Bursa Malaysia Berhad (“Bursa Malaysia” or “the Exchange”) will be hosting its flagship Bursa Marketplace Fair 2024 (“Marketplace Fair”) at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday and Sunday, 11 – 12 May 2024.
The Marketplace Fair, which will be officiated by Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji bin Haji Noor, Chief Minister of Sabah, is part of Bursa Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to promote financial literacy with knowledge in investing opportunities in various asset types offered on Bursa Malaysia, such as stocks, exchange traded funds, structured warrants, derivatives, and even gold.
Highlights of Bursa Marketplace Fair 2024
The investment fair themed, ‘Invest Today, Harvest Tomorrow’ caters to investors of all levels, offering curated talks and activities to provide visitors with essential information towards effective financial planning and wealth creation. In addition to capital market-related talks and engagements, there will be over 10 booths including by the Securities Commission Malaysia, and several participating brokers, with fun activities and games. At the event, visitors can interact with industry experts through seminars and panel discussions on topics ranging from investing fundamentals, to understanding the market landscape, and technical analysis to aid in devising investment strategies. The event will also feature presentations from two public listed companies — Keyfield International Berhad and Optimax Holdings Berhad, who will share their corporate insights and growth plans with the audience.
Although Sabah, the third most populous state in Malaysia, has over 3 million people, only about thirty thousand adults (just about 1% of the population) have opened a Central Depository System (CDS) account to take advantage of investment opportunities in securities offered by the Exchange. This indicates a sizable untapped potential investor base for Bursa Malaysia, but more importantly, the need for many more Sabahans to kick-start or diversify their investing avenues.
Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia said, “Through Bursa Malaysia's multi-pronged educative programmes, such as the Marketplace Fair, we hope to enhance financial literacy in East Malaysia and in Peninsular Malaysia. We are deeply committed to increasing understanding and participation in early stock investing, as well as tailoring our offerings to better meet the diverse needs of retail investors. Last month, we published our most recent Malaysian Retail Investor Insights Paper, which provides useful information for the industry. We believe the retail investor segment will continue to play a significant role in enhancing market liquidity.”
The Marketplace Fair presents an opportunity for investors to explore digital tools and platforms as well as other resources that help empower and enable their investment journey. Some of these include:
- Burmon Trader — An interactive game designed to teach kids about trading and financial literacy in a fun and engaging way.
- Bursa Anywhere app — ASEAN’s first mobile central depository services electronic platform.
- MyBursa — A one-stop customer-centric platform that offers personalised services and seamless interactions to help investors in their investment journey.
- Bursa Gold Dinar — a Shariah-compliant gold trading platform, providing investors with digital convenience to invest in physical gold through a mobile app.
The hosting of Bursa Marketplace Fair 2024 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, marks the first time the event is held in East Malaysia. It is also the third physical Marketplace Fair held outside Kuala Lumpur, following previous editions in Penang (2019) and Johor Bahru (2023). This upcoming fair is expected to draw over 2,000 attendees.
This event is free and open to the public, with giveaway prizes awaiting participating visitors. Registration is available both online and on-site at the fair. To learn more about the Bursa Marketplace Fair 2024, visit https://www.bursamarketplace.com/bursa-marketplace-fair/
