KUALA LUMPUR: Permodalan Nasional Bhd's (PNB) unit trust management arm Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB) has declared a total income distribution of 5.75 sen a unit for its flagship Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) fund in the financial year ending Dec 31, 2025.
The total payout of RM10.4bil to 11.4 million ASB unitholders represents the fund's biggest since its inception, according to the state fund manager, and brings ASB's cumulative income distribution to RM206.7bil.
ASB's dividend payout remained above market, improving upon its competitive spread against the Maybank 12-month fixed deposit rate benchmark, which recorded an average rate of 2.29%.
According to PNB, the dividend contribution was delivered amid a challenging backdrop where the FBM KLCI recorded a year-to-date price return of minus-0.3% amid persistent foreign fund outflows and cautious investor sentiment.
PNB president and group chief executive Datuk Abdul Rahman Ahmad said PNB recorded a 4.5% increase in asset under management (AUM) to RM364bil, underpinned by growing customer net inflows, sustainable income distributions to unitholders and strengthening PNB's prorietary capital.
He added that ASNB's unique account holders remained steady at 13 million with a gross addition of 560,000 account holders during the year.
Moving forward, Abdul Rahman said PNB remains cautious on the investment outlook for 2026 as global capital markets continue to face volatility and uncertainty amid profound structural shifts in the global economic order, including trade policy disruptions and concerns over potential overvaluation, particularly in AI-driven investments.
“Domestically, PNB will work closely with policymakers and key market players to accelerate reforms and improve corporate performance needed to strengthen the competitiveness of the domestic equity market, ensuring it reflects Malaysia’s strong underlying fundamentals and economic growth driven by the MADANI framework, while catalysing domestic investment and promoting inclusive growth.”
