The calculation of the income distribution and bonus are based on the average monthly minimum balance (MMB) for year 2023, the formula is as follows:

Income distribution calculation

Total Monthy Minimum Balance for the Year	X	Income Distribution Rate
12 bulan

Bonus calculation

Total Monthy Minimum Balance for the Year	X	Bonus Rate
12 bulan

ASB will distribute the earnings from its income, if any, to the unit holders, at the Manager’s discretion, subject to approval from the Trustee. The total payout for income distribution in each financial year is based on the corresponding performance of ASB investments.

Each of these income distributions is in accordance to the Guidelines on Unit Trust Funds issued by the Securities Commission Malaysia as reference of all unit trust management companies in Malaysia.

ASB Bonus, if any, is sourced from PNB itself that has managed to distribute Bonus to eligible ASB unit holders since the fund’s inception in 1990 until today. The Bonus rate is subject to PNB’s capability and discretion.

All unit holders that have at least a minimum balance of 1 unit in ASB are entitled to receive the bonus distribution of ASB, whereby, the entitlement is for each unit held.

The income distribution and ASB bonus will be re-invested to unit holders’ accounts as additional units and credited automatically into their respective ASB account on 1 January 2024.

Unit holders may check and view the Income Distribution and Bonus from 1 January 2024 onwards, via myASNB portal and mobile application or real time online banking platform by ASNB Agent.

Meanwhile, checking at ASNB counters and agents can be made starting 2 January 2024. The Income Distribution statement shall be sent together with the manager’s report within 2 months from the financial year end.

Yes, the amount of income distribution and bonus will be displayed separately in the transaction record in myASNB and ASB annual statement.

National Fatwa Council as well as State Fatwa Councils, had pronounced, in safeguarding the importance of the Muslims and avoiding significant economic impact, the ruling of investing in unit trusts managed by PNB and receiving its dividend or bonus are Harus.

Calculation of zakat for ASNB funds, including ASB investments, can be done through the zakat calculator service available on the myASNB platform.

Investments that are taken into account for the ASNB fund zakat calculation are subject to the following conditions:

1. Includes all ASNB funds including investments in ASB;
2. Limited to cash investment only. Non-cash investments such as ASB Financing or blocked unit for Hibah are not included in the calculation;
3. The registered fund must reach at least one (1) calendar year to meet the 'haul' requirement in zakat assessment; and
4. The total investment is equal or exceeds the amount of Nisab.

However, unit holders can also calculate zakat based on the methods set by their respective State Islamic Religious Councils. Under the Income Tax Act (ITA) 1967, Section 6A (3), the payment of zakat for the year of assessment, enables the investors to obtain tax rebate.

The wakaf units will be transferred to MAIWP as the trustee of Wakaf ASNB. Wakaf units are still entitled to ASB Income distribution and bonus of which these distributions will be transferred to the Wakaf Distribution Account to be chanelled to wakaf projects.

Wakaf donors will receive an annual wakaf report containing information on the accumulated wakaf fund, investment returns from the wakaf fund and distribution of wakaf to charitable projects.

The calculation of income distribution and bonus for ADAM50 programme are separated from the other unit holdings however the formula to calculate is the same.

However, payment of Income Distribution and Bonus for blocked units in ADAM50 programme cannot be redeemed until it reaches the maturity i.e. when the child reaches the age of 18 years.

Throughout 2023, the performance of international and domestic stock markets is affected by interest rate increases by international central banks to control high inflation rates. These factors, along with other issues such as geopolitical tensions and the slow pace of China's economic recovery, have impacted global economic growth.

However, the world's major stock markets have posted encouraging gains, driven by interest rate hikes that are slowing and expected to peak by the end of the year. The world's main composite index such as the MSCI All Country World Islamic Index (MSCI ACWI Islamic) has recorded a growth of 17.4% from 1,465.83 points on 31 December 2022 to 1,720.68 points on 15 December 2023.

While the main benchmark of the local stock market which is the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (FBM KLCI) has shown a decrease of 2.2% from 1,495.49 points on 31 December 2022 to 1,462.45 points on 15 December 2023. This is due to the uncertainty of the world economy as well as the devaluation of the Malaysian Ringgit currency.

Nevertheless, ASB has achieved a satisfactory performance driven by the encouraging performance of shares of PNB's strategic companies and international shares, as well as efforts to diversify investment asset classes have successfully yielded results by providing stable returns to the fund.

PNB is committed to providing sustainable returns and improving the fund's risk-return profile. This will be done through the implementation of a strategy of diversifying investments into various asset classes, with special emphasis on international markets. This strategy is part of the Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) plan which is designed to complement and support PNB's mandate.

This diversification is expected to produce an 'all-weather' portfolio that will help reduce the risk of concentration in certain asset classes.

PNB will also conduct active monitoring and rebalance the portfolio from time to time to steer and respond to fluctuating market conditions.

Unit holders are advised to continue investing in ASB for the long term either with their own money or through bank financing.

ASB financing is a credit facility offered by banks appointed by ASNB, to investors who wish to invest in ASB in the form of forced saving and need to give full commitment to pay the monthly instalments. Investors should make financing according to their ability to repay the financing in the long term. In other words, investors are able to pay monthly instalments using their own money, instead of using ASB income distribution as loan repayment (rolling).

Now, ASB investors have many facilities to invest, including through myASNB portal and mobile application or internet banking services provided by ASNB agents that will make it easy for investors to make transactions anywhere. In addition, investors may also choose to invest via Auto Labur facility which allows them to set recurring monthly ASB investment as low as RM10 automatically. Through this facility, it will be easier to invest regularly each month based on what they can afford.

Any questions regarding ASB financing should be directed to the banks that offer the financing or the ASNB Customer Service Centre at 03-7730 8899 to assist investors review their financing strategy and structure.