The three-day event, starting today at the Mid Valley Exhibition Centre, Mid Valley SouthKey mall in Johor Bahru, aims to educate the public on investment and to promote financial literacy. Well-informed investors are better equipped to make the right investment decisions while also shielding themselves from scams and illegal schemes.

Johor State Executive Council Member and Chairman of Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee YB Lee Ting Han officiated the event today, attended by senior state government officials as well as capital market and financial industry leaders.

Themed ‘Bijak Labur Hidup Makmur’, the event features 38 exhibitors comprising financial and capital market firms and industry associations as well as agencies such as the Employees Provident Fund and the Inland Revenue Board.

More than 11,000 visitors are expected to attend Bersama Investsmart®@Johor, where they will also be treated to public talks and panel discussions by financial and capital market experts.

Additionally, over 230 free one-to-one financial planning sessions are offered under the #FinPlan4u® initiative, where the public can learn about their financial goals and retirement planning from licensed financial planners.
 
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the SC Chairman Dato’ Seri Dr. Awang Adek Hussin noted that Johor is the natural location for this year’s Bersama InvestSmart® following successful events in Penang last year, Sarawak in 2022 and Sabah in 2019.
 
"It is especially timely to have this event in Johor this year. Recently the Menteri Besar of Johor, YAB Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, announced the state’s remarkable achievement of attracting a total of RM113.7 billion in investments, creating 35,000 jobs, within a span of just two years.”

“This will bring more wealth to the state and the individuals who dwell therein, and with this, making wise investment becomes important especially at an individual level,” he said.
 
Dato’ Seri Dr. Awang Adek also cautioned the public on scammers frequently using the “syariah-compliant” label or names of influencers to lend credence and legitimacy to their schemes and in the former, appeal to Muslim investors.
 
“In fact, they were even bold enough to misuse the names of agencies such as the SC, Bank Negara Malaysia, licensed intermediaries, as well as local celebrities and religious leaders,” he said.

“The public should be aware that just because a product is purportedly syariah-compliant or linked to a high-profile individual doesn’t mean that the product is good and the capital or returns are guaranteed,” he added.

The SC’s Investors’ Survey published on its website showed that 30% or 384 out of the 1,302 of the respondents were more susceptible to scams.

Further, the study showed that vulnerable groups relied on family and friends to make investment decisions. They also invest in schemes without verification of the information given and are easily influenced by unlicensed and unqualified individuals.

These findings imply an increased willingness to be exposed to investment opportunities and to invest without fully grasping the risks. They demonstrate a critical gap in investment literacy and concerning levels of susceptibility to scams, with investors more likely to fall victim to fraudulent schemes.

Recognising this, the SC earlier this year introduced the Investment Checker on its official website to help investors verify the legitimacy of investment entities and make well-informed investment decisions.

The Investment Checker serves as a one-stop-centre for the public to check and verify the legitimacy of entities and individuals offering investment opportunities. Since its launch, the Investment Checker has been one of the SC’s top visited web pages, with over 25,000 visits so far.

Apart from Bersama InvestSmart®@Johor, the SC will also host the NaviGate Capital Market Green Financing Series on 20 May 2024 in Iskandar Puteri, with the support of Iskandar Investment Berhad.

This programme will delve into the fundraising process on alternative capital market financing, including equity crowdfunding (ECF) and peer-to-peer (P2P) financing platforms, with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sharing their experiences raising financing using these platforms.

For more information on InvestSmart® including event details for Bersama InvestSmart®@Johor 2024, please visit https://investsmartsc.my/ or InvestSmart®’s social media accounts.