CIMB Logo PNG
Trade among Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore requires cross-border banking services. The CIMB logo represents a Malaysian financial group with a network across ASEAN countries. Cross-border payments connect the group’s operations to regional trade and investment.
CIMB traces its roots to April 1974, when Pertanian Baring Sanwa Multinational Bank was established in Kuala Lumpur with the involvement of Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein. The bank was formed by Bank Pertanian, Britain’s Baring Brothers, and Japan’s Sanwa Bank. Under Baring Brothers, it focused on corporate finance, advisory work for multinational companies, restructurings, and mergers and acquisitions.
In 1986, Bank of Commerce Berhad acquired control and renamed it Commerce International Merchant Bankers Berhad, creating the CIMB abbreviation. The bank expanded into corporate finance, securities offerings, and brokerage. In 1991, Bank of Commerce acquired United Asian Bank, nearly quadrupling its branch network, while the holding company became Commerce-Asset Holdings Berhad.
The 1997–1998 Asian financial crisis pushed Malaysia toward banking consolidation. In October 1999, Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad merged with Bank of Commerce to form Bumiputra-Commerce Bank under CAHB. In 2002, CAHB became the majority shareholder of Indonesia’s Bank Niaga. In January 2003, CIMB Bhd listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, and CIMB Islamic was launched for sharia-compliant financial products.
In 2005, CAHB bought Singapore broker G.K. Goh Securities and acquired Bumiputra-Commerce Bank. In 2006, CIMB Group was created by merging Commerce International Merchant Bankers, Bumiputra-Commerce Bank, and Southern Bank, with Khazanah Nasional as the backer. In 2008, Bank Niaga and Bank Lippo merged into CIMB Niaga. In 2009, CIMB bought BankThai, expanding across four major ASEAN markets and competing with regional banks such as DBS.
Meaning and History
What is CIMB?
This is a banking group based in Malaysia, with a significant presence across ASEAN countries. The bank offers a range of services, including asset management, insurance, commercial banking, investment banking, and consumer banking. The bank is known for facilitating cross-border transactions and investments in the region and for offering Sharia-compliant banking products, making it a key player in Islamic finance. With its achievements in digital banking and fintech innovations, the company attracts a tech-savvy audience. The bank is also one of Asia’s largest investment banks, playing a crucial role in the region’s corporate finance and capital markets.
1986 – 1990s
CIMB’s history began in 1974 with Malaysia’s Pertanian Baring Sanwa Multinational Bank. The abbreviation “CIMB” emerged when the bank changed its name in 1986. Following its acquisition by Bank of Commerce, it became Commerce International Merchant Bankers Berhad. The first four words formed the abbreviation “CIMB,” which remained in the name as the business grew into a banking group.
The new name reflected the bank’s activities and reach. “Commerce” referred to trade, “International” indicated its geographic scope, and “Merchant Bankers” described its corporate financing and investment operations. The early logo reduced the long name to the lowercase wordmark “cimb,” which made up the entire design.
The letters filled nearly all the space within a shared outline. Heavy black strokes sat close together, creating a compact silhouette. A white band separated the solid lettering from the thin outer border, following the wordmark’s contours. Narrow openings within the letters made the design appear dense, while clipped corners gave the rounded forms an angular quality. The square dot above the “i” echoed the rectangular strokes of the neighboring letters.
1990s – 2006
The CIMB logo introduced in 2000 used uppercase lettering. The corporate identity update coincided with the expansion of the headquarters at Bangunan CIMB. Four purple serif letters with generous spacing replaced the previous compact wordmark.
The letters were tall, with a sharp contrast between thick and thin strokes. A red horizontal line, tapered at both ends, appeared beneath the name. It visually connected the letters along the bottom while leaving the top and sides open.
2006 – 2010
The merger of Commerce International Merchant Bankers, Bumiputra-Commerce Bank, and Southern Bank into a universal banking group prompted a new visual identity for CIMB. It was unveiled on September 7, 2006, the day the first CIMB Bank branch opened. Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi attended the group’s launch. The slogan “Forward Banking” expressed the group’s intention to anticipate customer needs and develop banking services with future requirements in mind.
A separate emblem appeared to the left of the name, reflecting the group’s stated principles. Inside a square, two slanted quadrilaterals formed a right-pointing arrowhead. The bank associated the symbol with the future, reliability, and a commitment to honoring its obligations. In the blue version, the square’s dark blue background framed an arrow with a white upper half and a bright blue lower half. The lettering matched the emblem’s dark blue background.
The team developed custom lettering for the name, using wide, bold sans-serif capitals. According to the bank, the letterforms conveyed clarity and solidity. The name and the separate geometric emblem formed the merged group’s logo.
2010 – today
CIMB’s red color scheme had already appeared at the 2006 visual identity launch, when color distinguished the group’s banking businesses. Red was used by CIMB Bank, which served retail customers. Blue represented CIMB Investment Bank, while green identified CIMB Islamic. All three versions shared the same emblem shape and lettering.
In the red version, the square and CIMB lettering were dark burgundy. The upper half of the arrow remained white, while the lower half was bright red. CIMB Niaga’s visual identity standards specify two colors for the red palette, Pantone 202 C and Pantone 485 C.
In March 2011, the group began extending the red color scheme across its brands, with the transition expected to be complete by May. The arrow’s geometry and the lettering remained unchanged. The update replaced the separate colors for investment, retail, and Islamic banking services with a shared palette. CIMB chief Nazir Razak explained that audiences already associated red with the bank as it expanded across Southeast Asia. The common palette was intended to help establish CIMB’s identity as a regional banking group.
Singapore-based design studio ACRE contributed to the visual identity’s subsequent development. Building on the existing logo and the “Forward Banking” slogan, the team created an additional right-pointing arrow motif. The designers defined its proportions and placement across different formats and developed guidelines for the bank’s materials and business stationery.