Ms Azleena Idris is currently Senior Director at Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet Malaysia), where she heads the Strategy & ESG functions at the nation’s retail payments. She joined PayNet Malaysia in August 2019 as Corporate Services Director (Head of Division).
With over 2 decades of combined experience both as a regulator and a financial services sector professional, she played an instrumental role in several national and international initiatives including the 2nd Financial Sector Master Plan, Malaysia as an International Financial Centre (MIFC), Islamic Financial Services Act 2013, International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation, and several merger and acquisition exercises involving the RHB Group. She was with the Central Bank of Malaysia specialising in Islamic financial infrastructure development strategies for over a decade and prior to that, was with a local large financial conglomerate for close to 10 years where she held senior positions in corporate finance, legal, compliance and was also joint company secretary of the parent listed parent company. She is also a short-term expert with the International Monetary Fund and a short-term consultant with the World Bank.
Trained and qualified as a lawyer in England, she holds a Global Executive MBA from London School of Economics and Political Science, New York University Stern School of Business and HEC Paris, Certificate in Business & Climate Change from University of Cambridge and is also a Chartered Islamic Finance Professional.
Roundtable Room 1 (Level 2)
Decoding Digital Assets and Payments
This roundtable reflects Elevandi’s commitment to developing the infrastructure to support the adoption of new technologies.
The quest for cheaper, faster, more transparent and accessible cross-border payments has become a central focus for policymakers and financial institutions worldwide. At the forefront of this initiative is the G20 Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-border Payments, setting ambitious targets on speed, cost, transparency and accessibility by the end of 2027, while also prioritising safety and financial inclusion globally.
In tandem with this global effort, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) introduced Project Nexus in 2021, an innovative initiative aimed at reshaping the landscape of cross-border payments. Through Nexus, the BIS has developed a multilateral and standardised approach in connecting fast payment systems globally to enable instant and seamless cross-border payments. Over the past two years, Project Nexus has conducted a successful proof-of-concept with the fast payment systems in the Eurozone, Malaysia, and Singapore. Notably, it has also facilitated collaboration among five Southeast Asian countries to link their fast payment systems.
With the completion of Phase III of Project Nexus, it promises to reveal ground-breaking advancements towards establishing a global multilateral payments platform. Under the theme of Decoding Digital Assets and Payments, this upcoming roundtable presents a rare opportunity for attendees to gain insights into the blueprint for this pioneering cross-border payments model. With the potential to revolutionise the current state of the global financial market infrastructure, Project Nexus is poised to redefine the future of cross-border transactions.
Attendees who wish to familiarise themselves with the topic may refer to the reference materials below.
- Nexus project page
- Latest (2024) Nexus report
- Enabling & scaling instant cross-border payments
- Connecting to global scalability in payments: How we can benefit and contribute to the nexus
- Nexus: enabling instant cross-border payments