UOBAM launches a robo-advisory service for Malaysia’s corporate investors

UOB Asset Management (Malaysia) Berhad (UOBAM (Malaysia)) has announced that it has launched a robo-advisory service, called UOBAM Invest, which provides customised investment portfolios online to help companies meet their investment goals.

Corporate investors have convenient online access to their portfolios, enabling them to keep on top of matters as COVID-19-related market volatility continues. UOBAM Invest underscores UOBAM (Malaysia)’s commitment to making investing simpler, smarter and safer through technology.

First launched in Singapore in 2018, UOBAM Invest offers corporate investors the Digital Adviser portfolio planner, which can be used to generate automatically customised portfolio proposals, ranging from very conservative to very aggressive. The portfolios are generated after corporate investors complete an interactive, goals-based questionnaire that takes into consideration their combined investment goals, risk appetite and investment profile.

Lim Suet Ling, Chief Executive Officer, UOBAM (Malaysia), said that UOBAM Invest capitalises on UOB Asset Management’s strong investment expertise to offer customised portfolios that aim to help corporate investors optimise their investment strategies amid periods of heightened volatility.

“At UOBAM (Malaysia), we not only benefit from UOBAM Group’s more than 30 years of experience and expertise, we also tap UOB Group’s extensive regional network and local market insights to help investors in Malaysia preserve and grow their wealth. Economic shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the importance of a risk-based approach to investing to help corporate investors limit the impact of short-term risk while meeting their long-term investment goals. With UOBAM Invest, our clients can receive within minutes customised investment portfolios generated through our proprietary screening methodology and asset allocation framework based on their risk appetite and goals,” said Lim.

“Our customised portfolios are created from a wide range of UOBAM-managed funds and global exchange-traded funds (ETFs). A conservative portfolio will typically comprise ETFs or unit trusts that are invested mainly in government bonds, money market and fixed income. The most aggressive portfolio will largely consist of ETFs or unit trusts that are equities-based, and a small allocation to those that are focused on high-yield bonds,” she continued, as reported in a press release by the firm.

UOBAM Invest’s Digital Adviser portfolio planner also features an optimisation algorithm to project success probabilities, helping corporate investors decide if they require portfolio adjustments according to their desired returns and risk appetite. After confirming the portfolio’s allocation, corporate investors can then leave it to UOBAM (Malaysia) to monitor the investments as well as to rebalance the portfolio quarterly and whenever funds are injected or withdrawn.

Corporate investors who prefer to make their own investment decisions can use UOBAM Invest’s Fund Direct to build their own portfolio from a list of UOBAM’s unit trusts. They will be able to manage their investments independently and to buy or to sell as and when they require.

“Through its secure, online portal, UOBAM Invest provides corporate investors with historical data and insights, professional investment guidance and round-the-clock access to our portfolio solutions, enabling them to monitor and to manage their investments in real time. This means that they not only can enjoy greater flexibility and control over their investments, but also the ease and convenience of managing their own investments digitally from the safety of their own homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is one way we combine the strengths of our investment expertise with technology to help our clients respond to rapid changes in the current climate,” Lim added.

To use UOBAM Invest’s Digital Adviser, corporate investors must have a minimum investment of RM500,000 (USD115,000). For the Fund Direct feature, corporate investors must meet the minimum investment requirements of the respective UOBAM-managed funds as outlined in the fund’s prospectus or information memorandum.