Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) has announced a combined dividend and bonus distribution of 5.75 sen per unit for its largest unit trust fund, Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB), for 2024. This comprises a 5.5 sen dividend and a 0.25 sen bonus. 

The total payout amounts to approximately RM10.1 billion, benefiting 11.1 million ASB unit holders. This represents an almost 10% increase in the total income distribution compared to the 5.25 sen per unit declared for the flagship fund in 2023. Since its inception, ASB has distributed a cumulative total of RM196.5 billion in dividends to its unitholders.

PNB highlighted that ASB continues to deliver sustainable, above-market returns, outperforming the benchmark set by Maybank’s 12-month Fixed Deposit rate. The number of ASB accounts grew by 2.4% to 11.1 million, reflecting continued confidence in ASB as a key savings and investment platform for Bumiputeras in their financial planning.

The improved performance of ASB was attributed to the positive outcomes of PNB’s asset diversification strategy and the strong performance of the Malaysian public equity market. This was supported by Malaysia’s robust economic growth, with a GDP increase of 5.3% in the third quarter of 2024 compared to 3.3% in the same period in 2023. The strengthening of the ringgit, which appreciated by 14.9% year-to-date as of November 2024, and a 10% year-to-date rise in Bursa Malaysia’s KLCI index, further bolstered ASB’s returns.

PNB chairman Raja Tan Sri Datuk Seri Arshad Raja Tun Uda stated that ASB had achieved its strongest dividend distribution in the past five years. 

“This continues the strong track record of outperformance of ASNB’s Fixed Price Funds over their reference portfolio in line with PNB’s purpose to uplift the financial lives of Malaysians across generations,” he said. 

Despite the positive results, PNB acknowledged challenges in encouraging Malaysians to save. According to the RinggitPlus Malaysian Financial Literacy Survey, over 40% of Malaysian adults have yet to begin financial planning for retirement. Additionally, Bank Negara Malaysia data indicates that voluntary savings growth (excluding EPF contributions) has been less than 5% over the past five years.

To address these challenges, PNB has set ambitious goals under its Strategic Plan, LEAP 6, which aims to grow its Assets Under Management (AUM) to RM400 billion by 2027. As of 2024, PNB’s AUM has grown to RM347 billion, up from RM337 billion in 2023, while total accounts increased by 3.2% to 16.2 million. Over 400,000 new unique holders joined ASNB, making it the preferred investment of choice for more than 13 million Malaysians.

PNB President and Group Chief Executive, Dato’ Abdul Rahman Ahmad, emphasised the importance of financial literacy and consistent saving habits. “PNB is committed to growing the savings of Malaysians by encouraging the public to save more and growing these savings by delivering sustainable, market-leading returns. In this context, we will elevate our efforts on financial literacy by providing educational programmes and resources to empower Malaysians with the knowledge to make informed financial decisions,” he said.

(Source: ASB) 

• TAGS:
• Amanah Saham Bumiputera
• Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB)
• Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd
• ASB
• ASNB
• Dato' Abdul Rahman Ahmad
• Income Distribution Payout
• Permodalan Nasional Berhad
• Raja Tan Sri Arshad Raja Tun Uda