The Sarawak state government is considering expanding Amanah Saham Sarawak (Assar) to include the non-Bumiputera community through a proposed new fund named Assar 2. Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the proposal will be reviewed by the Assar board and management to evaluate its feasibility, modeling it after Permodalan Nasional Berhad’s approach [1, 2].

Currently, Amanah Saham Sarawak serves only the Bumiputera community. "Currently, Assar only focuses on Bumiputera. We might open it to the non-Bumiputera community as well through another initiative, perhaps Assar 2, so that they too can save in Amanah Saham Sarawak," the Premier said [1]. He added the plan is aligned with the government’s inclusive policy to allow more people to benefit from the growing state economy [1, 2].

By creating two investment channels, the government aims to pool more funds and provide greater investment opportunities for non-Bumiputera Sarawakians, he stated. "By having two channels, we can pool more funds and provide opportunities for non-Bumiputera Sarawakians to also invest in the state economy, which is currently growing very well," he said [2].

Amanah Saham Sarawak declared a dividend of 6.5 sen per unit for the financial year ended June 30, 2026, its highest ever and the top yield among Malaysian unit trusts. This marks an 8.3% increase from the 6.0 sen paid in 2024 and 2025 [3]. The total dividend payout for FY 2026 totals RM34.35 million. It includes an interim dividend of 3.0 sen per unit paid on February 16, and a final dividend of 3.5 sen per unit to be paid by the end of July 2026 to 57,926 unitholders [3].

Assar recorded distributable income of RM39.65 million for FY 2026, of which RM19.11 million was allocated to the final dividend while RM20.54 million was retained as reserves. This reserve amount shows a 71.3% increase from RM11.99 million in 2025 [3]. The fund is considered safe and low-risk, backed by a minimum price guarantee of RM1 per unit [3].

Permodalan Assar Sdn Bhd (PASB), the fund manager, recently unveiled a new corporate logo that reflects ongoing transformation under its Strategic Plan 2025-2030 [3].

The Assar board and management are expected to complete their review of the Assar 2 proposal in the coming months, with further announcements anticipated after their assessment [1, 2].