KUALA LUMPUR: The increase in Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) and Amanah Saham Bumiputera 2 (ASB 2) investment limit and Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM) fund size has brought in new money totalling RM3.5 billion in the last three months.
Permodalan Nasional Bhd president and group chief executive Ahmad Zulqarnain Onn said the figure is forecast to increase by between RM3 billion and RM5 billion by year-end.
“Since the increase in fund limit, there has been RM3.5 billion of new money in the last three months, of which 30 per cent was from Bumiputera unit holders,” he told a media briefing here today.
This fund increase came from about 96,000 unit holders, said Ahmad Zulqarnain.
The limit for ASB and ASB 2 was increased to RM300,000 from RM200,000 starting April 1, 2023. Meanwhile, the fund size of ASM was increased by RM5 billion starting May 1, 2023.
ASB, ASB 2 and ASM are offered by Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd, PNB’s wholly-owned unit trust management company.
“We hope everyone will take the opportunity to save and invest more with the increase in ASB and ASB2 individual investment limit and ASM fund size,” Ahmad Zulqarnain said.
According to him, PNB recognises the importance of responsible investing and its impact on future generations.
“We are resolute in our commitment to building a sustainable future. We deeply embrace our purpose and mandate while actively contributing to the growth and development of the country’s economy,” he added.
PNB’s total assets under management grew to RM341.6 billion and units in circulation for all funds continued to grow to reach 282.9 billion units, while the number of new accounts also increased by 400,000 across the country to 15.2 million accounts for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2022.
Exploring green proposals
The group has committed to investing RM10 billion in new green and transition assets by 2030, .
Early-phase implementation of the green investments will primarily be achieved by assessing and categorising existing deal flows across all asset classes to identify investments that have already aligned with PNB’s internal green taxonomy.
“To ramp up investments towards the RM10 billion commitment, PNB is also actively exploring collaboration with asset class teams to assess new ‘green proposals’ and catalyse more intentional deployment,” he said.
This will be focused on the main sectoral verticals — green transport, green buildings, clean power, nature-based solutions, and hydrogen & carbon markets.
On other developments, he said PNB conducted a thorough greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions baseline exercise to understand and measure the impact of its portfolio investments.
The analysis revealed that PNB’s portfolio emissions amount to 11.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), with PNB’s enterprise emissions standing at 27,495 tCO2e.
“Based on this baseline, PNB will monitor and attribute its GHG emissions, working towards the goal of becoming a net zero enterprise by 2025,” he said.
PNB has implemented various measures to support this goal, including subscribing to Tenaga Nasional Bhd’s Green Energy Tariff and participating in the inaugural carbon credit auction on Bursa Carbon Exchange.
“Additionally, the company has adopted the Task Force of Climate-Related Financial Disclosures framework to improve reporting and identify areas for improvement, thereby enhancing its climate action management,” he said.
The media briefing today was held in conjunction with the release of PNB’s integrated annual report for FY2022, signifying the organisation’s commitment to elevating its reporting standards and transparency, in alignment with international best practices.
He said PNB aims to provide a comprehensive report on its progress, challenges and opportunities while emphasising its commitment to value creation. – BERNAMA
