PNB confident of giving out 7-8% in dividends

The Star Online
3 December 2008

KUANTAN: Despite the global economic crisis, Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) is confident it would be able to pay out dividends of between 7% and 8% to the more than nine million investors in both Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) and Amanah Saham Nasional (ASN) by the end of this year.

PNB president and chief executive Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman said an announcement on the dividends will be made in “a few days’ time,” and promised it would be competitive with other financing institutions in the country.

He said PNB has kept its promise of giving out dividends consistently without fail over the past 28 years, including during the Asian economic crisis of 1998.

“We will continue giving out dividends of 7% or 8%, and the rate is competitively logical compared with other financial institutions,” he said after paying PNB’s business tithe (zakat perniagaan) for 2006 and 2007.

The tithe, amounting to RM2.35mil, was delivered to Tengku Mahkota Pahang (the Pahang Regent) Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who represented the Pahang Islamic Religion Council and Adat Istiadat Melayu (MAIP), at Istana Abdul Aziz in Indera Mahkota here on Wednesday.

Hamad Kama Piah said PNB currently has nine million investors with RM89bil worth of investments in the country. About RM3.4mil comes from 54,300 investors in Pahang.

Meanwhile Tengku Abdullah said the targeted zakat collection of RM43mil for Pahang state had been achieved.

PNB was the second highest contributor with its RM2.35mil, while Felda Holdings was the highest with its zakat payment of RM3.2mil.