KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — Permodalan Nasional Bhd’s (PNB) wholly-owned unit trust management company, Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB) has declared an income distribution payout of five sen per unit for its flagship unit trust fund, Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2021 (FY21).

The payout comprised an income distribution of 4.25 sen per unit, as well as a bonus payment of 0.75 sen totalling RM8.9 billion, which will benefit 10.4 million ASB unit holders, bringing the fund’s total cumulative income distribution and bonus to RM168.5 billion since it was first introduced in 1990.

Group chairman Tun Arifin Zakaria said ASB’s performance remains competitive compared to other low-risk investment instruments, and continuous efforts in diversifying and strengthening the portfolio have yielded positive results.

"The stronger performance of our global equity investments has managed to cushion the impact of the challenging domestic market. This exemplifies the importance of a well-diversified portfolio in managing portfolio risks and delivering sustainable returns,” he said during the virtual announcement of ASB dividend today.

Arifin said ASB recorded a positive performance against a backdrop of volatile financial markets, as well as a global economic recovery hindered by the emergence of new Covid-19 variants and the upsurge of new cases throughout the year.

The FBM KLCI contracted 7.80 per cent as at Dec 22, 2021 while the major global indices fared better with the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 charting a return of 26.3 pr cent and 11.2 per cent, respectively.

"The income distribution for ASB this year is competitive, a result of the hard work and dedication of our investment team. The total rate of five sen per unit translates into a spread of 315 basis points over the 12-month fixed deposit rate which currently stands at 1.85 per cent,” Arifin shared.

Meanwhile, PNB president and group chief executive Ahmad Zulqarnain Onn, in his performance briefing, said despite the challenging environment, it was encouraging to see the growing number of Malaysians investing with PNB, as well as the increase in their size of investments.

He said ASB’s number of accounts increased by almost 200,000 to 10.4 million accounts, while units in circulation rose 7.4 billion or 4.3 per cent to 181.2 billion units.

"PNB has demonstrated its resilience in navigating the uncertainties of 2021, posting a commendable financial performance. For the first 11 months of the year, PNB’s total Assets Under Management (AUM) increased 4.9 per cent to RM338.4 billion, reflecting the continued trust of its unit holders.

"Strengthening on its Focus 4 strategy, this year PNB made significant progress in three focus areas, namely creating value in the performance of its domestic and portfolio, continuing its diversification efforts into global markets through multiple asset classes, and accelerating its digital offerings,” he added.

ASB transaction is suspended from Dec 23 until Jan 2, 2022 for dividend distribution and will reopen on Jan 3, 2022. — Bernama