KUALA LUMPUR: Maybank Asset Management Sdn Bhd aims to scale up its chief investment officer-led (CIO-led) syariah-compliant global multi-asset MAMG Growth and Income-I Fund to the same RM1 billion-plus as its conventional Alpha CIO Fund launched in 2024.
Maybank Asset Management group CEO Muhammad Hishamudin Hamzah said the launch forms part of the group’s strategy to expand its CIO-powered investment franchise into syariah-compliant multi-asset investing.
“In an era of heightened policy uncertainty, there is an imperative for strategies that offer both sophisticated oversight and tactical agility. By extending our established CIO framework into the syariah space, we are providing our clients with a growth engine that combines global scale with the foresight of our Chief Investment Office,” he said at the recent launch of MAMG Growth and Income-l Fund.
Unlike single-asset Islamic funds, the CIO-led structure allows the portfolio to shift between asset classes based on Maybank Group Wealth Management’s house views, with allocations reviewed centrally as market conditions change.
“The fund invests across syariah-compliant global equities and income-generating assets, and is designed with a monthly payout objective, targeting an annualised payout of around 6.5%, alongside its total return objective,” said Muhammad Hishamudin.
The fund is offered to Maybank clients regionally as a feeder fund in Malaysia and a target fund in Singapore.
The fund is denominated in ringgit and is available in multiple share classes, including ringgit and US dollar options, with accumulation, income distribution and hedged variants. The minimum initial investment is RM1,000 or US$1,000 (RM4,000).
Muhammad Hishamudin said Maybank has outperformed industry asset management growth as investor sentiment improves.
While Malaysia’s private banks and wealth managers recorded about 13% growth in asset management, he said, Maybank’s wealth business grew 32% last year, outpacing the industry.
“Maybank Asset Management, which partners closely with the group’s wealth franchise, expanded broadly in line with that pace.”
Muhammad Hishamudin said investor optimism has strengthened heading into 2026 following a period of heightened caution with clients gradually returning to the market after earlier volatility. “Going into this year, it does feel like optimism is quite good. Investors are looking to take a bit more risk into this year,” he remarked.
The fund combines these asset allocation views with UK-based global asset management company Schroders plc’s multi-asset investment capabilities.
Schroders’ head of client group for South Asia and global official institutions Katherine Cox said the MAMG Growth and Income-I Fund marks the fourth collaboration with Maybank Asset since 2018.
“Leveraging our global multi-asset capabilities and syariah investment expertise, we have developed an actively managed solution designed to manage volatility and identify growth opportunities. We are confident this new offering will empower investors in Malaysia to invest with greater assurance and capitalise on opportunities across market cycles,” she said.
Maybank Community Financial Services Group CEO Syed Ahmad Taufik Albar shared that Maybank Group Wealth Management’s business has exceeded RM565.21 billion as of September 2025.
“This growth has been underpinned by strong momentum in Islamic Wealth Management investment total wealth fees increased by 23.5% year-on-year, driven by a 32.8% expansion in investment AUM.”
Since the launch of its Conventional CIO Fund in mid-2024, he said, Maybank has seen strong regional validation of the CIO-led investment model and the fund raising over RM1.4 billion across Malaysia and Singapore, reflects strong investor confidence in a disciplined, centrally governed CIO-led investment approach.
Building on this foundation, Maybank is extending the CIO framework into syariah investing through the launch of the syariah-compliant CIO-led MAMG Growth and Income-I Fund, Syed Ahmad Taufik said.
“This marks the evolution of a model that has demonstrated scale and resilience,” he added.
