Subscribers

Malaysian sukuk seen drawing US$3b in funds

Govt issue to be included in a Barclays global bond index in March, with 0.18 per cent weightage

Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIAN sovereign sukuk's inclusion in a global bond index is forecast by Barclays Plc to lure US$3 billion, helping to narrow the debt's yield premium over non-Islamic notes.

The nation's Shariah-compliant government investment issues will be added to Barclays Global Aggregate Index on March 31 with a weighting of 0.18 per cent, the UK lender said Jan 13, estimating it would attract at least US$2.5 billion to US$3 billion. The average yield on 10-year Malaysian sovereign sukuk is 4.23 per cent, compared with 3.93 per cent for non-Islamic notes of the same maturity, Bank Negara gauges show.

"Barclays' move will help narrow the premium between the conventional and Islamic notes," Azidy...

BT is now on Telegram!

For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes