In a keynote address at Standard Chartered’s Global Research Briefing H1 2025, the Central Bank of Brunei Darussalam (BDCB) set out its near-term policy priorities around technological innovation, sustainable finance and crisis preparedness, and previewed planned strategic initiatives for the financial sector. These include launching a Sustainable Finance Roadmap in 2025, developing a second Financial Sector Blueprint covering 2026–2035, and refining key strategies including a renewed Digital Payment Roadmap. The address framed the outlook against International Monetary Fund projections of 3.3% global growth in both 2025 and 2026 and a continued decline in global inflation to 4.2% in 2025 and 3.5% in 2026, while flagging risks from policy uncertainty, potential trade disruptions and geoeconomic fragmentation. For Brunei Darussalam, the IMF’s 2024 growth projection was cited as revised up to 2.5% from 2.4%, with inflation projected to remain low in 2025 and performance sensitive to geopolitical developments that affect commodity prices and key trading partners. On technology, the speech pointed to generative artificial intelligence delivering average productivity gains of 20% in a Bain & Company survey and projected financial-sector AI investment reaching USD 97 billion by 2027, alongside the need for operational resilience and effective risk management and for regulators to maintain an appropriate supervisory framework. On sustainable finance, the speech highlighted rising climate-related risk, estimated investment needs of USD 100–300 trillion through 2050, and the importance of coordinated action to mitigate greenwashing. BDCB also indicated it is strengthening crisis preparedness by reinforcing its legislative framework and institutional structure, and that progress on the blueprint and roadmaps will rely on continued engagement and coordination with industry stakeholders.

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