Temasek-linked firms lift dividends 40% to record S$9.3 billion

DBS accounts for almost half of total payout, Singtel S$2.8b and the rest S$2.2b

Published Tue, Jun 19, 2018 · 09:50 PM

Singapore

SHAREHOLDERS of Temasek-linked companies will be enjoying a dividend bonanza this year as payouts will jump almost 40 per cent to a record S$9.3 billion.

The combined dividends of eight TLCs for 2018 is expected to balloon 38 per cent from 2017's S$6.7 billion which includes the one-off special of S$1.28 billion from DBS, Singapore's largest listed company by market capitalisation.

The S$9.3 billion payout is the biggest ever from the eight TLCs, despite the absence of a one-off from Singtel, according to a study on dividends since 2015 by financial data provider IHS Markit.

Further good news for shareholders is that dividends paid in recent years are underpinned by underlying performance or ar…