The retirement savings gap is widening, and for many Malaysians, the search for better returns is fraught with risk. Amidst a record high in investment scams and market volatility, the need for transparent, reliable performance has never been greater.
To address these challenges, the Private Pension Administrator Malaysia’s (PPA) mission centres on providing choice without compromising security. By restricting Private Retirement Schemes (PRS) to licensed institutions with sufficient risk management parameters, PPA ensures that “choice” is backed by rigorous oversight. Contrary to the belief that regulation limits rewards, the latest PRS fund performance suggests that a protected, disciplined framework remains a reliable driver of sustainable performance.
PRS Fund Awards Winners
PPA, with the support of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC), officially announced the top performing PRS funds at a ceremony held on 16 April 2026. The 2025 awards recognised top performers based on Net Asset Value (NAV) growth for 2025 as well as over a 3-year period (2023-2025).
Public Mutual PRS Islamic Strategic Equity Fund led the 2025 performance with a 21.3% return, earning Gold in the Top Performing Fund for Special Strategy 2025 Category. This result significantly outperformed the local FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (“FBM KLCI”) which recorded a 2.4% in 2025. This performance is not an isolated event; the fund maintained a 17.9% annualised return over a three-year period from 2023 to 2025.
In the Most Consistent House 2023-2025 Category, Public Mutual Berhad, Principal Asset Management Berhad, and RHB Asset Management bagged Gold, Silver, and Bronze respectively. These rankings reflect the providers with the highest representation of PRS funds within the top 10 for consistent performance from 2023 to 2025. This reliability extended across the PRS ecosystem, where 38 funds achieved at least 6% annualised returns during the same period. Diversified strategies and holdings in local equity, fixed income, and investments across Asia and United States of America propelled these results.
There are 10 categories in total, with Gold, Silver and Bronze winners for each category.
With vast options available, Malaysians are encouraged to begin their retirement journey with a trusted PRS fund and advisor to better understand market dynamics, instruments and investment strategies – all while leveraging an annual tax relief of up to RM3,000. This foundational approach allows contributors to build confidence before diversifying and increasing risk-taking allocations in a calculated manner, aligned with their evolving goals and life stages.
** quote 1: Munirah Khairuddin, CEO and Head of Principal Asset Management Berhad (Group of Companies): “We are deeply honoured to be recognised by the Private Pension Administration Malaysia for our continued efforts to expand financial security across Southeast Asia, with meaningful impact for Malaysians. These six awards reflect both our global heritage in retirement solutions and our local commitment to delivering strong, long-term outcomes. Drawing on decades of retirement and target date investing experience, we remain focused on helping investors build and protect their savings through every stage of retirement.”
** quote 2: RHB Asset Management: “Despite near-term global volatility and inflationary risks fueled by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and shifting US trade policies, we maintain a constructive long-term outlook on the Malaysian equity market. While sentiment remains fragile, Malaysia is well-positioned to outperform regional peers due to its robust local liquidity, resilient domestic demand, and a bullish outlook for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in highvalue sectors like data centres and Electrical & Electronics (E&E). Our conviction is further bolstered by an improving corporate earnings trajectory—highlighted by a strong 4Q 2025 performance—and a firmer macroeconomic backdrop that supports an upward KLCI trajectory through 2026.”
** quote 3: PPA CEO, Taufiq Iskandar Jamingan: “We are committed to safeguarding members’ retirement savings by putting in place effective investment performance tracking of all funds under PRS. With the support of SC, we are working on enhancing the PRS mechanism to expand the eligible universe so members can hold listed financial instruments such as Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and individual shares in the future, which then allow them to build a truly diversified retirement portfolio. Members should have choices and control over their investment allocation.”
For more information on the PRS Fund Awards winners and framework, visit https://www.ppa.my/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PRS-Fund-Awards-2026.pdf.