Bursa seeks investors' assistance to increase Gen-Y participation

by **Cals** Wed 18 Jun 2014, 03:15

Business & Markets 2014

Written by Bernama

Tuesday, 17 June 2014 17:34

KUALA LUMPUR (June 17): Bursa Malaysia is seeking community investors' assistance to increase the participation of members of Generation Y — the people born during the 1980s and early 1990s — in the capital market.

"We have a challenge that I would like to seek your assistance to help remedy (this)," Bursa Malaysia Bhd Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Tajuddin Atan, said.

"Most of the youths, Malaysia's Gen-Y, are not participating in the marketplace, be it as investors or as a career option," he said in his keynote address at the 4th Malaysian Investor Relations (IR) Awards, here today.

He said that the exchange had so far ventured into a couple of initiatives to engage with the younger generation and to spark their interest in the capital market.

In April this year, it rolled out Bursa Marketplace — an online destination and community for retail investors to obtain accurate and objective information about the market.

The exchange also launched the Bursa Malaysia Fantasy Football Trader Challenge last week, enabling the building of portfolios, using the players of
the World Cup, to better understand how to use the tools of investors and traders.

Tajuddin said that Malaysia had the second highest number of new entrants coming into workforce in the world, among the major global markets.

He believed that it was only with the younger generation's participation in the marketplace, that the longer-term sustainability of the marketplace would be achieved.

"We would like to invite you to be part of this journey to educate and develop the Gen-Y's knowledge of moving from saving for the future, to investing for the future," he said.

Earlier, Tajuddin said that the best practices of IR could contribute to a company's shares achieve fair value.

"The recognition that will be given to companies and IR today, will further elevate the significance of IR in a company's operations," he said.

During the event, Sime Darby Bhd, Genting Plantations Bhd and MKH Bhd were the winners in the "Best Company for Investor Relations" category for Large Cap, Mid Cap and Small Cap companies, respectively.