THE Employees Provident Fund (EPF) started the 2026 calendar year on a positive note when it recorded total investment income of RM27.73 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026.
The extraordinary achievement saw a significant increase of 51 per cent compared to RM18.31 billion recorded in the same period last year.
EPF Chief Executive Officer, Ahmad Zulqarnain Onn, said the strong performance reflected the accuracy of portfolio decisions taken to address the expected global market uncertainties.
He explained that portfolio managers have accelerated the generation of income that should have been distributed throughout the year to ensure that the country's retirement fund is in a strong position.
However, Ahmad Zulqarnain reminded 18 million members not to make this quarter's performance an absolute yardstick as the achievement is unlikely to be repeated in future quarters.
According to him, the EPF's core portfolio will continue to be managed for sustainable long-term returns, rather than pursuing short-term performance alone, especially in a challenging economic environment.
Equity instruments were the main contributor when they recorded RM20.34 billion, a jump of 88 per cent compared to Q1 2025, as a result of positive investor sentiment that boosted the main index at the beginning of the quarter.
As for fixed income instruments, they contributed RM6.76 billion or 24 per cent of total income, thus acting as a defensive component that provided stable returns when the market began to be volatile.
International investments continue to prove their importance as they generated RM15.36 billion, comprising 55 per cent of total income, although global assets only represent 36 per cent of total investment assets.
As of March 31, 2026, the EPF's total investment assets reached RM1.44 trillion, with a breakdown of income for Conventional Savings of RM22.63 billion and Shariah Savings of RM5.10 billion.
In terms of membership, the EPF currently has over 18.3 million members, with 10.8 million of them being active members, supported by a stable labour market with the unemployment rate remaining low at 2.9 per cent.
The trend of voluntary contributions also showed positive momentum as it increased by 13.3 per cent to RM38.01 billion, proving that members' awareness to strengthen their retirement savings is increasing through the convenience of digital platforms. – May 19, 2026
