September 2018

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...

The State of the Nation: Filling the gaps in Malaysia’s pensions framework

MALAYSIAN employers can do more to help their employees prepare for retirement and play a larger role in building up a more sustainable pension programme here, says global human resources consultancy Mercer. While the existing pension infrastructure has solid foundations, there are gaps to address to ensure the longer-term sustainability of the system moving forward, according to Hash Piperdy, CEO of Mercer Malaysia. “While it feels like some of these problems are many years in the future, there are decisions we...

July 2017

Malaysia. ANZ Bank nears deal to sell Malaysian banking stake to pension fund: sources

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ.AX) is near a deal to sell its Malaysian banking stake to a pension fund and exit the Southeast Asian nation, sources familiar with the matter said, in a transaction that could be worth around $900 million. ANZ has been pursuing a sale of its 24 percent stake in its Malaysian affiliate AMMB Holdings (AmBank) (AMMB.KL) since early last year as part of a strategy to divest minority stakes in Asia and as AmBank...

May 2017

Malaysia is ageing

We are getting old. The statistics show Malaysia's inevitable march towards a difficult milestone - that of an ageing nation. An ageing society is defined as having a minimum seven per cent of its population aged 65 and older, while an aged nation has 14 per cent or more in that age group. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's 2016 population data sheet shows that as of last year, Malaysians aged 60 and above comprise...