KWAP to allocate more money for foreign deals

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Retirement Fund Inc aims to lift the overseas portion of its investment portfolio to as much as 15 per cent from 12, as the US$ 30 billion pension fund looks to boost performance while domestic returns slow, its chief executive told Reuters.

Kumpulan Wang Persaraan ( KWAP) - the fund’s local name - will review its asset allocation strategy in the new year, Datuk Wan Kamaruzaman Wan Ahmad said at Reuters Global Investment 2018 Outlook Summit. Its current international investments include US ride- hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc, he said.

With RM125 billion worth of assets under management, a three percentage point increase means a shift of U $ 900 million into foreign deals, a Reuters calculation showed.

The state-linked pension fund received board approval in 2013 to invest up to 19 per cent of assets abroad. But a 23 per cent dive in the ringgit in 2015 saw the government urge funds to repatriate capital and limit foreign exposure.

As domest ic investment increased, however, the main share price index . KLSE continued a decline which began in 2014. The index is up six per cent in 2017 but is still one of the region’s worst performers. Returns on many domestic investments are therefore lower than global investments even though the ringgit is weaker than three years ago, Wan Kamaruzaman said.

“The target is to increase by seven per cent (to 19 per cent) but we might look at 15 per cent which is more realistic,” the executive said, declining to elaborate on regions or sectors of focus.

KWAP put US$ 30 mi l lion into Uber last year as its first foreign, disruptive- technology investment, and was considering more technology-related deals.

Wan Kamaruzaman said the Uber investment was longterm, and that the fund was waiting for potential investment from Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp - which has said it is considering investing – to estimate any gains. — Bernama