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Malaysia’s unique advantage as ASEAN’s multinational marketplace and the sectorial leadership on Bursa Malaysia drew significant interest from global fund managers looking to capitalise on the growth opportunities of ASEAN.
The 10th Invest Malaysia (“IMKL2014”) institutional investment conference organised by Bursa Malaysia Berhad (“Bursa Malaysia” or “the Exchange”) and CIMB Investment Bank Berhad (“CIMB Investment Bank”), ASEAN’s leading investment bank, showcased 57 of Malaysia’s large-cap and mid-cap multinational companies, of which many have gained leading positions in key sectors across ASEAN – namely sectors of the Oil & Gas, Palm Oil, Property, Banking / Financial Services and Logistics industries. Interest in the companies remained strong with 989 local and global fund managers, representing almost USD24.6 trillion in assets under management (“AUM”) in attendance at group and one-on-one meetings.
Dato’ Tajuddin Atan, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia, said, “Malaysia has earned a global reputation as 6th for the most conducive environment for doing business[1]. The last five years has seen Bursa Malaysia expanded by 184%[2] in terms of market capitalisation and a renewed interest of foreign investments in our marketplace. The companies at Invest Malaysia attest to the diversity and depth and most prominently, our unique advantage as the prime marketplace for investors to tap into the growth of ASEAN.”
Tengku Dato’ Zafrul, Chief Executive Officer of CIMB Investment Bank, affirmed Malaysia’s growth potential for Malaysian corporates, stating, "The strong turnout of both corporates and fund managers, as well as the record amount of AUM at this annual investors' conference, are testament to Malaysia’s economic resilience and continued appeal as an investment destination. Malaysian companies also have the double fortune of harnessing the opportunities and efficiency of our marketplace, and our geographic advantage to tap into the growth of ASEAN - one of the fastest growth regions in the world. Be it for an investor locally or globally, we believe that CIMB possesses the right expertise to help them connect the investment opportunities given our strong regional expertise and the pan-Asian investment banking network that we have successfully built."
The country’s Government and Economic Transformation programmes launched five years ago brought about economic stimulus, driving strong domestic demand and helped cushion the impact of the recent global financial crisis, achieving a GDP growth of 4.7%[3] for 2013.
Dato’ Tajuddin concluded, “Bursa Malaysia will continue to drive sustainability for our marketplace by bringing new investable products to the market and a focus on new growth segments. Malaysia will have the second largest workforce growth in terms of percentage between now and 2020[4]. The retail segment, primarily the Youth, forms a large portion of our efforts to ensure a sustainable marketplace.”
At IMKL2014 the Exchange announced the new Refined, Bleached and Deodorised Palm Olein Futures Contract (“FPOL”), which will commence trading on 16th June on Bursa Malaysia, adding to the breadth and depth of investment possibilities of over 900 stocks, ETFs and derivatives products. The new FPOL together with the global benchmark, Palm Oil Futures Contract (“FCPO”), underscore Bursa Malaysia as the global marketplace and benchmark for palm oil.
At IMKL2014 the Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak, announced the Bursa Malaysia focused ESG Index which will be the first in Asia to be part of the globally benchmarked ESG Index.
And for the first time at Invest Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia together with CIMB, provided the opportunity for young executives, Malaysia’s future leaders, to see up close and understand how Malaysia’s top leaders interact with the world’s leading fund managers.
In the marketplace, Bursa Malaysia launched BURSA MARKETPLACE to elevate the level of retail knowledge, giving everyone access to comprehensive, objective and accurate information about our marketplace.
[1] Source: World Bank Doing Business Report 2013
[2] Source: World Federation of Exchanges
[3] Source: GDP growth projection from Ministry of Finance (MOF) Economic Report 2013-2014
[4] Source: Credit Suisse and Department of Statistics Malaysia
