Evolution of the Malaysian Bond Market - Key Milestones

Before we proceed further, it would be best to appreciate the various market infrastructure available to market players. Below is a diagram of the time-line for the bond market industry in Malaysia.

(You can click on the image to enlarge)

RAM - Rating Agency Malaysia Berhad
MARC - Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad
SC - Securities Commission
PDS - Private Debt Securities
BPAM - Bond Pricing Agency Malaysia Sdn Bhd
BNM - Bank Negara Malaysia

Policy reaction to the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis for the Malaysian Bond Market

After 13 years, it is interesting to look back in history to under how the authorities faced the crisis and the strategies used to improve the situation. Below is a short write-up on the history behind the policy reaction to the Asian Financial Crisis for the Malaysian Bond Market.
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•The National Economic Action Council (“NEAC”) was established on 7 January 1998 - at the height of the Asian financial crisis - to make recommendations to the Government vis-à-vis arresting the deteriorating economic conditions and revitalising the domestic economy. To this end, the NEAC launched the National Economic Recovery Plan (“NERP”) on 23 July 1998.

•The NERP’s objectives had included the short-term focus of stabilising the ringgit, restoring market confidence, and maintaining financial stability. These had been complemented by the objectives of structural reform via strengthening economic fundamentals, maintaining the country’s socio-economic agenda, and rejuvenating adversely affected sectors. It had also contained 40 courses of action and more than 580 detailed recommendations. Furthermore, the NERP had recommended the easing of the country’s fiscal and monetary policies.

•All these measures had exerted a direct, positive effect on the local bond market. Given the floundering equities market and an overly conservative banking sector, the post-crisis environment had been more conducive for the bond market, which offered lower interest rates and an abundance of surplus liquidity. Moreover, the enhanced regulatory framework and market infrastructure had cultivated a broader investor base that sought better returns.

A History Lesson on the Development of the Malaysian Bond Market

Today's lesson is a history lesson. A history lesson on how the Malaysian bond market got developed. It started with the developmental needs of the nation which was then young and required a lot of investment.

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The growth of the Malaysian bond market can be traced back to the 1970s, when the Government started issuing bonds to meet the massive funding needs for the country’s development. By the mid-1980s, the private sector had assumed a more important role in the strategic development of the Malaysian economy, with the aim of making it the main driver of growth as well as finance. During that period, the corporate sector had relied heavily on bank loans, which had in turn prompted the Government to pursue the development of the corporate bond market as a key strategic priority. 

Since the introduction of Bank Negara Malaysia’s (the Malaysian Central Bank) Guidelines for the Issuance of Private Debt Securities in January 1989, the domestic bond market has developed significantly in terms of size, efficiency and the array of available debt instruments. The progress achieved to date has rendered the bond market an influential avenue for economic growth.

The Malaysian bond market can be characterised as being in a developing phase. High growth rates have been its hallmark, attributable to increasing recognition of the local bond market as a viable alternative for capital formation. Borrowers can have substantial influence over the structure of a proposed bond issue; coupled with the vast number of potential investors with varying risk appetites, this has effectively fuelled growth. The push by financial institutions to reprioritise lending activities to the retail sector after the regional crisis of the late 1990s has also accelerated market disintermediation, with corporate borrowers moving away from the banking sector to the bond market.

The regulatory push to mould Malaysia into a global hub for the development of Islamic finance is also an important plus for the bond market. On the supply side, the issuance of Islamic sukuks in terms of innovativeness and volume has been equally matched by growth on the demand side. The issuance of new licences for Islamic financial institutions and the rising number of dedicated Islamic sukuk funds all point to a bright future for the Malaysian bond market.