Saturna boosts sales expertise in Malaysia

The Malaysian subsidiary of US-based Saturna Capital Corporation has announced the addition of Heddy Hussain, a veteran investment professional, as Director of institutional sales and marketing.

Heddy will focus on developing new relationships with institutional and high-net-worth investors, and distribution partners, while also managing overall sales for the firm. Having extensive experience in research, he will also complement the research staff and will be part of the team managing the firm's sukuk investment strategies.

Saturna began building sukuk capabilities in mid-2014 in Malaysia and received its first mandate towards the end of 2014.

Monem Salam, President of Saturna in Malaysia said: "Heddy will continue to work with investors seeking investment exposure through Saturna's ASEAN equity fund, which capitalises on investment opportunities in Asia's fastest growing markets, while adhering to Islamic investment guidelines."

Heddy has more than 17 years of investment experience, most recently as deputy director and head of equity research at RHB Asset Management, where he was responsible for leading the equity analyst team in their day-to-day operations as well as preparing RFP and RFI documentation on behalf of the investment team. Previously, Hussain served as Assistant VP at RHB branch broking, providing advisory and portfolio restructuring services for existing clients as well as conducting strategic planning for the company's growth.

He holds a diploma in Investment Analysis from the University of Technology Mara.

Saturna is licensed as an Islamic fund manager under the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC). The company believes that Malaysia's comprehensive and progressive Islamic finance marketplace, which is open to the international community, will help the company build a strong Islamic investor base in Malaysia as well as among Asian and global investors.

"The interest for investing in ASEAN equities as well as sukuk products will continue to grow, and Saturna, with its award winning, values-based global investing expertise is well positioned to meet that demand," added Salam.

Saturna specialises in Islamic-compliant investment advisory services for individuals and institutions. It acts as a sub-advisor to the Crescent International Equity Fund, managed by Crescent Wealth, Australia's first Islamic wealth manager.

Saturna Capital is adviser to the Amana Mutual Funds (Amana Growth Fund, Amana Income Fund, and Amana Developing World Fund) that follow principles of Islamic finance.

posted from Bloggeroid

Fund focus: Saturna's ASEAN Equity Fund is shari'ah compliant with performance-based fees

Saturna, a wholly-owned subsidiary of US-based Saturna Capital Corporation and a licensed Islamic fund manager under the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC), launched the ASEAN Equity Fund in February to capitalise on the expected growth resulting from further economic integration within the ASEAN region. As of May 9, it trades at a little over RM1 per share.

Saturna has established itself as an expert in Islamic funds. It acts as a sub-adviser to the Crescent International Equity Fund, managed by Crescent Wealth, Australia's first Islamic wealth manager. Saturna Capital is adviser to the Amana Mutual Funds (Amana Growth Fund, Amana Income Fund, and Amana Developing World Fund) that follow principles of Islamic finance. 
 
The ASEAN Equity Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of shari'ah-compliant equities across the ASEAN region using a values-based investment approach developed by Saturna Capital's Chief Investment Officer Nicholas Kaiser. The criteria for stock selection will include identifying companies with improving fundamentals and growth at reasonable valuations.  

At least 70% of the Fund's net asset value (NAV) is in shari'ah-compliant equities in ASEAN countries, and up to 30% of the dund's NAV is in liquid assets including money market instruments and deposits with Islamic financial institutions.

According to Saturna, the ASEAN Equity Fund has a low-fee structure designed to be fair, transparent, and aligned with the long-term interests of unit holders. The Fund is offered with no sales charge, low administrative fees and transparent distribution fees. Additionally, the management fee of the Fund is performance-based - the management receives no fee unless the fund makes money for its investors. 

Monem Salam, Saturna ASEAN Equity Fund Portfolio Manager and President of Saturna in Malaysia, commented at the time of the launch: "We believe the ASEAN Equity Fund will first and foremost fill a gap for high-net-worth and institutional Islamic investors in and outside Malaysia. It could also serve as a low-cost vehicle for qualified non-Muslim investors who want to access investment opportunities in the rapidly growing ASEAN markets. An additional attraction for all qualified investors will be the Fund's performance-based fee structure, which, in line with shari'ah practices, makes sure that the management makes money only if investors do." 

The fund, denominated in Malaysian ringgit, is available to domestic and foreign qualified high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors. Click here for more information about the fund.