Bursa Malaysia nine-month earnings jump 25% year-on-year to RM241m

PETALING JAYA: Bursa Malaysia Bhd has reported profit after tax, zakat and minority interest (patami) of RM241.2 million for the nine-month financial period ended Sept 30, 2024 (9M’24), a 25.1% increase from RM192.8 million reported in 9M’23.

The rise in patami stemmed primarily from a 39.1% surge in operating revenue from the securities market to RM411.8 million in 9M’24, up from RM296 million in 9M’23.

Meanwhile, total operating expenses saw a 30.4% increase to RM273.4 million in 9M’2 from RM209.6 million in 9M’23, mainly due to higher staff costs, IT maintenance, as well as service fees. A one-off reversal of provision in 9M’23 also contributed to the higher percentage increase in operating expenses in 9M’24.

The exchange market saw 52.9% increase in trading revenue, reaching RM300.3 million in 9M’24 compared to RM196.4 million in 9M’23. The growth was attributed to higher average daily trading value for the securities market’s on-market trades and direct business transactions, which increased by 69.6% to RM3.6 billion in 9M’24 from RM2.1 billion in 9M’23.

Trading velocity improved by 13 percentage points to 42% in 9M’24, from 29% in 9M’23. The two additional trading days in 9M’24 versus 9M’3 also contributed to the rise in trading revenue.

As for the derivatives market, the trading revenue saw a 19.8% increase to RM80.8 million in 9M’24 from RM67.5 million in the previous year’s corresponding period, driven largely by significant growth in the volume of crude palm oil futures and FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI futures contracts, and by the higher number of trading days in 9M’24.

Operating revenue in the Islamic Market rose 1.2% to RM13 million in 9M’24, driven by the new Bursa Gold Dinar product, while Bursa Suq Al-Sila’ (BSAS) trading revenue dipped to RM12.3 million from RM12.9 million.

Bursa Malaysia expects increased trading on the BSAS platform through active engagement with local and foreign participants and plans to grow its Bursa Gold Dinar investor base.

Additionally, the world’s first waqf-featured exchange-traded fund is set for a fourth-quarter 2024 launch, allowing investors to support social and community initiatives.

The data business segment reported improved performance, with RM59.4 million of revenue in 9’24, 16.3% higher than the RM51.1 million in 9M’23, predominantly driven by a growing subscriber base.

The exchange will enhance its promotion of the adoption of strong environmental, social and governance practices and good disclosures through its Centralised Sustainability Intelligence solution.

Bursa Malaysia CEO Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift affirmed Malaysia’s strong economic position, highlighting foreign investment inflows, ringgit appreciation, a reduced fiscal deficit, and robust gross domestic product growth.

He emphasised Bursa Malaysia’s commitment to expanding fundraising and trading options by relaunching Single Stock Futures and adding renewable energy certificates to the Bursa Carbon Exchange.

The recent issuance of investment notes via the BR Capital platform supports capital access for small and mid-sized firms while diversifying investor portfolios, he said.

Umar reiterated the importance of domestic retail investors, with ongoing initiatives like the Bursa Marketplace Fair and Invest Malaysia series.

He expressed optimism about achieving all five key performance indicators, including a raised profit-before-tax target.