KUCHING: Amanah Saham Sarawak (ASSAR) has declared a higher dividend of 6.5 sen per unit for the financial year ended June 30, 2026, up 8.3 per cent from the previous two financial years.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the dividend comprised an interim distribution of 3.0 sen per unit paid in February and a final distribution of 3.5 sen per unit, bringing the total payout to RM34.35 million.
He said the final distribution will benefit 57,926 unit holders based on their unit holdings as at June 30, 2026, and will be paid before the end of this month.
“This marks ASSAR’s third full financial year since its restructuring.
“Based on distributable income of RM39.65 million and RM19.11 million allocated for the remaining dividend distribution, ASSAR will retain a surplus of RM20.54 million as reserves to support the fund’s income in the coming financial periods.
“What is even more encouraging is that, besides being able to declare a higher dividend, ASSAR has also increased its revenue reserves by 71.3 per cent, from RM11.99 million at the end of the 2025 financial year to RM20.54 million,” he said.
He said this when announcing ASSAR’s final dividend for the financial year ended June 30, 2026, at the Hikmah Exchange Event Centre (HEEC) here Monday (July 13).
Abang Johari said ASSAR has continued to strengthen its financial performance since its restructuring at the end of 2022, consistently distributing dividends every six months since January 2024.
He said cumulative dividend distributions since the restructuring have reached RM72.09 million.
He noted that ASSAR’s Net Asset Value (NAV) also grew by nearly 14 per cent year-on-year to RM617.31 million as at June 30, 2026, with units in circulation increasing to 546.08 million from 484.05 million a year earlier.
“The fund’s NAV per unit remained stable at RM1.13, compared with RM1.12 recorded on June 30, 2025.
“This is a remarkable achievement and reflects the sustainability of ASSAR’s prudent and sustainable investment management,” he said.
Abang Johari said ASSAR recorded a gross income of RM51.02 million for the financial year ended June 30, 2026, a 33 per cent increase from the previous financial year despite operating in a more challenging investment environment.
He said the strong performance was driven by the fund’s equity portfolio, with gains from selected Bumiputera Initial Public Offering (IPO) share allocations approved by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) contributing 58 per cent of equity disposal gains.
“Meanwhile, fixed-income securities remained the backbone of ASSAR, providing a stable income stream to cushion market volatility,” he added.
Abang Johari said gains from equity sales contributed RM24.69 million or 48 per cent of the fund’s income, followed by RM16.64 million or 33 per cent from interest income on fixed-income securities.
The remaining RM9.69 million, or 19 per cent, came from equity dividends, interest from money market instruments and capital gains from the sale of fixed-income securities.
As such, he said ASSAR recorded a net income of RM42.90 million after deducting RM8.12 million in expenses.
“Taking into account revenue reserves of RM11.99 million carried forward from the previous financial year and the RM15.24 million interim dividend of 3.0 sen per unit paid in February 2026, ASSAR’s total distributable income as at June 30, 2026, stood at RM39.65 million,” he said.
