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Bursa Malaysia Berhad (“Bursa Malaysia” or “the Exchange”) will host the Bursa Excellence Awards 2018 to honour the top performing brokers and market intermediaries for the sixth year in a row. To be held on 9 April 2019, the event will be graced by the Finance Minister, Yang Berhormat Tuan Lim Guan Eng.
The Bursa Excellence Awards 2018 is themed “Outthinking, Outlasting, Outstanding”, a tribute to the market participants who successfully navigate various market cycles through perseverance and sound judgement. It recognises their agility, innovativeness and versatility in being able to step up and rethink their game to stay relevant in business. The event will feature 18 award categories honouring participating organisations and individuals who helped build the capital market across three segments, namely equities, derivatives and the Islamic capital market.
Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia said, “The awards symbolise our appreciation of the important role brokers and market intermediaries play in the advancement of the capital market. This annual celebration also serves to foster a sense of camaraderie among the broking community and inspire market participants to keep on achieving higher targets in growing the capital market together.”
Working with industry players in the equities market, Bursa Malaysia made progress in developing a healthy IPO pipeline, diversifying the investor base and improving market liquidity. Collaborative initiatives with intermediaries to drive retail growth via retail campaigns and investor education programs also yielded positive results, evidenced by the 41 per cent activation rate of new CDS accounts that exceeded target. These joint efforts with the industry are being heightened in conjunction with Retail Invest Year 2019 aimed at increasing retail participation.
2018 also saw the launch of the Mini FTSE Bursa Malaysia Mid 70 Index Futures Contract (“FM70”), the first mini futures contract on the derivatives market, which is gaining traction thanks to the support of brokers to create awareness for the product and raise the interest of investors. This paves the way for further expansion in the equity derivatives product suite and enhanced vibrancy in the capital market.
Derivatives brokers contributed 11 million contracts – equivalent to 276 million metric tons of palm oil – to Bursa Malaysia Derivatives’ palm oil complex in 2018. The brokers played an important role in supporting the Exchange’s continued efforts to strengthen the crude palm oil futures (FCPO) contract’s position as the global benchmark and sustain Malaysia’s function as the centre for crude palm oil price discovery.
In the Islamic capital market segment, Bursa Malaysia was accorded the inaugural “Best Stock Exchange for Islamic Listings” at the recent Islamic Finance News Awards 2018 – working hand in hand with Islamic brokers, Bursa Malaysia earned recognition as the most outstanding stock exchange for listing of Shariah-compliant securities in an enabling and conducive ecosystem, making it the Leading Exchange in Islamic capital market.
