Malaysia to promote Amanah investment in low income group

The Malaysian government is studying an easy loan scheme to enable the lower income group to invest in the Amanah unit trust funds, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

The scheme will help the people to invest in the Permodalan Nasional Bhd's unit trust fund, Amanah Saham 1Malaysia.

"Further details of the scheme will be announced in the near future," he said in his speech at the launch of the Amanah Saham Malaysia 2011 Investment Week here Wednesday.

The prime minister said the scheme will offer Malaysians the maximum opportunity especially those from the lower income group to participate in the scheme, providing them some assurance for their future. At a press conference later, Najib said the government had been discussing with PNB to create a loan scheme to enable the lower income group to invest in the fund with the loan repayments to be made through the dividends announced by PNB every year.

He said this new measure was being taken considering the effectiveness of PNB's unit trust funds in educating and inculcating the investing habit among Malaysians.

"The Securities Commission of Malaysia and the Finance Ministry is looking into the finer details of the scheme," he added.

"Invest in the unit trust funds operahey offered high returns and minimum of risks. he emphasized."