RM10 billion is a serious amount of money for any bank to commit in one go.

When Maybank attached that figure to its new ROAR30 strategy, it reframed the entire conversation around the next five years.

You see, this was not just another roadmap presentation filled with targets and pillars.

The size and focus of the investment said something more fundamental about how the bank sees the future of banking in ASEAN.

ROAR30, which runs through to 2030, marks a shift from optimisation to re-architecture.

It follows M25+, a strategy that helped Maybank stabilise profitability, strengthen sustainability credentials and improve operating discipline after the pandemic years.

ROAR30 is different in tone and ambition. It is less about tightening bolts and more about rebuilding the engine.

At the centre of that rebuild sits an RM10 billion investment over five years into technology, data and AI.

Everything else in ROAR30, from return targets to regional growth plans, depends on whether that bet pays off.

Rather Than Fixing the Whole House, Maybank Is Rebuilding Back Its Foundation

M25+ did what it needed to do.

By 9M FY2025, Maybank had lifted return on equity to 11.5%, its highest level since 2016.

Profitability improved, sustainability commitments were exceeded, and digital adoption surged, with over RM4 trillion in digital transactions facilitated since 2020.

But the banking environment Maybank is operating in today is far less forgiving than it was even five years ago. Net interest margins are under pressure.

Payments are becoming increasingly commoditised. Deposits are no longer sticky by default, especially as digital banks and fintechs raise customer expectations around rates and experience.

ROAR30 reflects an acknowledgement that incremental improvement will not be enough.

The bank is also targeting a return on equity of 13% to 14% by 2030, alongside a net interest margin above 2.05%, a cost-to-income ratio of 47% or lower, and a CASA ratio above 41%.

Hitting those numbers in this environment requires structural change.

That is where technology comes in, and the RM10 billion investment.

Why RM10 Billion, and Why Now?

Maybank plans to invest the money over the next five years to modernise its technology stack, strengthen data capabilities and embed AI across the organisation.

It includes cloud and AI architecture, core banking modernisation, productivity tools for staff and better digital experiences for customers.

What stands out is not just the size of the investment, but how it is framed.

The bank is explicit that this spending is meant to future-proof the organisation and enable growth beyond 2030. It is not positioned as a short-term digital upgrade.

In practical terms, this is about operating leverage. Building systems once and deploying them across markets.

Reducing duplication. Improving productivity without linearly increasing headcount. Creating a foundation that allows the bank to scale regionally without scaling costs at the same pace.

Technology, in other words, is being treated as a driver of returns rather than a line item to be managed down.

Making AI Useful at Scale

Artificial intelligence features prominently in ROAR30, but not in the way banks often talk about it.

Rather than leading with chatbots or surface-level personalisation, Maybank is positioning AI as a core operating tool.

It is meant to support better credit and risk decisions, enable more personalised and timely wealth advice, improve fraud detection, and help staff deliver services more efficiently.

This matters particularly for areas like SME financing and wealth management, both of which feature heavily in ROAR30.

SMEs are central to Maybank’s ambition to power the real economy, with a target to mobilise RM100 billion in SME financing. Doing that sustainably requires better data and smarter underwriting.

Similarly, wealth management, which the bank wants to build into a leading regional business, depends on understanding customer behaviour at scale and delivering relevant advice without turning every interaction into a manual process.

AI, in this context, is less about novelty and more about making scale manageable.

That thinking also extends to how customers interact with the bank. ROAR30 points to a next-generation app, evolving from MAE and powered by newer technology and AI, with a regional rollout in mind.

Crucially, the bank’s President and Group CEO, Dato’ Sri Khairussaleh Ramli has identified Indonesia as the likely first market for this rollout.

“Indonesia can be the first where we allow it, to capture the business and offer solutions that we believe can compete in Malaysia,” he said.

The ‘Indonesia-first’ strategy allows Maybank to deploy and refine its new tech stack in a high-growth, digital-savvy market before migrating its massive Malaysian user base.

Maybank also stated that the emphasis of the app will be more on personalisation and omnichannel engagement, rather than treating the app as a one-size-fits-all front end.

ROAR30 is Trying to Solve The Regional Problem

Speaking of regional rollout, one of the other under the radar themes running through ROAR30 is Maybank’s desire to move beyond operating as a collection of strong but separate country banks.

Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore remain the group’s core markets, each with its own role.

Malaysia provides stability and scale. Indonesia offers long-term growth potential. Singapore serves as a wealth and regional connectivity hub.

But historically, fragmentation in systems and processes has made true regional integration difficult.

ROAR30 is an attempt to change that.

The strategy sets out plans to build four businesses at scale across ASEAN, covering global Islamic finance, regional wealth management, transactions and payments, as well as corporate and investment banking.

Taken together, these ambitions depend on consistent execution, strong connectivity and a shared foundation across markets.

Without a common digital and data backbone, none of these businesses can scale efficiently.

The RM10 billion technology investment is what turns regional ambition into something operational rather than aspirational.

Four Businesses, One Backbone

Each of the four businesses Maybank wants to scale draws from the same foundation.

In Islamic finance, where Maybank is already among the top five globally by assets, the focus is on expanding regional propositions in Islamic wealth management, legacy planning and halal ecosystem enablement, including banking-as-a-service models in markets like Indonesia.

In wealth management, the bank is pushing towards a unified ASEAN wealth brand, supported by AI-driven behavioural segmentation and a whole-of-bank approach that serves both personal and business needs.

The ambition is clear. Maybank wants to be the largest wealth manager in Malaysia and a serious regional player.

Transactions and payments are about leveraging Maybank’s footprint to deliver seamless, digital-first cross-border capabilities, supported by strategic partnerships and a consistent client experience.

Maybank also pointed out that its corporate and investment banking will focus more on deeper regional connectivity.

It will then be supported by digital platforms such as regional CRM and next-generation loan origination systems.

All four rely on the same underlying capabilities. That is where the RM10 billion is being directed.

Sustainability, but with Scale Economics

ROAR30 also doubles down on sustainability, with a target to mobilise RM300 billion in sustainable finance over five years, nearly double what was achieved under M25+.

The bank remains on track for carbon neutrality by 2030 and net zero by 2050, while aiming to positively impact three million lives economically across the region.

What is notable is how sustainability is integrated into the broader strategy.

This is not positioned as a separate track. Sustainable finance, SME support, and new economy financing all benefit from better data, better risk assessment and more efficient digital processes.

Once again, the technology backbone enables scale.

Returns Still Matter, and This is How Maybank Plans to Get There

For all the talk of purpose and platforms, ROAR30 remains anchored in financial outcomes.

The 13% to 14% ROE target sits alongside commitments to improve productivity, manage costs and grow fee-based income.

Fee-to-income has already improved to 35% from 22% in FY2022, and ROAR30 aims to push the Non-Interest Income (NOII) ratio even higher to 38-39% by 2030.

The shift will be driven largely by a targeted 20% CAGR in wealth management fees.

These are capital-light businesses that benefit disproportionately from scale and technology.

At the same time, the bank is clear that investment comes before payoff. Technology spending will weigh on costs in the near term. Benefits will accrue over time as legacy systems are modernised and duplication is removed.

So, hold on tight as this seems like a strategy that requires patience as much as precision.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Malaysia based on an image by Maybank.