04/04/2026

BIZ & FINANCE SATURDAY | APR 4, 2026

15

TOP SHOTS OF THE WEEK

FOR FINANCIAL ADVISERS ... The National Association of Malaysian Life Insurance and Family Takaful Advisors (Namlifa), in collaboration with Kaplan Professional, launched the Fellow Chartered Financial Practitioner (FChFP) programme on March 26. The FCHFP programme is designed to equip financial advisers with advanced knowledge and skills to better serve clients in an increasingly complex financial landscape. From left: Asia Pacific Financial Services Association’s International Certification and Standards Board chairman Banyong Witayaweerasak, Kaplan Professional CEO Brian Knight, Namlifa president Krishnan Appanu, Namlifa immediate past president and Financial and Life Insurance Planners Oversight Committee chairman Saseedaran Gengadharan, and Life Insurance Association of Malaysia vice-president and Manulife Malaysia CEO Vibha Coburn, the guest of honour.

FOUNDING MEMBER ... Zetrix AI Bhd, formerly known as MY EG Services Bhd, on Tuesday announced its involvement in the newly launched World Data Organization (WDO) as a key founding member and expressed its commitment to play a meaningful role in enabling the full value of global data to be realised intelligently and responsibly. As one of the founding members, Zetrix AI is a member of the inaugural council and the lead representative for Asean. Zetrix AI group managing director TS Wong (fourth, right) at the launch of the WDO in Beijing on Monday.

EIGHT IN THE BAG ... PMB Investment Bhd, an Islamic fund management company under Pelaburan Mara Bhd, has been honoured with eight prestigious awards across five funds at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) Lipper Fund Awards 2026 for exceptional fund performance. Notably, the PMB Shariah Asean Stars Equity Fund MYR Class received its first-ever LSEG Lipper award, marking a significant milestone for the company’s regional equity strategy. The other four award winners were: PMB Shariah Dividend Fund, PMB Shariah Equity Fund, Amanah Saham Mara and PMB An-Nur Waqf Income Fund. PMB Investment CEO Hang Tuah Amin Tajudin (seated, left) and chairman Datuk Mohd Idzwan Izuddin Ab Rahman (seated, centre) with the fund managers.

HARI RAYA CHEER ... The Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM), in collaboration with Malaysian Life Reinsurance Group Bhd (ML Re) and its member companies, hosted a Hari Raya celebration for 120 children, teenagers and caregivers from four children’s homes across the Klang Valley on Wednesday. LIAM president Pauline Teoh, CEO of Zurich Life Insurance Malaysia Bhd (second, right), LIAM vice-president Vibha Coburn, CEO of Manulife Insurance Bhd (second, left), Mark O’Dell, LIAM CEO (left, partly hidden) and Patrick Cheah, CEO of ML Re (right) presenting goodie bags to children during the celebration held at the Multipurpose Hall, AICB Building in Kuala Lumpur.

CSERA’S FIRST IN KL ... Business leaders, policymakers, investors and civil society representatives from across Asia gathered in Kuala Lumpur on March 30-31 for the Corporate Sustainability and Environmental Rights in Asia (CSERA) Conference, hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to examine how companies can better address environmental and human rights risks in global supply chains. Supported by the European Union, it was the first time the regional CSERA conference was hosted in Kuala Lumpur. From left: Harpreet Kaur, portfolio manager - business and human rights, UNDP Asia Pacific; Rezha Bayu Oktabian Arief, co-founder and CEO, Obviously Sustainable; Faroze Nadar, executive director, UN Global Compact Network Malaysia and Brunei; Martina Chow, policy analyst, Asia Investor Group on Climate Change; and Hong Lee, director for East Asia and Pacific, Amfori.

WEALTH AND PROTECTION ... RHB Banking Group is reinforcing its commitment to enhancing customers’ financial well-being with the launch of RHB Wealth Advance (RWA) and Takaful mySmart Income Enhanced (MSIE). Both wealth and protection solutions are developed in collaboration with RHB’s bancassurance and bancatakaful partners, Tokio Marine Life Insurance Malaysia Bhd and Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Keluarga Bhd. RWA is a flexible protection and investment solution that supports wealth accumulation and intergenerational wealth transfer. MSIE is a syariah-compliant family takaful solution distributed through RHB Islamic Bank. Picture shows the senior management teams of RHB, Tokio Marine Life and Takaful Malaysia commemorating the launch of RHB Wealth Advance and Takaful mySmart Income Enhanced in Kuala Lumpur recently.