CIMB is rolling out a new regional brand campaign while recognizing 11 organizations and community partners for their work in financial literacy, inclusion, education and sustainability across ASEAN.
CIMB Group is putting greater emphasis on the progress it enables beyond traditional banking with the launch of its new “Moving You Forward” brand campaign and a regional initiative recognizing organizations and individuals working to create social impact across ASEAN.
The campaign, unveiled in Kuala Lumpur on June 15, is anchored on CIMB‘s stated purpose of advancing customers and society, with the bank positioning itself around the opportunities financial services can help create for individuals, businesses and communities.
The launch coincided with the inaugural CIMB Advancing Societies 2026 – Recognising Impactful Partners, which honored 11 NGOs, social activists and community partners from Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia.
The honorees were recognized for initiatives covering community and economic empowerment, education and financial literacy, health and community wellbeing, environmental protection, and social inclusion and equity.
Moving beyond banking
IMAGE CREDIT: CIMB
The “Moving You Forward” campaign will be rolled out in phases across CIMB’s regional markets through social media, digital out-of-home and traditional out-of-home executions.
The rollout will include a brand film, MRT wall art, on-ground activities and social media activations.
CIMB said the campaign is intended to provide a common brand direction across its ASEAN operations while allowing the execution to remain relevant to individual markets.
The bank’s message centers on a relatively simple proposition: progress looks different for different customers.
For a business, that could mean expanding operations. For a family, it could mean building financial security. For an individual, it could mean pursuing a personal or professional goal.
That broader definition of progress is also reflected in the organizations CIMB chose to recognize through Advancing Societies 2026.
Filipino advocates among ASEAN honorees
Two Philippine organizations were among the 11 honorees.
Empower and Transform (EAT), founded by financial journalist Salve Ibañez, was recognized under the Education & Financial Literacy category.
Through its SalveSays multimedia platform, EAT provides financial education to Filipinos, including Overseas Filipino Workers, single mothers and underserved communities.
CIMB said the platform reaches more than 1 million followers and noted Ibañez’s recognition as a three-time SEC Investor Protection Champion and 2025 Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service awardee.
The other Philippine honoree was PAVE Philippines, led by survivor advocate Phoebe Fructuoso.
The organization was recognized under the Social Inclusion & Equity category for its work supporting victims of sexual violence through advocacy, counseling and awareness initiatives addressing gender-based violence.
Fructuoso was previously recognized through the 2024 CIMB Pinoy Mavericks Award, according to the bank.
Their inclusion gives the regional program a distinctly Philippine dimension, particularly as financial literacy, social protection and inclusion remain important issues for Filipino communities.
The other initiatives span four ASEAN markets
IMAGE CREDIT: CIMB
The other honorees represent a range of community-based initiatives.
In Indonesia, Berdaya Bareng Foundation was recognized for its work supporting MSMEs in Eastern Indonesia through entrepreneurship training, digital literacy and interest-free loans, particularly for women and people with disabilities.
Since 2022, the initiative has strengthened 979 MSMEs, provided funding support to 150 businesses and established three MSME communities.
In Malaysia, Yayasan Tunku Abdul Rahman was recognized for the work of scholarship recipient Ong Yong Xun, who founded JomStudy, an edtech platform offering free study resources and AI-powered learning tools. The platform surpassed 500,000 downloads in 2025.
Other honorees included Thrive Well’s K.A.M.I. program in Malaysia, which provides community-based mental health support for young people and parents; Singapore’s Lions Befrienders, which works with older adults through active-ageing programs; and Halogen Singapore, which provides entrepreneurship education and mentorship to underserved youth.
Environmental initiatives were also represented.
Indonesia’s KEHATI Foundation was recognized for its bamboo conservation and community empowerment work. CIMB said the program had planted 115,400 bamboo trees and 6,430 economically valuable plants as of 2025, while providing capacity-building training to more than 2,000 community members.
In Malaysia, WWF-Malaysia was recognized for conservation work in the Ulu Muda Forest Complex, a major water catchment that supports more than 4.2 million people and 40% of Malaysia’s rice production.
CIMB commits RM200 million to ASEAN initiatives
The recognition program also forms part of a broader commitment by CIMB Foundation and CIMB Islamic.
CIMB said it has pledged RM200 million from 2026 to 2030 to support initiatives across ASEAN, with an emphasis on helping individuals and communities develop the capacity to sustain their own programs over the long term.
Ahmad Shahriman Mohd Shariff, Chief Executive Officer of CIMB Foundation and CIMB Islamic, said the bank’s approach is focused on outcomes rather than simply measuring the number of programs implemented.
“Real progress is not defined by programs or numbers alone, it is seen in how lives have improved, opportunities are created and the confidence communities gain to move forward.”
The commitment places social-impact initiatives alongside CIMB’s broader commercial operations across the region.
A regional campaign with a Philippine connection
CIMB operates across ASEAN, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Its Philippine operation, CIMB Bank Philippines, is a digital-only commercial bank that currently serves 10 million Filipinos and 4 million loan customers, according to the company.
That gives the “Moving You Forward” campaign a direct Philippine connection, particularly as digital banking continues to change how Filipinos save, borrow and manage their money.
For CIMB, however, the campaign is intended to encompass more than financial products.
Its rollout and the Advancing Societies recognition program point to a broader effort to associate the bank’s regional brand with the progress of the customers and communities it serves.
Whether that positioning resonates with customers will ultimately depend not on the campaign itself, but on how consistently CIMB can translate the message into the banking experience and the communities where it operates.
