KWAP wins global investment award for RM6bil fund

KUALA LUMPUR: The Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP) has won the Investment category at the Pensions and Investments (P&I) WorldPensionSummit Excellence & Innovation Awards for its RM6 billion Dana Pemacu initiative.

Launched in May 2024, Dana Pemacu channels long-term institutional capital into high-growth Malaysian companies and priority sectors, including energy transition, healthcare and the digital economy.

The award was presented on Nov 5 at the annual P&I WorldPensionSummit in The Hague, Netherlands.

Dana Pemacu's co-general partner (co-GP) model, which pairs global investment firms with Malaysian fund managers, offers other pension funds an example of how to build local investment capabilities while maintaining rigorous investment standards.

"When we set out to build Dana Pemacu, we wanted to bring international expertise and local market knowledge together to expand what we could do in Malaysia's private markets," said KWAP chief executive officer Datuk Jay Khairil in a statement.

"That meant building new capabilities within KWAP while staying focused on our responsibility to manage the Fund prudently. Having that effort recognised on a global stage means a great deal to us."

Jay acknowledged the team behind Dana Pemacu and the Finance Ministry's role in coordinating government-linked investment companies under the GEAR-uP initiative and setting the direction for domestic investment.

"The partnerships we established through Dana Pemacu are helping us put that direction into practice by investing in Malaysian businesses and projects.

"As we make further investments through these partnerships, we will continue to seek sustainable, risk- adjusted returns to help the government meet its longterm pension obligations," he added.