The following income distribution has been made by BIMB Investment Management Berhad (BIMB Investment), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (Bank Islam), for the BIMB-ARABESQUE i Global Dividend Fund 1 (BiGDF1) or (the Fund) for its fiscal year ending 31 March 2024:
| Fund Name | Asset Class | Yield (%) | Sen/cent per unit |
| BIMB-ARABESQUE i Global Dividend Fund 1 | RM | 6.02% | 2.90 |
| USD | 6.12% | 2.90 | |
| RM Hedged | 6.19% | 2.80 | |
| SGD | 6.10% | 2.60 |
BIMB Investment’s Chief Executive Officer, Azdini Nor Azman, said, ‘‘We would like to thank our unitholders for their unwavering support and trust in our BiGDF1. Their confidence has translated into a strong performance, resulting in income distributions of 2.90 sen/cent per unit for the RM Class and USD Class, 2.80 sen/cent per unit for the RM Hedged Class, and 2.60 sen/cent per unit for the SGD Class. The income distribution yield of the Fund is 6.02% for the RM Class, 6.12% for the USD Class, 6.19% for the RM Hedged Class, and 6.10% for the SGD Class.”
She adds, “With BiGDF1, the landscape of fund management is evolving through the financial technology solution that constructs investment portfolios focusing on capital growth while effectively managing market volatility, conducting data analysis, and making intuition-free decisions. BiGDF1 seamlessly incorporates Shariah values and environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to provide consistent, sustainable performance. Our dedication remains firmly rooted in delivering value and sustainable performance with risk management at the forefront of our commitment to investors.”
BiGDF1, first introduced in November 2015 and relaunched in 2019 for retail investors, is one of the largest Shariah global equity funds in Malaysia, with more than RM200 million in fund size as of 31 August 2023, according to the Refinitiv Lipper IM rank. The Fund was awarded Best ESG Equity Fund 2020 by The Asset Islamic Finance Awards 2020. The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation and provides investors access to investments in Shariah-compliant global equities.
It suits investors seeking exposure to Shariah-compliant global developed markets equity, with moderate to high-risk tolerance and a 5-year or more investment horizon. The Fund invests a minimum of 90% of the Fund’s net asset value (NAV) into the Target Fund and a maximum of 10% of the Fund’s NAV into Islamic fixed deposits, Islamic money market instruments, and/or Islamic liquid markets. The Fund rebalances its portfolio daily between equity and cash for sustainable risk-adjusted investment returns and to reduce risks and drawdowns during failing markets. The minimum initial investment amount is RM500 for the RM Class and the RM Hedged Class, SGD500 for the SGD Class, and USD500 for the USD Class.
Bank Islam’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mohd Muazzam Mohamed, said, “The Bank Islam Group remains committed to incorporating Shariah principles within the Group and considering ESG factors. This commitment aims to enhance resilience and foster financial inclusion for everyone. We believe ESG-focused investments are poised to become the prevailing trend, and companies that prioritise ESG considerations will excel and demonstrate greater long-term resilience.”