Leslie Yap
KUALA LUMPUR: Nomura Asset Management Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian fund management unit of Nomura Holdings Inc, is targeting RM50 million of assets under management (AUM) in two years of its newly launched fund Nomura Global Shariah Sustainable Equity Fund (GSSEF).
Managing director Leslie Yap said there is an increasing awareness and recognition by investors of the environment, social and governance (ESG) investments, in which about US$600mil or 10% of Nomura’s AUM in Global Equities are ESG.
"With Malaysia being the Islamic financial hub, incorporating the shariah-compliant assets could be an added advantage to pool the investment bigger for more Muslim investors to participate and benefit from.
"Besides, we also see the interest of the shariah version of ESG fund from institutional investors which further encouraged us to launch this GSSEF fund,” he told reporters after the launch of the GSSEF fund here today.
On the returns for the GSSEF fund, Yap said the group’s relative target for the fund would be 3 to 4 per cent over the benchmark Dow Jones Islamic Market Developed Market Index.
However, he said inflation is a challenge to investors, and with the market currently in correction mode, it is also the right time for professional investors like Nomura to help their clients to identify companies with the right valuations.
Yap said the fund is available in Malaysia from today for a minimum initial investment of RM1,000 and US$1,000, and Nomura Asset Management UK Ltd has been appointed as the investment adviser to the fund, to provide investment research and stock recommendations in accordance with the investment objectives and within the investment restrictions and limits of the fund.
"Our goal is to offer our clients more opportunities and ways to invest according to their principles, achieve their investment goals as well as to generate positive impact.
"We believed we can do so by providing long-term value with quality solutions that combine ESG and shariah principles,” he said.
He said ESG investments would also allow Nomura to offer local investors responsible investing options delivering sustainable impact which could be achieved by focusing not only on portfolio companies' financial performance, but also on their positive social impact.
As part of its commitment to grow the universe of ESG companies globally, he said the group is actively integrating and progressing towards its six impact goals.
These include mitigating climate change, natural capital depreciation and obesity, eliminating communicable diseases, and providing global access to clean drinking water and basic financial services, which in turn are all aligned to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, he added. - Bernama
