AmInvest, one of Malaysia’s top investment managers, has emerged victorious during Asia Asset Management’s Best of the Best 2025 Awards, taking home nine awards across various categories. These accolades include the country award for Best Asset Management Company (30 years), CEO of the Year, Best Application of ESG (ASEAN) and more.
AmInvest is the brand name for the funds management business of AmFunds Management Berhad and AmIslamic Funds Management Sdn. Bhd., both part of AmBank Group’s Integrated Wealth Management, which unites all the Group’s wealth capabilities in products and solutions to serve the needs of both individual and corporate clients. With over 40 years of investing experience, AmInvest is a multiple award-winning fund manager based in Malaysia, managing unit trusts, wholesale funds, private mandates, exchange-traded funds and private retirement schemes, encompassing both conventional and Shariah-compliant funds.
Impeccable 2024 performance
Despite global market uncertainties and geopolitical tensions, AmInvest recorded a 6% year-on-year growth in assets under management (AUM), reaching MYR51.9 billion (US$11.6 billion) as at November 2024. Fixed income AUM totalled MYR45.3 billion, and mixed assets MYR500 million.
AmInvest pioneered Malaysia’s first bond exchange-traded fund (ETF), the ABF Malaysia Bond Index Fund, launched in 2005, and the first equity ETF, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI ETF, introduced in 2007. AmInvest continues to lead the Malaysian ETF market with the largest AUM among its peers, holding an 81% market share with total assets of MYR1.8 billion as at November 2024.
During this period, pension mandate AUM grew by 7%, institutional mandate AUM rose by 8%, private retirement scheme AUM increased by 14% and ETF AUM by 3%.
For the financial year ending March 31, 2024, profit before tax rose by 1.2% to MYR81.1 million, making AmInvest the third most profitable asset manager in Malaysia. Its cost-to-income ratio stood at an efficient 48.4%.
“Our AUM growth demonstrates our strong investment strategies in managing our various portfolios. We remain committed to bringing value to our investors. We will continue to prioritise asset classes with strong fundamentals and growth potential,” says Kevin Wong Weng Tuck, chief executive officer of AmFunds Management Berhad.
Leader in fixed income and sukuk
AmInvest’s excels in fixed income and sukuk investments, which have consistently outperformed many of its peers over the years.
Its flagship fund, AmIncome, a short to medium-term fixed income unit trust fund that invests in money market and other fixed income instruments and is also the firm’s largest fund, had a total AUM of MYR10.98 billion as at November 2024, representing a 9% growth over a one-year period, an 81% growth over a three-year period, and a 168% growth over a five-year period.
In terms of returns, AmIncome recorded a one-year return of 3.55%, versus a 2.59% benchmark; a three-year return of 9.55%, versus a 7.09% benchmark; and a five-year return of 14.97%, versus a 10.97% benchmark.
Similarly, its Islamic flagship fund, AmAl-Amin, with over MYR1.0 billion, recorded a one-year return of 3.44% as of November 2024, versus a 1.95% benchmark; a three-year return of 9.25%, versus a benchmark of 5.4%; and a five-year return of 14.71%, versus a benchmark of 8.01%.
Specialist in socially responsible investment
For AmInvest, one of the key drivers of its success is its commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and sustainability practices. As the regional winner of the Best Application of ESG (ASEAN), AmInvest is no stranger to the sustainability arena.
Today, AmInvest is the leader in Malaysia’s sustainable and responsible investment market with the largest AUM of over MYR4.0 billion and a 30.1% market share among its peers as at November 2024. Additionally, AmInvest boasts the highest number of SRI-qualified funds approved by the Securities Commission (SC) offered to Malaysian investors.
“Our ESG vision is to be an inclusive and sustainable fund manager of choice, by developing and growing a portfolio of strategically diversified and responsible investments to strengthen our commitment to sustainability” says Wong.
Accelerating digitalisation
AmInvest has invested significantly in modernising its operations, by digitalising its front-end to back-end operations.
This investment has allowed AmInvest to increase the accessibility of its Private Retirement Scheme (PRS) funds via collaboration with the Private Pension Administrator Malaysia. It has also allowed AmInvest to offer its funds on various distributors’ online platforms.
As of March 2024, AmInvest had MYR809 million AUM derived from its digital initiatives, up from MYR222 million in 2019.
“Our continuous efforts in digitalisation are mainly driven by our innovative spirit, which has been at the core of our DNA since our establishment in 1981,” says Wong.
For more information of the fund(s) and risks of investments, visit www.aminvest.com
