Gopala Krishnan Sundaram 

Areas of Focus

• Regulatory Compliance and Advisory
• Banking and Finance
• Remittances and electronic money
• CMSL licensing
• Islamic Finance
• Corporate Governance

Biography

Gopal Sundaram is a highly experienced financial and legal professional, specializing in legislative drafting, banking and remittance law, electronic money, applicartions for CMSL licences, Islamic finance, central banking law, and regulatory compliance, particularly in banking, insurance, Islamic banking, and takaful. He began his career at Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) in 1982 after graduating from the University of Malaya on a BNM scholarship. Over 30 years at BNM, he rose to Assistant Governor, overseeing the Legal Department, Finance Department, IT Services Department, Money Museum, and Art Gallery. During his tenure, he was a member of various committees chaired by the Governor, inter alia, the Management Committee, the Monetary Policy Committee, the Financial Stability Committee, the Budget Committee, the Risk Management Committee and in attendance at the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre Executive Committee (MIFC), a multi-agency committee appointed by the Prime Minister. He retired from BNM in 2011 and he was appointed as Project Adviser to BNM to advise and supervise the drafting of an omnibus legislation for banking, insurance, payments systems and exchange control as well as an omnibus Islamic legislation for Islamic banking, takaful, payment systems and exchange control. These legislation, namely the Financial Services Act 2013 and the Islamic Financial Services Act 2013, were passed by the Malaysian Parliament in 2012 and came into force on 30 June 2013.

He was admitted and enrolled as an advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya on 17 May 2013. 

Representative Work

• Drafting major Malaysian financial legislation: Financial Services Act 2013, Islamic Financial Services Act 2013, International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation Act 2011, Credit Reporting Agencies Act 2010, Data Protection Act 2010, among others.

• Resolution of ailing financial institutions, including capital reductions and mergers.

• International consultancy for the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, providing regulatory and financial sector modernization expertise in Sri Lanka, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan.

• Technical legal assistance to Namibia and Pakistan in central banking and financial sector law reform.

Languages

English, Malay and Tamil

Qualifications

LLB (Hons), University of Malaya

Bar Admissions

Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya

Recognitions

Only Malaysian member of the International Monetary Law Committee (MOCOMILA) of the International Law Association.

Panel of Experts member at P.R.I.M.E. Finance, Peace Palace, The Hague, Netherlands.

Recognized globally for expertise in legislative drafting, financial regulation, and Islamic finance.

BNM Scholar; University of Malaya graduate

Affiliations and Public Service

Former Assistant Governor, Bank Negara Malaysia, overseeing Legal, Finance, IT Services, and museum/art initiatives.

Project Adviser to BNM to advise and supervise the drafting of an omnibus legislation for banking, insurance, payments systems and exchange control as well as an omnibus Islamic legislation for Islamic banking, takaful, payment systems and exchange control. These legislation, namely the Financial Services Act 2013 and the Islamic Financial Services Act 2013, were passed by the Malaysian Parliament in 2012 and came into force on 30 June 2013.

Independent international consultant for the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

Boards: Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Sea Capital Services Berhad.

Member of the International Monetary Law Committee of the International Law Association (MOCOMILA) from Malaysia and a member of the Panel of Experts of, P.R.I.M.E. Finance, Peace Palace, The Hague, Netherlands.

Chairman of the Board of Governors of Methodist College Kuala Lumpur. 

Former international Regulatory Expert for Asian Development Bank from August 2018 for a project on Islamic Finance for Inclusive Growth in the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan as well as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, until July 2021.

Short-term consultant and independent International consultant for World Bank financial sector Modernization Project relating to the Sri Lankan Financial System.