Malaysian banking giant Maybank Group has announced its intention to increase the number of employees at its newly acquired investment banking unit Maybank Kim Eng, which presently has a workforce of around 3,000 people.

Maybank Group wants to grow the workforce at the newly merged investment banking division by 10 per cent per annum over the coming five years.

Speaking about their plans to increase the head count, Maybank Kim Eng's newly-appointed chief executive Mr. Zafrul Aziz said, "It is going to be people; people will be the asset."

Mr. Aziz said that the move was in line with their plan to transform the renamed Maybank Kim Eng into a leading investment banking service provider in ASEAN by the year of 2015.

He also revealed the group's plans to launch derivative products and futures and options broking in a number of countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore, within the next 2-3 years.

Maybank Kim Eng came into existence in January this year, after Maybank acquired brokerage firm Kim Eng.