State agencies and the private sector are combining to promote private pension schemes, both as a measure to strengthen provisions for Malaysians in retirement and to boost liquidity in the nation’s capital markets. However, longer-term success will depend on convincing the younger segments of society of the need to prepare for life after work.
Malaysia is trying to move away from state-funded pension schemes and a traditional reliance by the elderly on family support in its planning for a society with higher incomes but also an ageing population. At the core of this is the Private Retirement Schemes (PRS) initiative, a range of investment funds intended to offer Malaysians the option of building up a private pension as a supplement to a state pension and the existing mandatory private pension scheme administered by the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
Launched in mid-2012, there are now eight PRS providers, providing 44 PRS funds among them, with take-up of the scheme starting to gain momentum. As of end-December 2013, PRS providers have some RM280m ($86.87m) worth of assets under management, a figure that is expected to double by the end of this year. According to the Private Pension Administrator (PPA), the central administrator of the PRS industry, the contributor base will grow from 65,000 members as of the end of 2013 to between 140,000 and 150,000 by the end of 2014.
The need for Malaysia to increase retirement coverage for its population is becoming more pressing. While the population base is still young, that situation is changing, with more than 11% of citizens expected to be 60 years of age or older by 2020. According to estimates from the World Bank, some two-thirds of Malaysians are currently not adequately prepared for retirement, meaning that the state will have to carry an increasing burden in the coming decades unless there is a far greater take-up of private pension schemes.
According to Steve Ong, the chief executive officer of PPA, more Malaysians need to ensure their financial security in the post-employment years.
“Currently, the income replacement ratio of an average Malaysian is at 30%, which falls short of the two-thirds, or around 66%, recommended by the World Bank. The two-thirds replacement ratio is to provide the financial means to continue with the same living standards and lifestyle one has become accustomed to when retired,” Ong told OBG.
“With the PRS, PPA envisages that over time the Malaysian public will have two retirement funds, namely the EPF and PRS, to support their retirement years,” he said.
To deepen the savings pool and to spread out the demands on state-funded pension schemes, the government raised the minimum retirement age from 55 to 60 last year. This move allows workers to make a further five years of EPF contributions and also gives older workers the chance to buy into PRS funds.
In planning for the future, the government and fund managers have been looking at the younger segments of society, those under the age of 30, as being the priority target for the PRS market. At present, only 6% of contributors to private pension schemes are below the age of 30, according to PPA data. The agency hopes this will rise to 20% by the end of 2014 as promotional initiatives, including an incentive scheme launched in this year’s budget offering a one-off top-up contribution of $150 from the state to new subscribers, boost interest.
If, as expected, younger Malaysians start to buy into PRS, this will provide a sharp influx of funds under management, which in turn will serve to add long-term liquidity to the country’s capital markets, with pension investors not looking for a payout for 30 years or more.
In mid-March, the chairman of the Securities Commission, Ranjit Ajit Singh, said that the collective investments segment, which will increasingly be driven by pension funds, has a strong potential for growth. The market regulator will take steps to further expand PRS distribution channels and promote the use of employer-sponsored schemes as part of broader measures to encourage a more sustainable retirements savings culture, he said while launching the commission’s 2013 annual report.
If PRS providers are able to maintain the rate of growth foreseen by PPA through to 2020, they will have a massive asset base at their disposal. PPA anticipates funds under management by PRS providers reaching $9.5bn, even with the rising level of payouts expected by the end of the decade. This will make the funds managed by PRS providers a significant factor in Malaysia’s capital markets, one that is expected to see greater demand for long-term bonds and other longer-term asset classes, adding depth to the market and further strengthening its appeal to investors.
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