Named by Asia Asset Management as Asia’s Rising Star in the 2025 Best of the Best Awards, BIBD Securities Sdn Bhd (BIBDS) has been at the forefront of developing local capital markets and the financial services ecosystem in Brunei Darussalam. The company also walked away with country awards for Best Investor Education; Best Islamic Asset Management Company; Best Sukuk Manager; Best ESG Manager; and Best Retail Asset Manager.
As the company strives to drive financial literacy and inclusiveness in the country, investor education and thought leadership remain top of the agenda. Over the past year BIBDS has conducted numerous financial literacy and investment educational initiatives, reaching audiences from the institutional and corporate sectors to grassroot levels from primary to tertiary students to equip all age groups with essential knowledge of investments and the importance of financial planning.
BIBDS also regularly publishes thought pieces and original research tailored for institutional clients, covering global market themes such as interest rate outlooks, global elections, geopolitical risk, and sentiment analysis using natural language processing. As such, the company continues to expand its reach and financial awareness, participating in domestic and international investment events to raise its public profile and showcase its investment capabilities as Brunei’s first and only Shariah compliant asset manager.
Jason Wong, managing director of BIBDS, acknowledges that while Brunei’s capital markets are in relatively early stages compared to their regional counterparts, BIBDS plays a pivotal role in contributing to its development.
“We have been working closely with our regulators and clients to actively develop the financial services ecosystem in Brunei, providing innovative Shariah-compliant investment solutions catering to both domestic and international retail and institutional markets. These efforts are part of our broader role in supporting Brunei’s Financial Sector Blueprint, and our commitment to building a stronger, more inclusive capital market ecosystem,” he explains.
Brunei aspires to be a leading global hub for Islamic finance, leveraging its strong Shariah governance framework, macroeconomic stability, and connectivity to key Islamic financial markets across Asia and the Middle East. With its strategic position at the heart of the ASEAN region, Brunei is well-placed to bring forward-looking, Shariah-compliant investment solutions that address evolving investor needs—including areas such as sustainable investment, digital accessibility, wealth preservation, long-term wealth building, and liquidity management. As a national champion in Islamic capital markets, BIBDS continues to play a leading role in translating this vision into actionable outcomes, by developing products that bridge global investor expectations with local and regional market potential.
BIBDS also provides both brokerage services and fund distribution for retail clients and high net worth individuals, being the first local fund distributor to offer Shariah-compliant mutual funds catering to both mass market retail and high net-worth segments.
In June 2024, BIBDS, in partnership with Singapore based-asset manager, Lion Global Investors, jointly launched the Lion-BIBDS Islamic Enhanced Liquidity Fund in Brunei and Singapore. This marks the launch of Brunei’s first locally managed mutual fund, the first Shariah-compliant fund registered in Singapore and Brunei’s first financial export.
Since its launch, the fund has received significant inflows from Brunei and Singapore investors, addressing the strong demand for low-risk, Shariah-compliant investment products that offers liquidity and regular income through semi-annual dividends. In an environment where traditional savings and deposit products offer limited returns, retail investors have been actively seeking alternatives that balance capital preservation with yield enhancement. As at March 28, 2025, the fund demonstrated strong resilience amid a declining yield environment, delivering an attractive yield of 4.87%, outperforming the benchmark yield of 4.35%. In Singapore dollar terms, this equates to a portfolio yield of 3.08%, ahead of the benchmark’s 2.56% and underscoring the fund’s commitment to risk-conscious and stable investment performance.
Meanwhile, BIBD Asset Management’s Global ESG Sukuk Strategy builds upon the success of its flagship Global Sukuk Strategy, responding to investor demand for ESG-aligned products. The strategy incorporates both Shariah filters and ESG ratings to provide a systematic overlay to firstly remove Shariah non-compliant securities and significantly poor performers in managing ESG risk; and secondly to overweight high-quality securities with differentiated business models and a proven commitment to sustainable practices.
Driving growth
Since 2019, through the expansion and development of Shariah compliant investment offerings for both retail and institutional markets, BIBDS Assets Under Distribution (AUD) and Assets Under Management (AUM) has grown by 1,301% and 119% respectively, underscoring the rising demand for Islamic investment solutions in Brunei.
In 2024, BIBDS AUM and AUD increased by 21.4% and 50.3% respectively, mainly driven by the launch of the Lion-BIBDS Islamic Enhanced Liquidity Fund which garnered significant traction among investors. Wong attributes this growth to “Bruneian investor demand for liquid, low risk and income generating investment options that provide returns higher than fixed deposit rates.”
Wong says that BIBD Asset Management’s strong global Sukuk track record has been built up over 13 years of experience in Islamic fixed income, which he adds has demonstrated an “ability to generate consistent alpha relative to the benchmark since inception.”
“We pride ourselves on being a pioneering force in the development of Brunei’s capital markets and the Islamic finance ecosystem. We strive to deliver best-in-class investment outcomes, and to create meaningful access for the institutional and retail segments of Islamic finance and are proud to lead Brunei’s Islamic wealth and asset management industry forward while expanding our reach across the region,” Wong concludes.
