PETALING JAYA: Bursa Malaysia Bhd will host its flagship Bursa Marketplace Fair 2024 at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on Saturday and Sunday.
The Marketplace Fair, to be officiated by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor, is part of Bursa Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to promote financial literacy with knowledge in investing opportunities in various asset types offered on the exchange, such as stocks, exchange-traded funds, structured warrants, derivatives and even gold.
The fair themed, “Invest Today, Harvest Tomorrow”, caters to investors of all levels, offering curated talks and activities to provide visitors with essential information on effective financial planning and wealth creation. In addition to capital market-related talks and engagements, there will be more than 10 booths including one set up by the Securities Commission Malaysia, and several participating brokers, with fun activities and games.
Visitors can interact with industry experts through seminars and panel discussions on topics ranging from investing fundamentals to understanding the market landscape, and from technical analysis to aid in devising investment strategies. The event will also feature presentations from two listed companies – Keyfield International Bhd and Optimax Holdings Bhd – which will share their corporate insights and growth plans with the audience.
Although Sabah, the third most populous state in Malaysia, has more than 3 million people, only about 30,000 adults (just about 1% of the population) have opened a Central Depository System account to take advantage of investment opportunities in securities offered by the exchange. This indicates a sizeable untapped potential investor base for Bursa Malaysia but, more importantly, the need for more Sabahans to kick start or diversify their investing avenues.
Bursa Malaysia CEO Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift said, “Through Bursa Malaysia’s multipronged educative programmes, such as the Marketplace Fair, we hope to enhance financial literacy in East Malaysia and in Peninsular Malaysia. We are deeply committed to increasing understanding and participation in early stock investing, as well as tailoring our offerings to better meet the diverse needs of retail investors.
“Last month, we published our most recent Malaysian Retail Investor Insights Paper, which provides useful information for the industry. We believe the retail investor segment will continue to play a significant role in enhancing market liquidity.”
