Kuala Lumpur, 27 April 2021 – Bursa Malaysia Berhad (“Bursa Malaysia” or the “Exchange”) recorded a Profit After Tax (“PAT”) of RM121.4 million for the first quarter ended 31 March  2021 (“1Q2021”), an 87.5% increase from RM64.7 million reported in the previous corresponding quarter ended 31 March 2020 (“1Q2020”). The increase in PAT is primarily  due to higher operating revenue by 56.7% to RM228.0 million from 1Q2020. Total operating  expenses in 1Q2021 increased by 9.2% to RM69.4 million from RM63.5 million in 1Q2020. 

Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia said, “Building on the  momentum from last year, we have started the year on a firm footing. Average Daily Trading  Value (“ADV”) for Securities Market’s On-Market Trades (“OMT”) continues to grow,  increasing by 100.8% to RM5.1 billion from RM2.5 billion in 1Q2020. Domestic retail investors  continue to play a significant role in our marketplace, sustained by the easy access to the  stock market and low-interest-rate environment. We have seen a resilient performance in  our markets in 1Q2021 and expect it to continue to attract investments and trading in 2021.” 

For the current quarter under review, Securities Market registered trading revenue of RM150.9 million compared to RM78.1 million in 1Q2020, increased by 93.3% due to higher ADV for OMT in 1Q2021. The higher effective clearing fee rate in 1Q2021 also contributed  to the increase in trading revenue but this was partially offset by the lower number of  trading days. Trading velocity in 1Q2021 was higher by 31 percentage points to 70%  compared to 39% in 1Q2020. 

Derivatives Market trading revenue decreased by 15.7% to RM22.6 million in 1Q2021 from  RM26.7 million in 1Q2020, mainly due to lower number of contracts traded for Crude Palm  Oil Futures (“FCPO”) and FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Futures (“FKLI”), as well as the lower number of trading days in the current quarter under review. Average Daily Contracts  (“ADC”) saw a decrease of 6.1%, with 80,338 contracts in 1Q2021 compared to 85,578 contracts in 1Q2020.  

As for the Islamic Markets, the higher trading activity in Bursa Suq Al-Sila’ (“BSAS”) resulted in the increase in the trading revenue by 16.0% to RM3.4 million in 1Q2021 from RM2.9  million in 1Q2020. The Exchange will continue to focus on developing and growing the  Islamic Markets by attracting new participants to trade on the BSAS platform, promoting  Shariah-compliant stocks and also introducing new Islamic products and services such as  Waqf ETF. 

Datuk Umar added, “While Malaysia is well-positioned for an economic recovery in 2021,  the pace and extent of the recovery remains uncertain. In consideration of the continuing  impact of COVID-19 this year, the Exchange will continue to support market participants by  providing facilitative ecosystem initiatives alongside relief measures to ease financial  burden and provide greater flexibility that can aid and support them through this  challenging period. Our 3-year (2021 – 2023) Strategic Roadmap has been formulated to  ensure that the Exchange remains competitive and continues to enhance value for our  stakeholders.”  

The financial results for 1Q2021 are available on Bursa Malaysia’s website at  www.bursamalaysia.com

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