In solidarity with efforts to ease the burden of fellow Malaysians affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Bursa Malaysia will contribute to the National Disaster Relief Trust Fund established under the Ministry of Finance to channel aid to disaster victims and cover expenses related to frontliners’ efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The outbreak, lockdowns and business closures have left many people far more vulnerable than ever before, and with inadequate financial support amidst the ongoing struggle with the pandemic. The Exchange is in a fortunate position of being able to contribute to this national emergency,” said Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia. “As a responsible corporate citizen, we hope this small contribution can play its part in helping towards the relief efforts.”
Through Yayasan Bursa Malaysia, over RM3.1 million has been contributed and pledged towards community-focused projects on areas impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts include enhancing healthcare capacity, providing sustenance for lower-income communities, as well as supporting upskilling and reskilling programs for the disproportionately affected B40 communities. To enable school children to do home-learning, contributions have been made for the provision of devices and connectivity. Contributions have also been given to provide aid and sustenance to endangered animals.
Members of the Exchange’s Board and top management, including heads of divisions and departments, will voluntarily contribute between 10% to 20% of their salaries for three months beginning June 2021. Further, Bursa Malaysia has pledged to match 1-for-1 the total amount contributed towards the fund to help maximise this fundraising effort.
“Bursa Malaysia strives to keep in mind our corporate and social responsibility to all market participants, the national economy and the broader society,” said Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift. “We believe in balancing the interest of all stakeholders to promote responsible, inclusive and sustainable development in our marketplace.”
Last year, the Exchange had pledged to contribute 1% of its profit after tax towards community projects that can benefit the society.
Bursa Malaysia continues to proactively undertake various COVID-19 relief measures to facilitate the needed flexibilities and assistance to its listed issuers, market participants and the wider community since March 2020. This includes various market control and relief measures to alleviate challenges surrounding the recovery of businesses and other market participants.
