The Fintech Association of Malaysia (FAOM) formalised its executive-education partnership with Manaf Gardner Associates at Money20/20 Asia in Bangkok on Saturday, 2 May 2026 — the kickoff event for the country's new Malaysia Fintech 2030 initiative. The agreement was signed by FAOM president Anil Singh Gill, Manaf Gardner chairman Datuk Dr Nora Manaf, and CEO Professor Dr Colyn Gardner.

The initiative

Malaysia Fintech 2030 is a workforce-development programme aligned with two existing national policy frameworks: the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) and the Thirteenth Malaysia Plan, both of which emphasise digital transformation and human capital development as central economic priorities. Where previous fintech-association work has focused on regulatory advocacy and ecosystem mapping, Malaysia Fintech 2030 is explicitly about talent supply — a recognition that Malaysia's fintech ambition is increasingly capital-rich and skill-poor.

Per The Star's reporting, the partnership produces five distinct programme formats:

  • Short masterclass workshops delivered in Malaysia
  • International residential programmes at leading business schools
  • Visiting-faculty initiatives bringing global practitioners in-country
  • Modular learning pathways with university-issued certifications
  • HRD Corp-claimable programmes for Malaysian corporates — a critical detail, since HRD Corp claimability allows employers to recoup training costs through the existing levy mechanism

What was said

Professor Dr Colyn Gardner framed the partnership's ambition with a quote that doubles as a positioning of executive education in the AI era: "Executive education must go beyond theory. Our focus is to bring practitioner-led learning that is deeply applied, relevant to real industry challenges and capable of supporting organisations through different stages of growth and transformation."

Why the timing matters

Money20/20 Asia 2026 is being staged in Bangkok rather than Singapore for the first time in five editions — a signal of the conference organisers' bet that ASEAN's fintech centre of gravity is broadening beyond Singapore. Malaysia's choice to use the Bangkok stage for the FAOM × Manaf Gardner announcement is consistent with that bet: it gives the initiative visibility outside the Malaysian press cycle and lines up the Malaysian agenda alongside Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

The broader context, per The Fintech Times' 2026 Malaysia survey, is a fintech sector that has matured from license-acquisition mode to scale-of-operations mode: more than 600 fintech firms now operate under Bank Negara Malaysia's various licensing frameworks, but available talent has not kept pace. Malaysia Fintech 2030's explicit thesis is that talent — not regulation, capital, or addressable market — is now the binding constraint.

What's not yet specified

The Money20/20 announcement did not include a budget, a target trainee count, or specific government-agency partners. Bank Negara Malaysia — Malaysia's central bank and primary fintech regulator — was not mentioned as a signatory. That gap will likely be filled in subsequent announcements as the partnership rolls into delivery mode through Q3 and Q4 2026.

Sources and cross-checks: Primary: The Star — Malaysia's Fintech 2030 initiative on the global stage at Money20/20 in Bangkok. Corroborated against: Fintech News Malaysia and The Fintech Times — Malaysia and its Fintech Environment 2026. Signatory names, programme formats, and event date verified 18 May 2026.