Invest Malaysia 2014 institutional investor roadshow headed to Hong Kong for its final leg for the year in an effort to drive investment into Malaysia. Bursa Malaysia and RHB Investment Bank teamed up for the 5th year of Invest Malaysia Hong Kong targeting a mix of large Hong Kong-based funds, family funds and hedge funds.
Dato’ Tajuddin Atan, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia, said, “ASEAN is gaining as a viable investment destination and we’re pleased that our marketplace is rising to the fore again. As of end August 2014, Bursa Malaysia was ASEAN’s most active fund raising destination with USD6.25 billion raised through newly issued shares while foreign shareholdings on Bursa Malaysia has been growing consistently, at 23.6% as at end August 2014.
“For Invest Malaysia Hong Kong, together with our partner, RHB Investment Bank, we wanted to tap a new tier of Hong Kong based funds, especially small to mid-cap sized funds that have regional mandates. We also found that fund managers were keen on the Malaysia story and Malaysia’s unique growth potential as ASEAN’s multinational marketplace”, continued Dato’ Tajuddin.
Invest Malaysia Hong Kong 2014 (IMHK 2014) attracted 62 investors from 43 funds who gained first-hand actionable insights on the investment opportunities on Bursa Malaysia with 15 of Malaysia’s most exciting listed companies. Senator Dato’ Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Financial Affairs also presented at a plenary session on ‘Malaysia’s Economic Progress’, building confidence amongst fund managers in Malaysia’s ability to ensure a robust and sustainable financial foundation from which Malaysian companies can be highly competitive in continuing their multinational expansion.
Mike Chan, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of RHB Investment Bank, said, “The group of companies at Invest Malaysia Hong Kong 2014 represent over USD 60 billion in market capitalisation and is a showcase of the diversity of Bursa Malaysia listed companies, which range from large flagship names to mid-size and small-cap companies. Malaysia is at the right place at the right time, rich with resources, talent and at the centre of ASEAN. The growth opportunities were well recognised by fund managers. Combining investable companies with Malaysia’s strong economic foundation proved a valuable mix for the fund managers. We anticipate a strong pick-up following this investment roadshow and RHB Investment Bank, with our regional arm established in Hong Kong, is well suited to connect these funds out of Hong Kong into the Malaysian marketplace.”
The 15 public listed companies showcased at IMHK 2014 represented a diverse range of sectors including financial services, property development, construction, power, palm oil and healthcare, where some are world leaders in their respective sectors. The growth of indigenous multinational Malaysian corporates is creating an ASEAN multinational marketplace on Bursa Malaysia.
Since January 2009 to August 2014, the FBM KLCI benchmark index has grown by 113% while market capitalisation registered a 168% growth in the same period. In 2013, Bursa Malaysia emerged as the top listing destination in ASEAN[1] for the second consecutive year and has seen significant growth this year as well. As at end August 2014, USD6.25 billion in capital was raised by Share Issues equating to more than 2.5 times that of other ASEAN markets and representing over 39% of total funds raised by newly issued shares in ASEAN. This makes Malaysia amongst the top 15 most active fund-raising destination in the world out of 45 of the world’s largest fund-raising destinations[2].
Malaysia is one of the world’s most conducive places to do business, ranked 6th by the World Bank for ease of doing business[3], 12th most competitive nation by the International Institute of Management Development (IMD)[4] as well as 4th in the world for Investor Protection according the World Bank.
Invest Malaysia serves as a marketplace for fund managers looking to access the opportunities in Malaysia’s capital market. Invest Malaysia Hong Kong 2014 is the culmination of the Invest Malaysia global roadshow for 2014, ten years since its commencement. Prior to Hong Kong, the roadshow kicked off this year in Kuala Lumpur in June followed by Invest Malaysia Tokyo on 7-8 July, Invest Malaysia - London on 1-2 September and Invest Malaysia – New York 2014 on 25th September.
[1] Source: World Federation of Exchanges
[2] Source: World Federation of Exchanges
[3] Source: Doing Business Report 2014 - World Bank
[4] Source: World Competitiveness Yearbook 2014 -International Institute of Management Development (IMD)