Franklin Templeton presence in Malaysia started in 1987 where the Templeton Emerging Markets group has been investing in the country since. In 2009, the company established the Franklin Templeton Asset Management (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (“FTAM”). On 6 January 2010, the Securities Commission, Malaysia granted the license to Franklin Templeton GSC Asset Management Sdn. Bhd. (“FTGSC”) to carry on the regulated activity of Islamic fund management in Malaysia.
FTGSC manages several Shariah investment mandates and it also offers one retail Islamic unit trust fund (the "Fund"), launched on 18 November 2015 and has a total value of more than RM35 million (as of 31 December 2024).
Both FTAM and FTGSC are wholly owned subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and it currently has a team of equity, fixed income and Sukuk investment professionals located in Kuala Lumpur that manage assets for the local investors across a wide range of strategies; conventional & Shariah as well as global & domestic strategies in different asset classes; equity, balanced, fixed income and Sukuk. Since its establishment in Malaysia in 2009, it has received over 20 investment awards from local and international agencies.
Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN), is a global investment management organisation operating as Franklin Templeton. Franklin Templeton provides global and domestic investment management solutions under its Franklin, Templeton, Mutual Series, Bissett, Fiduciary Trust, Darby, Balanced Equity Management and K2 brand names. The San Mateo, California-based company has more than 65 years of investment management experience.
For more information about Franklin Templeton as a group, please click here.
Management Team
Chief Executive Officer - Nor Hanifah binti Hashim
Ms. Hashim joined the firm in 2011 as Head of fixed income (Malaysia). In 2017, she was appointed as CEO to assist with local business strategies, activities and other business functions to further build Franklin Templeton’s profile and brand. In May 2022, Ms. Hashim became the Head of Malaysia.
Ms. Hashim has over 28 years of experience in the financial industry. She oversees fixed income in Malaysia, including conventional fixed income and domestic sukuk strategies. She continues to manage domestic sukuk funds and develops investment policies for the Malaysian market while working closely with the fixed income team in the Middle East on global sukuk mandates. Ms. Hashim also provides support as part of Franklin Templeton's global fixed income capabilities.
Prior to joining Franklin Templeton Investments, Ms. Hashim held the position of Executive Vice President - Head of fixed income, CIMB - Principal Asset Management Berhad, and, before that, Senior Vice President and Head of fixed income services in the treasury department of CIMB Investment Bank.
Ms. Hashim holds a B.S. in economics and international relations from University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. She is a national member of Financial Market Association - Malaysia and obtained her Capital Markets Services Representative License (CMSRL) in 2004.
Head of Retail Sales - David Jong
David Jong is the Head of Retail Sales and is based in Franklin Templeton Malaysia.
David joined the firm in 2015 and he currently leads the Malaysian and Indonesian retail businesses and distribution networks. David carries with him 15 years of experience in investment and finance. David’s past experiences include management and cultivation of high net worth client’s trading accounts, research, institutional equity sales and business development at the fund management division.
David holds a bachelor’s degree in science majoring in Mathematics.
Manager of Compliance - Prishanti Sunderam
Prishanti Sunderam joined Franklin Templeton in April 2019 as the Compliance Manager, overseeing compliance related matters for Franklin Templeton GSC Asset Management Sdn. Bhd. (FTGSC). Prishanti has over 10 years of experience functioning within the capital markets services industry in Malaysia, focusing on unit trusts and funds management compliance.
Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, she was with AmFunds Management Berhad as Compliance - Vice President managing regulatory compliance matters for the Funds Management Division. Prishanti holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from University of London. She also holds ICA International Diploma in Anti Money Laundering and Regulatory Compliance from University of Manchester.
Board of Directors
Sandeep Singh - Non-independent director and Member of Investment Committee
Sandeep Singh is responsible for overseeing the leadership and development of Franklin Templeton's retail and institutional businesses in the Central Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) region, home to some of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds and retail market opportunities, both emerging and established.
Additionally, Mr. Singh is also responsible for leading the firm's Shariah business development efforts and initiatives globally.
Mr. Singh was previously the country head of Malaysia responsible for executing the firm's business strategy and oversaw the sales and marketing of all products there.
Mr. Singh joined Franklin Templeton Investments in 1998 as the regional sales manager of Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Private Limited in Kolkata, India. Mr. Singh was then promoted to the role of senior vice president and national sales director based in Mumbai, responsible for managing both retail and institutional business spread across 33 offices in India.
Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, Mr. Singh worked as senior manager for marketing with Cholamandalam Cazenove AMC Ltd in Chennai, India. With over 20 years of experience in the asset management industry, Mr. Singh has a proven track-record of working in a start-up environment.
Mr. Singh graduated with a bachelor of engineering (mechanical) from the Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, India, and holds an M.B.A. from The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. He is also a Certified Financial Planner.
Nor Hanifah binti Hashim - Non-independent director and Member of Investment Committee
Ms. Hashim joined the firm in 2011 as Head of fixed income (Malaysia). In 2017, she was appointed as CEO to assist with local business strategies, activities and other business functions to further build Franklin Templeton’s profile and brand. In May 2022, Ms. Hashim became the Head of Malaysia.
Ms. Hashim has over 28 years of experience in the financial industry. She oversees fixed income in Malaysia, including conventional fixed income and domestic sukuk strategies. She continues to manage domestic sukuk funds and develops investment policies for the Malaysian market while working closely with the Fixed Income team in the Middle East on global sukuk mandates. Ms. Hashim also provides support as part of Franklin Templeton's global fixed income capabilities.
Prior to joining Franklin Templeton Investments, Ms. Hashim held the position of Executive Vice President - Head of fixed income, CIMB - Principal Asset Management Berhad, and, before that, Senior Vice President and Head of fixed income services in the treasury department of CIMB Investment Bank.
Ms. Hashim holds a B.S. in economics and international relations from University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. She is a national member of Financial Market Association - Malaysia and obtained her Capital Markets Services Representative License (CMSRL) in 2004.
David Jong Shun Min - Non-independent director
David Jong is the Head of Retail Sales and is based in Franklin Templeton Malaysia.
David joined the firm in 2015 and he currently leads the Malaysian and Indonesian retail businesses and distribution networks. David carries with him 15 years of experience in investment and finance. David’s past experiences include management and cultivation of high net worth client’s trading accounts, research, institutional equity sales and business development at the fund management division.
David holds a bachelor’s degree in science majoring in Mathematics.
Ina Hasniza binti Ibrahim - Independent director and Member of Investment Committee
Ina Hasniza graduated from Keele University, United Kingdom with a BA in Economics in 1993, and subsequently in 1994, she obtained her Masters in International Business and Management from Westminster University, London. In 1998, she obtained her Treasury Dealing Licence from Persatuan Pasaran Kewangan Malaysia (PPKM).
She is a retired investment banker who possesses 29 years of treasury and markets experience with various banks in Malaysia. She has good knowledge of regulatory requirements and industry development. Her main job scope was to provide hedging solutions to clients like GLCs, Ministries, Corporates and Financial Institutions via the use of exchange rates, interest rates, commodities and investment products as well as derivatives. She was involved in the development of Sustainability-linked Treasury solutions for clients and actively participated in human development initiatives namely training, mentoring and leadership selection.
She started her career with Petroliam Nasional Berhad as a Treasury Executive in 1995 and had gained experience in corporate sales in the banking industry from 1998 to 2005 at Deutsche Bank and HSBC. From 2005 to 2013, she served as Managing Director, Head of Financial Markets Sales, Treasury and Global Markets of Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad. In 2014, she joined CIMB Bank Malaysia Berhad as Managing Director, Regional Head of Corporate Sales, Treasury and Markets. Her latest expanded role was as Regional Islamic Treasurer since 2021 for CIMB Islamic Bank and a member of Bank Negara’s Islamic Financial Markets Committee contributing to the development of Islamic financial products. She retired in June 2024.
Financial Position
Franklin Templeton GSC Asset Management Sdn. Bhd.
| Financial year ended 30 September |
| Financial year ended 30.09.2024 (Audited) | Financial year ended 30.09.2023 (Audited) | Financial year ended 30.09.2022 (Audited) | |
| (RM) | (RM) | (RM) | |
| Paid-up Share Capital | 76,386,350 | 76,386,350 | 62,916,350 |
| Shareholders’ Fund | 18,207,742 | 25,880,509 | 15,807,240 |
| Revenue | 43,403,771 | 39,495,212 | 44,937,048 |
| Loss before taxation | (7,672,767) | (3,396,731) | (5,580,744) |
| Loss after taxation | (7,672,767) | (3,396,731) | (5,580,744) |
Outsourced Functions
Franklin Templeton GSC Asset Management Sdn. Bhd. (“FTGSC”) outsources some of its services to external parties such as the following:
Compliance Function
FTGSC appointed Franklin Templeton Asset Management (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (“FTAM”) to undertake the compliance function on its behalf. FTAM is part of the Franklin Templeton group of companies and was set up in Malaysia to expand its footprint in South East Asia under the foreign fund management license issued under the Malaysian Special Scheme. FTAM is a holder of the Capital Markets Services License for fund management since March 2009.
Fund Valuation and Fund Accounting Functions
Deutsche Trustees Malaysia Berhad (“DTMB”) has been appointed to carry out the fund accounting and valuation services for the funds. DTMB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the parent organisation, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft. DTMB was incorporated in Malaysia on 22 February 2007 and commenced business in May 2007.
DTMB is part of Deutsche Bank’s Securities Services, which provides trustee and fund accounting and valuation services. DTMB expanded its product offering to include fund accounting and valuation services in 2018.
Its duties include, amongst others, performing valuation of the investments held by the Funds and maintaining financial accounting records of portfolios including all transactions data, records and investment ledgers.
Registrar and Transfer Agency Functions
FTGSC appointed KFin Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. (“Kfintech”) as the registrar and transfer agent. Kfintech was incorporated in Malaysia on 8 March 2016. It is registered as a company under the Companies Act 1965, with its business address at Suite 16.01, Level 16, Menara IMC, 8 Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur. The roles and duties of Kfintech as the registrar and transfer agent include maintaining the register of Unit Holder, transaction processing, reconciliation and preparing relevant communication to investors.
Back Office and Internal Audit Functions
FTGSC appointed Franklin Templeton Companies, LLC (“FTCLLC”), a Delaware Limited Liability Company with a primary place of business in San Mateo, California, USA, to undertake various back office and internal audit functions on its behalf. FTCLLC is part of a combined group of companies, with a common parent corporation, Franklin Resources, Inc., which is collectively known as Franklin Templeton. FTCLLC is a service company responsible for the management of certain intercompany services and charges that may occur from time to time between the affiliated companies within Franklin Templeton.
Shariah Advisor
Corporate Information of the Shariah Advisor
Amanie Advisors Sdn Bhd (''Amanie'') is a Shariah advisory, consultancy, training and research and development boutique for institutional and corporate clientele focusing on Islamic financial services. Amanie is a registered Shariah Adviser (Corporation) with the SC. It has been established with the aim of addressing the global needs for experts' and Shariah scholars' pro-active input. This will ultimately allow the players in the industry to manage and achieve their business and financial goals in accordance with the Shariah Principles. Amanie also focuses on organizational aspect of the development of human capital in Islamic finance worldwide through providing updated quality learning embracing both local and global issues on Islamic financial products and services.
The company is led by Tan Sri Dr. Mohd Daud Bakar and teamed by an active and established panel of consultants covering every aspect related to the Islamic banking and finance industry both in Malaysia and the global market. Currently the team comprises of eight (8) full-time consultants who represent dynamic and experienced professionals with a mixture of corporate finance, accounting, product development, Shariah law and education.
Since 2005, Amanie has more than eighteen (19) years of experience in the advisory role of unit trusts funds and fund management with more than 200 funds which Amanie acts as Shariah adviser.
Tan Sri Dr. Mohd Daud Bakar is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Amanie Group. One of its flagship companies namely Amanie Advisors, is operating in a few cities globally. He serves as the Chairman of Shariah Advisory Council (SAC) of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), Kazakhstan, the First Abu Dhabi Bank (UAE), Madina Takaful (Oman), and Salama Insurance (UAE). He was the former Chairman of the Shariah Advisory Council (SAC) at the Central Bank of Malaysia, and former Chairman of the SAC at the Securities Commission of Malaysia for more than 2 decades. He was also the former Chairman of Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (MAIWP).
Tan Sri Dr Daud is also a Shariah board member of various global financial institutions, including the Amundi Asset Management (France), BNP Paribas Najma (Bahrain), Sedco Capital (Saudi and Luxembourg) and Dow Jones Islamic Market Index (New York) amongst many others.
In the corporate world, he was a member of the PNB Investment Committee. Previously, he served as a Board Director at Sime Darby Property Berhad and Chairman to Malaysia Islamic Economic Development Foundation (YaPEIM). In addition, he is the co-founder of Experts Analytics Centre Sdn Bhd and MyFinB Sdn. Bhd. He also serves as the Chairman of Berry Pay Sdn. Bhd. (digital remittance), Data Sukan Consulting Sdn. Bhd. (Sport Data), Bio Fluid Sdn. Bhd., KAB Gold Dynamics Sdn. Bhd., Bio- Angle Vacs Sdn. Bhd. (vaccine for ruminants), Tulus Digital Sdn. Bhd. (payment gateway), and Amanie- Afra Halal Capital Co (Bangkok). He was the former 8th President of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).
In July 2023, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Daud has received the conferment of the New Islamic Year (Maal Hijrah) Special Prominent Figure award by the State Government of Kedah, Malaysia in conjunction with the state-level Maal Hijrah celebration. Tan Sri has received the “Royal Award for Islamic Finance 2022” by His Majesty, the King of Malaysia. While in 2014, he received the “Most Outstanding Individual” award by His Majesty, the King of Malaysia, in conjunction with the national-level Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. Under his leadership, Amanie Advisors received the “Islamic Economy Knowledge Infrastructure Award” at the Global Islamic Economy Summit, Dubai 2015, by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Oct 2015. On 13 November 2021, he was conferred the Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown (Panglima Setia Mahkota P.S.M.) by His Majesty the King of Malaysia which carries the title of “Tan Sri”.
He received his first degree in Shariah from University of Kuwait in 1988 and obtained his PhD from University of St. Andrews, United Kingdom in 1993. In 2002, he completed his external Bachelor of Jurisprudence at University of Malaya.
Suhaida Mahpot is the Chief Executive Officer for Amanie Advisors in Kuala Lumpur office. She holds a Bachelor of Economics (Islamic Economic & Finance) from International Islamic University Malaysia and a professional certificate of Certified Shariah Advisor and Auditor (CSAA) of AAOIFI.
She joined Amanie in 2008 and was amongst the pioneers in the company. She is a specialist in sukuk advisory and has been advising numerous sukuk locally and internationally. One of the sukuk advised by her together with Tan Sri Dr Mohd Daud Bakar has been awarded as Best Securitisation Sukuk at The Asset Triple A Islamic Finance Award (2020). Apart from sukuk advisory, her primarily focus is on Shariah governance, structuring, enhancement and conversion exercises, establishment of Islamic financial entities as well as development of Islamic products. Her career in banking & financial industry started as a trainee under Capital Market Graduated Trainee Scheme organized by the SC.
Prior to joining Amanie, she worked with Affin Investment Bank Bhd since 2006 as an executive for debt & capital markets department. She completed various project financing deals using private debt securities instruments ranging from infrastructure & utilities, real estate, plantation and many others.
Faizul is a Consultant and Shariah Adviser at Amanie Advisors, specializing in Shariah advisory and supervision for Islamic fund management, including institutional discretionary mandates globally. He has contributed to structuring alternative Shariah-compliant investments such as private equity, credit, infrastructure, and real estate funds, as well as other Islamic capital market products, including the establishment of Islamic preference shares. His expertise extends to Shariah compliance reviews, audits, and Shariah-compliant investment screening.
Prior to Amanie, Faizul was a Senior Associate at Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad, overseeing compliance for stockbroking activities, particularly trading and margin financing. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Shariah (Economy and Islamic Banking) from Yarmouk University, Jordan, and is pursuing the Certified Shariah Advisor (CSA) certification from ASAS.