KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia snapped its five-day winning streak to close lower on Wednesday, as investors took profit following a cumulative gain of 4.25 per cent over the past five sessions, said an analyst. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 14.76 points or 0.83 per cent to 1,756.49 from Tuesday’s close of 1,771.25. The market bellwether opened 1.46 points lower at 1,769.79, marking the day’s high, and hit a low of 1,750.05 during the mid-afternoon session. Market breadth was negative with losers trouncing gainers 876 to 384, while 525 counters were unchanged, 964 untraded and 94 suspended. Turnover improved to 3.65 billion units worth RM4.41 billion from Tuesday's 3.58 billion units worth RM4.46 billion.
AI-Driven Cost Efficiency
- Hong Leong Bank (HLBANK) projects a lower cost-income ratio (CIR) due to AI adoption, expecting CIR to drop below 40%, compared to its previous 41% guidance.
- For 1HFY2025, CIR stood at 38.8%, exceeding expectations despite heavy IT and digital investments.
- AI is being expanded beyond collections and telemarketing to other operations, including boosting relationship managers’ productivity.
Strategic AI & Digital Banking Collaboration
- Hong Leong Bank partners with China’s largest digital bank, WeBank Technology Services, serving 400M retail customers & 5M businesses.
- The alliance will focus on AI, automation, and sales/service digitization to enhance efficiency and technological capabilities.
Workforce & Regulatory Impacts
- AI adoption will not affect workforce numbers (~10,000 employees) but aims to improve productivity.
- The removal of the Rule of 78 interest calculation method is expected to have an immaterial impact on Hong Leong Bank’s financials.
Bank of Chengdu Stake & Market Performance
- Hong Leong Bank’s stake in Bank of Chengdu (BoCD) remains stable at 17.8% after dilution from minority shareholders converting bonds.
- Stock surged 2.6% to RM21.42, valuing the bank at RM46.04 billion.
Summary:
- Hong Leong Bank expects AI to reduce operational costs, lowering CIR below 40%.
- Strategic alliance with China’s WeBank focuses on AI and digital transformation.
- AI implementation will not affect workforce size but enhance productivity.
- Stock price gained 2.6%, with market value reaching RM46.04 billion.
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