By KEVIN WONG / Pic By TMR File

BURSA Malaysia Securities Bhd successfully attracted more than 11,000 visitors to its second edition of Shariah Investing Fair 2018 last weekend at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The two-day Shariah investment fair offered a wide range of educational activities and seminars catered for retail investors.

The event is part of Bursa Malaysia’s ongoing commitment to increase financial literacy and inculcate an investing culture in an end-to-end Shariah-compliant manner among Malaysians.

Bursa Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Amirsham Abdul Aziz (picture) said as a proponent of investor education and financial literacy, Bursa Malaysia wants to ensure investors are continuously equipped with the necessary tools and information.

“They can grow their wealth from the stock market. At the same time, the growth of participation from retail investors, which has increased by 24% per annum over the last two years, is clearly a testament of the growing confidence in our marketplace,” he said.

He added that Bursa Malaysia will continue to facilitate the growth and vibrancy of the Shariah equity markets, with the Shariah fair serving as a comprehensive platform to increase visibility and market access to retail investors, and to enable them to explore, learn and engage with leading industry players across the equity market.

Bursa Malaysia CEO Datuk Seri Tajuddin Atan, who was one of the speakers at the Shariah Investing Fair, spoke about the stages of financial planning and key factors to consider when investing in the stock market.

He also emphasised the importance of investors being equipped with the right knowledge to adopt a methodical rather than a speculative approach towards investing.

Tajuddin said the increased participants and level of engagement throughout the events has reflected a growing interest among Malaysians in stock-market investing.

“This is in line with Bursa Malaysia’s focus on growing retail participation in the stock market, and is a testament to the effectiveness of our intensive investor education and outreach programmes,” he said.

Meanwhile, in his opening address, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng raised the importance of acquiring the right skills for long-term financial planning and the need to be proficient in managing finances.

He added that it is vital for regulators, policymakers and other industry players to come together to enhance the level of financial literacy among the public.

In conjunction with the fair, Bursa Malaysia had also introduced to the public its revamped Bursa Marketplace mobile application.

The application features an improved user-experience for investors seeking easy access to information related to stock-market investing.

Additionally, there is a simulation exercise available through the applicat ion, allowing potential investors to try investing before applying their knowledge and experience to the actual stock market investing.