The SEACEN Governors’ Meeting originated as an unofficial Governors’ meeting the IMF’s SEA Voting Group to discuss economic and financial issues of interest to member countries at the time. The first SEACEN meeting took place on 3-4 February 1966 in Bangkok as an unofficial meeting among 7 central bank governors from the SEA Voting Group (Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Thailand) and was led by Dr. Puey Ungphakorn, the BOT governor at the time, along with Malaysia’s central bank governor, Tun Ismail Bin Mohamed Ali, P.M.N.

At The 2^nd Governors’ Meeting in the Philippines in 1967, Governors initiated the idea to establish a training center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Afterwards, at the 7^th Governors’ Meeting in 1972 approved to establish the unofficial SEACEN Research and Training Centre, whereby Bank Negara Malaysia’s staff will be responsible for training staff from member countries. On the 3^rd of February 1982 the Agreement to set up the SEACEN Research and Training Centre was formally signed at 17^th Governors’ Meeting in Thailand.