January 2022

Malaysia. Tweak pension fund to benefit low- income workers

In our published paper nearly a decade ago, we wrote that “... scant attention is given to the plight of low-income workers in a situation of rising inequality caused by widening pay-gaps or differences in actual wages”, and “low average savings balances raise the question of retirement adequacy at desired income replacement rates” (Hamid and Chai, 2013). We stated that, “Since either expanding the accumulation phase or setting a minimum sum balance would result in unpopular delayed pay-outs, other solutions must...

April 2021

Financial Inclusion in Malaysia Distilling Lessons for Other Countries

By World Bank Group The World Bank Group’s current partnership with Malaysia is focused on knowledge-sharing. It is centered on support for Malaysia’s vision to join the ranks of high-income economies by 2020 through inclusive and sustainable growth, and to share its lessons with developing countries. In March 2016, the World Bank Group officially launched its Global Knowledge and Research Hub in Malaysia. The new Hub is the first of its kind, serving both as a field presence in Malaysia and...

January 2021

Malaysia. Better social protection needed for delivery riders, gig workers, says MP

Those in the informal sector, particularly delivery riders, need better social protection as they are among the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. DAP’s Charles Santiago laments the plight of these frontliners whom he says have yet to be given the required support from the government. “Food delivery services gained prominence during the Covid-19 crisis. Young men and women on motorcycles deliver food and other household products to the doorsteps of our homes. They are frontliners of sorts. “They work under vulnerable...

November 2020

Malaysia is ageing, raise retirement age to 65 gradually, says World Bank

Rapid ageing will be one of the most crucial megatrends affecting Malaysia in the coming decades, raising policy challenges in areas such as employment, income security, health care, and aged care, the World Bank has said. In its report titled “A Silver Lining: Productive and Inclusive Ageing for Malaysia”, it said a gradual increase of the retirement age to 65 was needed as the country’s institutional framework for providing income security for older persons remained largely unchanged in...

May 2019

AmInvest named Malaysia’s best pension fund manager

AmInvestment Bank’s fund management arm, AmInvest was named Malaysia’s Best Pension Fund Manager by Asia Asset Management, an Asian asset management publication based in Hong Kong. The selection was made after a three-year and five assessment period of AmInvest’s management performance for its domestic pension mandates and Private Retirement Scheme (PRS) fund, the size of these mandates and returns against relevant benchmarks, as well as investor education initiatives undertaken. “Our ability to understand and anticipate the ever-changing market environment...

September 2018

Malaysia. Khalid: Brace for challenges brought on by ageing society

KUALA Lumpur should brace itself for an ageing population and climate change. Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad said proper city planning, development and management was critical as 77% of the country’s population lived in cities. “A large population in our cities will mean urbanisation challenges such as solid waste disposal, traffic congestion, air pollution, limited water resources, inadequate supply of housing and an increase in ageing population. “Malaysia will become an ageing society by 2040 in which almost 20% will be...

Important to address Malaysia’s ageing population

THE ageing population in Malaysia is rising and necessary steps are crucial to prepare for this unprecedented demographic patterns, said deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye. He said people over 65 years of age comprise between 15% and 30% of the population, with the elderly population growing at a rate of 2.4% yearly.  Dr Lee said by the end of the century, the ageing population would increase to 35%. “In Japan and other developed countries, 50% of the population will be...

Malaysia’s second largest pension fund to restructure

Malaysia’s second largest pension fund is to undergo a revamp that will include the creation of a deputy chief executive officer (CEO) position and the appointment of a new chief investment officer (CIO), according to its top executive. The move comes after CIO Nik Amlizan Mohamed recently left Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP), a pension fund for civil servants, to head Malaysia’s Armed Forces Fund board. The restructuring may take “a couple of months” to complete, KWAP CEO Wan Kamaruzaman Wan Ahmad...

February 2018

Malaysia’s KWAP aims to have 70% of AUM be ESG-compliant

Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP), Malaysia’s second largest pension fund, hopes to have 70% of its assets under management (AUM) be environmental, social and governance (ESG)-compliant. KWAP, a pension fund for civil servants, had AUM of 137 billion ringgit (US$32.1 billion) as at end-September 2017. Wan Kamaruzaman Wan Ahmad, the fund’s chief executive officer, says currently, about 50%-60% of the AUM comply with ESG principles. Read More: Asia Asset

November 2017

Malaysia’s $30bln pension fund to allocate more money

Malaysia´s Retirement Fund Inc aims to lift the overseas portion of its investment portfolio to as much as 15 percent from 12, as the $30 billion pension fund looks to boost performance while domestic returns slow, its chief executive told Reuters. Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP) - the fund´s local name - will review its asset allocation strategy in the new year, Wan Kamaruzaman Wan Ahmad said at Reuters Global Investment 2018 Outlook Summit. Its current international investments include U.S. ride-hailing firm...