13th Asean Finance Ministers And Central Bank Governors’ Meeting (AFMGM) And Related Meetings

13th Asean Finance Ministers And Central Bank Governors' Meeting (AFMGM) And Related Meetings

YB Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, Minister of Finance II led Malaysia's delegation at the 13th ASEAN Finance Ministers' and Central Bank Governors' Meeting (AFMGM) alongside YBhg. Dato' Sri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia as Head of Delegation for Malaysia's central bank, held virtually on 10 April 2026. YBhg. Dato' Zamzuri bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Secretary General (Policy) served as Malaysia's Head of Delegation at the Deputies' and related meetings prior to the AFMGM.

ASEAN expressed concern over Middle East tensions and their impact on global trade, energy, and risks such as tariffs, geo-economics fragmentation, and debt vulnerabilities. Malaysia reaffirmed our commitment to deepening financial integration and regional cooperation to safeguard ASEAN's macroeconomic stability and resilience.

"In light of current global shocks, ASEAN's position should remain pragmatic and steady. While we may have limited control over external volatility, we can strengthen our internal foundations through deeper integration, enhanced policy coordination, sustained macroeconomic credibility, and reinforced confidence in ASEAN as a region for investment and growth," expressed YB Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.

The 13th AFMGM, co-chaired of H.E. Frederick D. Go, Secretary of the Department of Finance of the Philippines, and H.E. Eli M. Remolona, Jr., Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas concluded with the issuance of a Joint Statement reaffirming ASEAN's commitment to maintaining macroeconomic and financial stability, advancing digital transformation, and promoting sustainable and inclusive growth.

The Meeting endorsed key priorities under the Philippines' 2026 Chairmanship theme, "Navigating Our Future, Together," including advancing sustainable and resilient ASEAN capital markets, strengthening regional payment connectivity, and promoting financial health through the development of a regional measurement framework.

Among the key outcomes, the Meeting welcomed the proposed establishment of a USD30 billion facility by the Asian Development Bank for 2026-2030 to support the implementation of the Finance Sectoral Plan and ASEAN Community Vision 2045. The re-establishment of the ASEAN Swap Arrangement will further strengthen the region's financial safety net.

In advancing sustainable finance, ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors noted progress on the ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance and the strong pipeline under the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility (ACGF), amounting to USD19.4 billion in projects for 2026-2028. The launch of the Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF) for Energy on 7 April 2026 was also welcomed as a key step towards strengthening regional energy security and supporting the ASEAN Power Grid.

The AFMGM and its related meetings also benefited from continued engagement with key external partners and international financial institutions, including the United States Treasury, Australian Treasury, the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC), EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC), UK-ASEAN Business Council (UK-ABC) and TheCityUK, as well as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank (WB), which contributed to the exchange of views on regional and global economic developments.

Ministry of Finance
Putrajaya
11 April 2026