point of interaction. This minimises latency, enabling real-time customer insights, dynamic content delivery, and enhanced interactive services like AI-powered chatbots. CelcomDigi’s collaborations with Huawei and ZTE to integrate AI into network infrastructure further bolster this capability.
• d. Recommended Solutions
  • Intelligent Customer Engagement Accelerator:
    • Components: This bundled offering combines CelcomDigi’s private 5G network for dedicated bandwidth, Edge AI computing resources deployed at or near CIMB’s data centres or regional hubs, and integration frameworks for CIMB’s existing CRM and data analytics platforms (potentially including MoEngage-like capabilities for journey orchestration ).
    • Value Proposition: Enables CIMB to deploy sophisticated AI models for real-time customer segmentation, next-best-action recommendations, and personalised content delivery directly within its digital channels. This solution supports CIMB’s goal of leveraging GenAI for a “human-like” continuous improvement cycle that is faster and more consistent , directly impacting NPS and digital revenue growth.
  • Summary: By leveraging CelcomDigi’s Edge AI and 5G capabilities, CIMB can significantly enhance its customer experience through real-time personalisation and improved engagement, directly contributing to its Forward30 goals of higher NPS and digital revenue.

Cyber-Resilient Banking Infrastructure

• a. Strategic Relevance Digital resiliency is a cornerstone of CIMB’s Forward30 strategy. The bank has allocated a significant technology investment budget, over USD 181 million (RM800 million) in 2024, with a large portion dedicated to platform resiliency and security. This is further evidenced by a specific tech resiliency fund of USD 181 million. CIMB’s commitment to cybersecurity is also demonstrated through its robust governance frameworks and partnerships with security-focused technology providers like Zoloz for eKYC and potentially MoEngage for secure customer engagement. Protecting its 28 million+ customers and their data is paramount, especially with the increasing adoption of mobile banking and digital services.
• b. Key Challenges The proliferation of digital channels and third-party integrations significantly expands CIMB’s attack surface. Financial institutions are prime targets for sophisticated cyber threats, including APTs, ransomware, and AI-driven fraud. Integrating modern security with legacy systems can create vulnerabilities , and ensuring secure remote access for a diverse user base is critical.
• c. CelcomDigi Opportunity CelcomDigi can enhance CIMB’s cybersecurity by providing advanced network security solutions based on Zero Trust principles. A Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA) model, operating on “never trust, always verify,” offers granular, context-aware access, reducing unauthorised access and threat movement. CelcomDigi’s offerings in Network Access Control, Privileged Access Management, and endpoint security align with ZTNA principles. This is vital for securing mobile banking, minimising the attack surface, and enhancing threat detection.
• d. Recommended Solutions
  • CIMB Secure Access Fabric:
    • Components: This solution would integrate CelcomDigi’s ZTNA-aligned framework (potentially leveraging partners like Zscaler or Cloudflare ), secure 5G connectivity for encrypted data transmission, and Managed Security Services for 24/7 monitoring and threat response. It can also incorporate CelcomDigi’s Cyber Guard Device for endpoint threat management.
    • Value Proposition: Provides CIMB with a modern, adaptive security architecture that moves beyond traditional perimeter-based defences. This directly supports CIMB’s tech resiliency goals, protects its vast mobile customer base, and helps mitigate risks associated with legacy system integration and an expanding digital ecosystem. This aligns with CIMB’s focus on cybersecurity and data privacy as key priorities.
  • Summary: CelcomDigi’s ZTNA-aligned solutions offer CIMB a robust framework to build a cyber-resilient infrastructure, crucial for protecting its digital assets and customer trust, thereby supporting its tech resiliency and security objectives under Forward30.

ASEAN Digital Banking Expansion

• a. Strategic Relevance ASEAN expansion is a core pillar of CIMB’s Forward30 strategy, aiming to solidify its position as a leading focused ASEAN bank. Key initiatives include the development of cross-border payment hubs and leveraging partnerships with regional payment players like GCash in the Philippines and Liquid Group for Singapore-Indonesia QR payments. The ASEAN Financial Passport initiative further underscores this commitment to seamless cross-border banking. Success in this area is critical for achieving top-quartile ROE and becoming a top 3 bank by NPS in the region.
• b. Key Challenges Navigating diverse ASEAN regulatory landscapes for financial services and data sovereignty is complex. Ensuring interoperability of payment systems and maintaining security with low latency for high-volume cross-border transactions are technically demanding. Furthermore, scaling network infrastructure reliably across multiple markets to handle growing transaction volumes presents a significant challenge.
• c. CelcomDigi Opportunity CelcomDigi’s 5G network slicing and multi-country orchestration capabilities offer solutions. Network slicing can create dedicated virtual networks for secure, low-latency cross-border transactions. Multi-country network orchestration , potentially through partnerships like Aduna and collaborations with Ericsson , can simplify connectivity management across ASEAN. Edge computing in key markets can address data sovereignty and reduce latency.
• d. Recommended Solutions
  • ASEAN Digital Corridor:
    • Components: This comprehensive offering would combine CelcomDigi’s multi-country 5G network slicing capabilities , potentially integrated with AWS Outposts for hybrid cloud deployment of CIMB’s payment hub applications, ensuring data locality and low-latency processing. This solution would also include robust API gateways for secure integration with regional payment partners.
    • Value Proposition: Provides CIMB with a dedicated, secure, and high-performance network infrastructure to support its ASEAN cross-border payment hubs and digital banking expansion. This directly addresses the challenges of latency, security, and scalability, enabling CIMB to offer superior cross-border financial services and strengthen its “ASEAN-first” digital banking vision.
  • Summary: The ASEAN Digital Corridor, powered by CelcomDigi’s 5G network slicing and orchestration, can provide CIMB with the necessary infrastructure to overcome cross-border expansion challenges, enhancing its regional payment capabilities and supporting its ASEAN leadership goals.

Sustainable SME Financing

• a. Strategic Relevance CIMB is committed to advancing sustainable finance and supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This is evident in their target to mobilise RM100 billion in sustainable finance by 2024 (achieved RM117.0 billion by Feb 2025 ) and the introduction of ESG-linked loans and financing programmes, such as the SME Sustainability-Linked Loan (SLL) in Singapore. CIMB Malaysia also offers various digital tools and financing options for SMEs , and the Forward30 plan includes a focus on SME support through platforms like the Next Gen BizChannel. The investment of over RM200 million in the Next Gen BizChannel Platform, which has reached over 100,000 small business customers , further highlights this focus.
• b. Key Challenges Many SMEs lack the resources and tools to measure and report on ESG performance, particularly their carbon footprint. Gathering accurate, verifiable ESG data for sustainable finance is complex and costly for them. The lack of standardised carbon footprint monitoring tools makes benchmarking difficult, and financial institutions require reliable data to integrate ESG factors into lending decisions.
• c. CelcomDigi Opportunity CelcomDigi’s IoT solutions , powered by its 5G network, can provide SMEs with accessible tools for environmental monitoring, especially carbon footprint tracking. IoT sensors can automatically collect data on energy consumption and emissions. This data, transmitted in real-time, enables simplified ESG reporting for SMEs, facilitating their access to CIMB’s sustainable finance products. CelcomDigi’s experience with Petronas in deploying 5G for modernisation, including advanced tracking and real-time data analytics , is adaptable for SME use cases.
• d. Recommended Solutions
  • SME GreenConnect Suite:
    • Components: This solution would bundle CelcomDigi’s IoT platform (including sensors and connectivity management) , secure 5G connectivity, a cloud-based data analytics dashboard for carbon footprint calculation and visualisation (potentially leveraging AWS ), and APIs for integration with CIMB’s ESG loan application and monitoring frameworks (similar to the ESGpedia tool used by CIMB Singapore ).
    • Value Proposition: Empowers CIMB’s SME clients to easily track and manage their carbon footprint, facilitating access to sustainable financing and supporting CIMB’s ESG objectives. This solution addresses the data gap for SMEs, enhances the credibility of CIMB’s ESG-linked loan portfolio, and contributes to broader financial inclusion and sustainable development goals.
  • Summary: The SME GreenConnect Suite leverages CelcomDigi’s IoT and 5G capabilities to help CIMB’s SME clients meet ESG requirements for sustainable financing, thereby supporting CIMB’s sustainable finance targets and SME development goals.

Engagement Approach

To effectively partner with CIMB and deliver on the proposed solutions, CelcomDigi should adopt a commercially astute and evidence-based engagement approach. This involves aligning with CIMB’s financial preferences and demonstrating tangible value through relevant proof points.

Commercial Strategy

Understanding CIMB’s financial and operational priorities is key to structuring a compelling commercial proposition.

• Alignment with OPEX-Focused Technology Partnerships: CIMB, like many large financial institutions, is increasingly looking for technology partnerships that offer flexible, consumption-based models rather than large upfront capital expenditures (CAPEX). Reports suggest CIMB Niaga focuses on discipline in cost management and leveraging IT, which can be supported by OPEX models. The user query also indicates a preference for OPEX-focused partnerships.
  • CelcomDigi should structure its offerings, where feasible, as managed services or subscription-based models. This approach allows CIMB to convert significant technology investments into predictable operational expenses, aligning with their cost management strategies. This is particularly relevant for solutions involving ongoing network services, cloud platforms, and cybersecurity monitoring.
  • This model also allows for scalability, where CIMB can scale services up or down based on demand, paying only for what they use, which is a core benefit of cloud and as-a-service offerings.
• Outcome-Based Pricing for Cybersecurity Solutions: For cybersecurity solutions, such as the proposed “CIMB Secure Access Fabric,” an outcome-based pricing model can be particularly attractive.
  • Instead of solely charging for technology deployment, CelcomDigi can tie a portion of the service fees to pre-defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to security outcomes. These could include metrics like reduction in security incidents, improved compliance scores, or faster threat detection and response times.
  • This approach demonstrates CelcomDigi’s confidence in its solutions’ efficacy and shares the risk and reward with CIMB. It aligns incentives and focuses the partnership on achieving tangible security improvements, which is crucial given CIMB’s investment in tech resiliency and the critical nature of protecting customer data.

This commercial strategy positions CelcomDigi not merely as a vendor but as a strategic partner invested in CIMB’s success and operational efficiency.

Proof Points

Demonstrating proven capabilities and tangible results is crucial for building credibility with CIMB.

• Reference CelcomDigi’s Work on Bank Rakyat’s IoT Rollout: The partnership with Bank Rakyat to create Malaysia’s first 5G-connected bank, particularly equipping its ‘Bank Bergerak’ (mobile bank) fleet with 5G connectivity and exploring IoT, cloud, and cybersecurity solutions, serves as a powerful local case study.
  • Relevance to CIMB: This engagement showcases CelcomDigi’s ability to deliver innovative, secure, and reliable connectivity solutions for the financial sector. It highlights benefits such as enhanced connectivity for smoother transactions, real-time updates, and improved operational efficiencies – themes that resonate with CIMB’s objectives for financial inclusion and operational excellence.
  • Key Learnings to Highlight: Emphasise the end-to-end smart banking solutions, the provision of seamless 5G connectivity even for mobile operations, and the successful exploration of future IoT, cloud, and cybersecurity integrations. This directly supports the proposed “Sustainable SME Financing” and “ASEAN Digital Banking Expansion” focus areas by demonstrating practical application and benefits in a banking context.
• Map Solutions to CIMB’s Operational Efficiency Targets: CIMB’s Forward30 plan targets a cost-to-income ratio (CIR) in the low 40s by 2030, down from 46.7% in 2024. The user query also refers to a 15% operational efficiency target. CelcomDigi’s solutions should be explicitly linked to achieving these efficiencies.
  • AI-Driven Customer Experiences: Edge AI and automation can reduce manual effort in customer service and personalise offerings more effectively, improving conversion rates and reducing cost-to-serve.
  • Cyber-Resilient Banking Infrastructure: ZTNA-aligned solutions can simplify security management and reduce the costs associated with data breaches and compliance failures.
  • ASEAN Digital Banking Expansion: Streamlined and secure cross-border payment networks reduce operational friction and transaction costs.
  • Sustainable SME Financing: IoT-enabled monitoring can automate data collection for ESG reporting, reducing administrative burdens for SMEs and CIMB.
  • Quantify Potential Impact: Where possible, model the potential cost savings or efficiency gains that CelcomDigi’s solutions can bring, aligning with CIMB’s CIR reduction goals and the broader objective of achieving “Simpler, Better, Faster” operations.

By presenting a flexible, value-driven commercial strategy and backing it with relevant, impactful proof points, CelcomDigi can build a strong case for a long-term strategic partnership with CIMB.

Key Takeaways

This section synthesises how the proposed focus areas and CelcomDigi’s solutions directly support CIMB’s Forward30 strategic targets, particularly those set for 2027. It also outlines a prioritised 90-day action plan to initiate the partnership and deliver early wins.

Synthesising Value: Aligning with CIMB’s 2027 Targets

CelcomDigi’s proposed solutions are designed to be integral to CIMB achieving its medium-term Forward30 objectives by 2027, which include 20% digital revenue growth, 40% cloud migration completion, and establishing a position among the ASEAN top 3 in digital banking (as measured by NPS and other digital banking metrics). The strategic intent is to position CelcomDigi as CIMB’s critical partner in building ASEAN’s first telecom-integrated, AI-native banking platform, directly addressing Forward30’s digital resiliency and cross-border growth mandates.

The following table illustrates the direct linkage between CelcomDigi’s proposed solutions and CIMB’s Forward30 targets:

Table 1: Focus Area Contribution to CIMB Forward30 Targets

Focus Area	Key CelcomDigi Solution Bundle	Supported CIMB Forward30 Target(s)	Brief Explanation of Linkage
AI-Driven Customer Experiences	Intelligent Customer Engagement Accelerator	Top 3 NPS ; 20% Digital Revenue Growth; CIR Reduction	Edge AI and 5G enable real-time hyper-personalisation, improving customer satisfaction (NPS) and conversion rates (digital revenue). Automation reduces cost-to-serve (CIR).
Cyber-Resilient Banking Infrastructure	CIMB Secure Access Fabric	Tech Resiliency ; Secure Digital Banking ; Customer Trust; CIR Reduction	ZTNA-aligned solutions and advanced cybersecurity protect against evolving threats, ensuring platform stability and customer trust, reducing costs associated with breaches and fraud (CIR).
ASEAN Digital Banking Expansion	ASEAN Digital Corridor	ASEAN Leadership ; Cross-Border Payment Hub Efficiency ; Digital Revenue Growth	5G network slicing and edge computing provide secure, low-latency, and scalable infrastructure for cross-border payments and digital services, driving regional growth and revenue.
Sustainable SME Financing	SME GreenConnect Suite	Sustainable Finance Mobilisation (e.g., RM100Bn target by 2024, achieved RM117.0Bn by Feb 2025 ); Support for SMEs ; ESG Commitments	IoT-enabled carbon footprint monitoring simplifies ESG data collection for SMEs, facilitating access to CIMB’s green loans and supporting CIMB’s overall sustainability agenda and loan book growth in this segment.

Achieving a top 3 ranking in ASEAN digital banking by 2027 is a multifaceted goal. While CIMB Bank Philippines has already achieved recognition as the Best Digital Bank in the Philippines and ranked #41 globally by The Asian Banker in 2025 , extending this level of digital excellence across all ASEAN operations requires robust, scalable, and innovative underlying technology. CelcomDigi’s contributions to enhanced customer experience through AI, resilient and secure infrastructure, and seamless cross-border services will be crucial for improving the overall perception and performance of CIMB’s digital banking services, thereby positively influencing its Net Promoter Score and regional standing.

The 40% cloud migration completion target by 2027 indicates a significant ongoing transformation. CelcomDigi’s solutions, particularly those leveraging hybrid cloud models like AWS Outposts for the ASEAN Digital Corridor , can support this migration by providing secure, high-performance connectivity to cloud resources and enabling edge deployments that complement CIMB’s cloud strategy. This ensures that applications requiring low latency or data localisation can be effectively managed within a hybrid architecture.

Prioritised 90-Day Action Plan

To build momentum, demonstrate value quickly, and lay the foundation for a long-term strategic partnership, the following 90-day action plan is proposed. This plan focuses on tangible, quick wins in areas highly strategic to CIMB, thereby building trust and paving the way for larger, more complex engagements.

• Action 1: 5G Proof-of-Concept (PoC) for Cross-Border Payments.
  • Rationale: This directly addresses CIMB’s ASEAN expansion strategy and its initiatives to build robust cross-border payment hubs. A PoC can effectively showcase the benefits of CelcomDigi’s 5G network slicing capabilities for delivering secure, low-latency, and high-throughput transactions between two key ASEAN markets (e.g., Malaysia-Singapore, leveraging existing strong corridors). This demonstrates immediate value in a critical area for CIMB’s regional leadership ambitions.
  • Key Steps:
    1. Joint Scope Definition: Collaborate with CIMB’s cross-border payments and technology teams to define the PoC scope, including the specific payment corridor (e.g., Malaysia-Singapore), transaction types (e.g., retail remittance, SME trade payments), and key performance indicators (KPIs).
    2. Technical Setup: Deploy a dedicated 5G network slice using CelcomDigi infrastructure. If CIMB requires on-premises elements for the payment hub, explore a temporary AWS Outposts deployment as part of the “ASEAN Digital Corridor” concept.
    3. Execution and Measurement: Conduct test transactions, rigorously measuring performance metrics such as end-to-end latency, transaction throughput, jitter, and security resilience against defined benchmarks.
    4. Findings and ROI Presentation: Present the PoC results to CIMB stakeholders, highlighting performance improvements, potential operational efficiencies, and a preliminary return on investment (ROI) analysis for a full-scale deployment.
• Action 2: Co-development Workshop for AI-Driven Fraud Detection Models.
  • Rationale: This action leverages CIMB’s strategic focus on Generative AI and advanced analytics for risk management and aligns with CelcomDigi’s Edge AI capabilities. Fraud is a persistent and evolving threat in digital banking, and enhancing detection capabilities is a high priority for financial institutions. A co-development approach positions CelcomDigi as a collaborative partner, tailoring solutions to CIMB’s unique risk environment.
  • Key Steps:
    1. Joint Workshop: Host an interactive workshop bringing together CIMB’s risk management, data science, and digital banking teams with CelcomDigi’s AI and network specialists.
    2. Use Case Identification: Collaboratively identify 2-3 high-impact fraud use cases (e.g., real-time transaction fraud, account takeover, phishing-related fraud) where Edge AI can provide significant advantages.
    3. Explore Edge AI Application: Discuss how CelcomDigi’s Edge AI infrastructure can enable real-time data ingestion and model inference at the network edge, reducing detection latency and improving response times.
    4. Pilot Project Definition: Define the scope, objectives, data requirements, and success criteria for a pilot project to develop and test an AI-driven fraud detection model using CelcomDigi’s edge capabilities.
• Action 3: Strategic Workshop on Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for CIMB’s Mobile & Digital Banking Infrastructure.
  • Rationale: This addresses CIMB’s critical need for robust cybersecurity for its large and growing mobile banking customer base (78% mobile app adoption) and extensive digital banking infrastructure. It aligns directly with CIMB’s substantial investments in technology resiliency.
  • Key Steps:
    1. ZTNA Framework Presentation: Present CelcomDigi’s ZTNA-aligned framework and the proposed “CIMB Secure Access Fabric” solution , detailing its benefits in terms of enhanced security, reduced attack surface, and granular access control.
    2. High-Level Architecture Review: Conduct a collaborative high-level assessment of CIMB’s current mobile and digital banking security architecture to identify potential areas where ZTNA principles can provide maximum impact.
    3. Pilot Implementation Roadmap: Jointly identify specific applications or user groups within CIMB’s mobile banking ecosystem that could serve as ideal candidates for a ZTNA pilot implementation. Develop a preliminary roadmap for this pilot.

This 90-day plan is designed to create tangible outputs and foster a collaborative working relationship, setting a strong precedent for the broader strategic partnership between CelcomDigi and CIMB Group.

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