PNB Announces 6.3 Sen Income Distribution For ASW 2020

Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) on Wednesday announced an income distribution of 6.3 sen per unit for Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020 (ASW 2020) for the year ending Aug 31, 2009 as against 7.0 sen per unit in the previous year.

Its chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said the income distribution involved a total payment of RM592.26 million.

"It will benefit 872,322 unit holders who currently hold 11.01 billion units of ASW 2020," he told a press conference here.

ASW 2020 unit holders will receive their income statement from the end of October.

Up to Aug 17 this year, ASW 2020 recorded an income of RM661.28 million, an increase of 12.62 percent from the RM587.18 million posted in the previous corresponding period.

Profit from the sale of shares contributed RM311.27 million or 47.7 percent while dividend income from investing companies RM223.69 million or 33.83 percent and interest and other income RM126.32 million or 19.10 percent.

Meanwhile, PNB president and group chief executive Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman said PNB sold 14.5 billion trust units in the first eight months of this year.

Of the amount, 7.7 billion units were subscribed by Bumiputeras and the balance of 6.8 billion units by non-Bumiputeras.

"As a whole, since PNB launched Amanah Saham 1Malaysia (AS 1Malaysia) and increased the units of ASW 2020 and Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM), it has sold 14.5 billion units," he said.

PNB currently manages funds totalling RM120 billion.

Asked on the progress of AS 1Malaysia, Hamad Kama Piah said 1.962 billion units had been sold to date.

"Even though, its sale was quite slow, the demand for AS 1Malaysia was better compared to ASW 2020 and ASM," he said.

ASW 2020 sold 70.18 million units on the first day of its launch on Aug 28, 1996 and ASM 173.6 million units when it was launched on April 20, 2000 while AS 1Malaysia touched 1.08 billion units on its launch on Aug 5, 2009, he said.

He added that for AS 1Malaysia, about 56 percent of the Chinese quota had been filled, representing 1.66 billion units.