KUALA LUMPUR: Permodalan Nasional Bhd’s (PNB) wholly-owned unit trust management company, Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB) has declared a total income distribution of 5.75 sen a unit for Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB), for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2024 (FY24).
“The total distribution consists of an income distribution of 5.5 sen a unit and a bonus of 0.25 sen a unit. The total payout amounts to RM10.1bil and will benefit 11.1 million ASB unitholders,” PNB said in a statement.
ASB continues to provide steady returns, surpassing the Maybank 12-month fixed deposit rate.
ASB’s account numbers grew by 2.4% to 11.1 million, reflecting continued trust in ASB as a key savings and investment platform for Bumiputeras in their financial planning.
“We are pleased that ASB has been able to deliver its strongest dividend distribution over the last five years. This continues the strong track record of outperformance of ASNB’s Fixed Price Funds over their reference portfolio in line with PNB’s purpose to uplift the financial lives of Malaysians across generations,” PNB group chairman Raja Tan Sri Arshad Raja Tun Uda said.
The ASB dividend payout of 5.75 sen per unit is significantly higher compared to 5.25 sen per unit that was paid in 2023 and brings the total dividend distributed to ASB unitholders since inception to RM196.5bil.
In 2024, PNB’s asset under management (AUM) grew to RM347bil from RM337bil recorded in 2023.
Its total number of accounts increased by 3.2% to 16.2 million, with ASNB adding more than 400,000 new unique holders to now being the preferred investment of choice of more than 13 million Malaysians.
Under its new strategic plan, LEAP 6, PNB is focused on growing the savings of its customers. It aims to boost PNB’s AUM to RM400bil by 2027 through changes in six key areas.
Meanwhile, transactions for ASB at ASNB branches and agents, including all online channels and internet banking, will be suspended temporarily from Dec 28 to 31,
Unitholders may resume transactions at all online channels and internet banking beginning Jan 1, 2025 1 January 2025, and at any ASNB branches and agents beginning Jan 2.
