Strong leadership, regional ambition, and a people-first approach underline latest recognition

This year, Baiduri Bank has once again cemented its position at the forefront of Brunei’s financial landscape, receiving two prestigious accolades at the TAB Global Leadership Achievement Awards 2025: Best Bank CEO in Brunei awarded to Ti Eng Hui, and Best Managed Bank in Brunei—a distinction that reflects the Bank’s exceptional institutional strength and future-ready approach.

Presented every three years, the TAB Global Leadership Achievement Awards are widely acknowledged by the financial services industry as the highest possible accolade available to professionals in the industry globally. More than 200 financial institutions across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa were assessed over a four-month period, making this recognition especially meaningful for Baiduri Bank—and for Brunei.

In the official citation by The Asian Banker, Ti Eng Hui is recognised for leading the Bank through a period of robust financial performance and strategic transformation, with a focus on innovation, regional expansion and sustainable growth.
 
Financial resilience through focused leadership

The Best Managed Bank title recognises more than just financial performance—it speaks to the Bank’s ability to execute a long-term vision with discipline and focus.
 
In 2024, Baiduri Bank recorded a net profit of BND 95.1 million, up from BND 90 million the year before—marking another historic high for the Bank. This strong performance positively impacted key metrics, with Return on Equity (ROE) rising to 14.93%, above the industry average of 11.8%, and Return on Assets (ROA) improving to 2.28%, exceeding the 1.9% benchmark.
Total assets also grew by BND 74 million, reaching BND 4.107 billion by year end.

Despite significant investment in the Temenos core banking migration, Baiduri Bank maintained a commendable cost-to-income ratio of 38%, reflecting its disciplined execution and a balanced focus on innovation and operational efficiency.

Innovation that makes a difference

Central to the Bank’s transformation journey has been its digital strategy. Baiduri Bank became the first bank in Brunei to migrate to a cloud-native core banking platform—Temenos—which not only modernises the infrastructure but also improves speed, security, and scalability of banking services.
 
Another example is the Bank’s implementation of a Corporate Loan Origination platform using cloud infrastructure, AI-driven financial spreading, and machine learning to process complex data faster and more accurately, enhancing efficiency and improving risk management in lending decisions.

The Bank also introduced Tap2Pay, Brunei’s first solution that turns any NFC-enabled phone into a point-of-sale terminal—an innovation designed with MSMEs in mind, offering a low-cost and accessible way to accept digital payments.

A trusted regional player

Baiduri Bank’s ambitions extend beyond Brunei’s borders. In a historic move, the Bank officially opened its first representative office in Singapore in May 2025—its first physical presence abroad. Strategically located at Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 2, the office enhances the Bank’s visibility in one of Asia’s leading financial hubs and strengthens its capacity to support cross-border trade, treasury, and institutional banking activities.

This regional expansion complements the Bank’s growing role in international financing. In 2024, Baiduri Bank participated in a USD 200 million syndicated credit facility for Atome Financial, joining global players such as HSBC, signalling the Bank’s readiness to engage with international markets.

Sustainability in action

As a forward-looking institution, Baiduri Bank has also made significant strides in embedding sustainability across its operations. The formation of a dedicated Sustainability Committee in 2023 and the completion of a materiality assessment in 2024 led to a structured strategy, the Baiduri Greenprint, anchored on three pillars: People, Process, and Planet, followed by the appointment of the Bank’s first Head of Sustainability in 2025. The Bank is also a full member of the United Nations Global Compact, aligning its practices with global sustainability standards.

Investing in people

Internally, the Bank continues to invest in its people, prioritizing internal talent development, filling over 100 vacancies internally in 2023 and achieving a remarkably low attrition rate of 1.7% in 2024. Its Leadership Academy and mentoring programmes are cultivating future leaders, while employee wellness initiatives and volunteer programmes contribute to a thriving workplace culture.

The Bank’s ongoing focus on employee development and engagement was recognised regionally when Baiduri Bank received the Brunei Employee Engagement of the Year award for the second time at the Asian Management Excellence Awards in 2025.

A moment of collective pride

While the Best Bank CEO award celebrates Ti Eng Hui’s role in shaping and guiding the Bank’s transformation, the Best Managed Bank in Brunei award reflects a collective achievement that is driven by strong governance, dedicated employees, and enduring commitment to delivering value to customers, partners, and the community.
 
“This award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our people across the Bank,” said Ti Eng Hui, CEO of Baiduri Bank. “I’m proud of how we’ve grown—adapting, innovating, and staying focused on our customers. It’s truly an honour to receive this recognition.”

As the Bank looks ahead to its next chapter, from regional partnerships to the continued rollout of digital innovation, the focus remains the same —empowering individuals and businesses to succeed in a changing world.