Brunei Investment Agency

Last updated

Brunei Investment Agency
BIA
Type Sovereign Wealth Fund
Industry Investment
FoundedJuly 1, 1983;40 years ago (1983-07-01)
Founder Sultan of Brunei
Headquarters Ministry of Finance Building, ,
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Khairuddin Abdul Hamid - Chief Investment Officer
  • Dato Abdul Rahman Karim - Managing Director
Products investment
AUM Decrease2.svg US$73 billion (2023)
Total equity Steady2.svg US$30 billion (2009)
Owner Government of Brunei
Parent Ministry of Finance and Economy (Brunei)
Subsidiaries
Website BIA Homepage

The Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) is a government-owned corporation [1] that reports to the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Brunei. Established in 1983, its offices are located in Bandar Seri Begawan at the Ministry of Finance HQ. [2] Data on the agency's assets are not reported to the public [3] and the Sultan and his assets, to a certain degree, are also incorporated in the agency; however the extent is unknown. In September 2023, the fund has a total of US$73 billion in assets under management. [4]

Contents

Prior to Brunei's independence, the country's investment portfolio was administered by the British Crown. [5] The BIA was established under an Act of the Government of Brunei and became functional from 1 July 1983.

The objective defined under the Act is to hold and manage the General Reserve Fund of the Government and all its external assets. The agency manages 40% of Brunei's foreign reserves, remainder being managed by eight foreign organizations. [6]

The Sultan of Brunei and Yang Di-Pertuan has the authority to specify any other issues that need to be addressed by BIA.[ citation needed ]

Functions

The agency's principal tasks are to control and manage Brunei's general reserve funds and the growth of external holdings. It manages the country's income from oil exports in the form of foreign reserves.

BIA functions as one of the investment arm of the Brunei government and has a strong financial base with funds generated from the country's gas and oil resources, and other revenues.

Investments

Some major foreign assets of BIA include the Dorchester Collection, which is a portfolio of luxury hotels established in 1996; a 10% holding in the Paterson Securities of Australia, and Bahagia Investment Corporation (Malaysia), dealing with real estate. [7]

BIA's investment portfolio, apart from investments within Brunei, covers diverse investments in bonds, equity, currency, gold and real estate. It has substantial investments in the US.

Brunei investors bought The Dorchester on Park Lane in London in 1985 for US$50 million and in 1996 BIA formed the Dorchester Collection, a conglomerate of luxury hotels in UK, United States, France and Italy. [8] BIA also owns The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles which was bought for US$185 million in 1987 as well as the Grand Hyatt Singapore Hotel. [9] BIA also has a 10% holding in the Paterson Securities of Australia, and Bahagia Investment Corporation of Malaysia, dealing with real estate. [7]

In June 2018 BIA acquired a stake in Molten Ventures for £20 million. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temasek Holdings</span> Singaporean state-owned conglomerate

Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited, or simply Temasek, is a global investment company owned by the Government of Singapore. Incorporated on 25 June 1974, Temasek has a net portfolio of US$287 billion as of 2023, with S$27 billion divested and S$31 billion invested during the year.

The Government Pension Fund of Norway comprises two entirely separate sovereign wealth funds owned by the government of Norway.

Foreign exchange reserves are cash and other reserve assets such as gold held by a central bank or other monetary authority that are primarily available to balance payments of the country, influence the foreign exchange rate of its currency, and to maintain confidence in financial markets. Reserves are held in one or more reserve currencies, nowadays mostly the United States dollar and to a lesser extent the euro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Dhabi Investment Authority</span> Sovereign wealth fund

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is a sovereign wealth fund owned by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi founded to invest funds on behalf of the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It manages the Emirate's excess oil reserves and is estimated to manage $853 billion. ADIA is one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world.

Investment management is the professional asset management of various securities, including shareholdings, bonds, and other assets, such as real estate, to meet specified investment goals for the benefit of investors. Investors may be institutions, such as insurance companies, pension funds, corporations, charities, educational establishments, or private investors, either directly via investment contracts/mandates or via collective investment schemes like mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, or REITs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GIC (Singaporean sovereign wealth fund)</span> Singaporean sovereign wealth fund

GIC Private Limited is a Singaporean sovereign wealth fund that manages the country's foreign reserves. Established by the Government of Singapore in 1981 as the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, of which "GIC" is derived from as an acronym, its mission is to preserve and enhance the international purchasing power of the reserves, with the aim to achieve good long-term returns above global inflation over the investment time horizon of 20 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefri Bolkiah, Prince of Brunei</span> Prince of Brunei

Jefri Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III, is a member of the Brunei Royal Family. His elder brother is the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. Prince Jefri was the finance minister of his oil-rich country from 1986 to 1997. He also served as chairman of the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) which invests much of the country's wealth and was responsible for overseas investments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Administration of Foreign Exchange</span> Chinese State-owned Agency

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) of the People's Republic of China is an administrative agency under the State Council tasked with drafting rules and regulations governing foreign exchange market activities, and managing the state foreign-exchange reserves, which at the end of December 2016 stood at $3.01 trillion for the People's Bank of China. The current director is Pan Gongsheng.

The Future Fund is an independently managed sovereign wealth fund established in 2006 to strengthen the Australian Government's long-term financial position by making provision for unfunded superannuation liabilities for politicians and other public servants that will become payable during a period when an ageing population is likely to place significant pressure on the Commonwealth's finances. As of September 2023, the fund has US$136 billion in assets under management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sovereign wealth fund</span> State-owned investment fund

A sovereign wealth fund (SWF), sovereign investment fund, or social wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals, or in alternative investments such as private equity fund or hedge funds. Sovereign wealth funds invest globally. Most SWFs are funded by revenues from commodity exports or from foreign-exchange reserves held by the central bank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libyan Investment Authority</span> Sovereign wealth fund of Libya

The Libyan Investment Authority is a government-managed sovereign wealth fund and holding company headquartered in Tripoli, Libya. It was established on August 28, 2006, by Decree 208 of the General People's Committee of Libya (GPC), after the lifting of economic sanctions that had previously precluded foreign investment in Libya. The LIA oversees and manages investments in various areas including agriculture, real estate, infrastructure, oil and gas and in shares and bonds. It is Africa's largest sovereign wealth fund. The fund is a member of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds and is therefore signed up to the Santiago Principles on best practice in managing sovereign wealth funds. In September 2023, the fund has US$67 billion in assets under management.

The Korea Investment Corporation is a sovereign wealth fund established by the government of South Korea in 2005. Its mission is to preserve and enhance the long-term purchasing power of South Korea's sovereign wealth through efficient management of public funds in the international financial markets. KIC manages assets entrusted by the Government, the Bank of Korea, and other public funds as defined under the National Finance Act. KIC directly invests the entrusted assets or re-entrusts the assets to external managers. As of September 2023, KIC has $169 billion assets under management.

Dorchester Collection is a luxury hotel operator owned by the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA), an arm of the Ministry of Finance of Brunei. Dorchester Collection owns and manages nine luxury five star hotels: The Dorchester (London), The Beverly Hills Hotel, Plaza Athénée (Paris), Hotel Meurice (Paris), Principe di Savoia (Milan), Hotel Bel-Air, Coworth Park, 45 Park Lane (London) and Hotel Eden (Rome).

The National Treasury Management Agency is the agency that manages the assets and liabilities of the Government of Ireland. It was established on 1 December 1990 to borrow for the Central Fund and manage the national debt. Since then it has been expanded greatly, for example it now manages the National Pensions Reserve Fund and acts as Ireland's agent for the purchase of carbon credits. Following the RTÉ secret payment scandal, the Government of Ireland agreed to add RTÉ to the list of commercial State sector companies subject to the formal oversight of the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA)’s NewEra unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority</span> Sovereign wealth fund of Nigeria

The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority is a Nigerian establishment which manages the Nigeria sovereign wealth fund, into which the surplus income produced from Nigeria's excess oil reserves is deposited. This sovereign wealth fund was founded for the purpose of managing and investing these funds on behalf of the government of Nigeria. The fund was established by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority Act 2011, signed in May 2011, and commenced operations in October 2012. It is intended to invest the savings gained on the difference between the budgeted and actual market prices for oil to earn returns that would benefit future generations of Nigerians. The fund was allocated an initial US$1 billion in seed capital, and, an additional $0.60billion has been contributed to date by the current administration. In September 2023, the fund has US$ 2.3 billion in assets under management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hassanal Bolkiah</span> Sultan of Brunei since 1967

Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III is Sultan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one of the few absolute monarchs in the world. The eldest son of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Damit, he succeeded to the throne as the 29th sultan following the abdication of his father on 5 October 1967.

Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) is the principal investment arm of the Government of Dubai focused on strengthening Dubai’s economy through long-term value and wealth creation and investing in global opportunities. Established in 2006, ICD manages the Government of Dubai Portfolio of commercial companies and investments. In 2022, ICD reported assets worth $320 billion and revenue of $73 billion. The Dubai-based corporation provides strategic oversight, develops and implements investment strategies and corporate governance policies, and operates in multiple sectors, including oil and gas, transportation, banking, and financial services.

The Indonesia Investment Authority (INA) is the sovereign wealth fund of Indonesia. The INA was founded by the Indonesian Government in 2021 to strengthen the country's economy by diversifying into new asset classes. INA was launched in February, 2021, with a target of managing $24.5 billion of assets. Unlike sovereign wealth funds of other countries which manage excess oil revenues or foreign exchange reserves, the INA seeks foreign funds as co-investors to finance the country's economic development.

Public Wealth Fund (PWF) is a centralised government ownership vehicle structured as a holding company that owns, manages and develop operational and real estate assets, based mainly within its jurisdiction. A Public Wealth Fund at the national level is often called a National Wealth Fund. Example include Temasek in Singapore, Solidium in Finland, ÖBAG in Austria, LCR in the United Kingdom, as well as Vasakronan and Jernhusen in Sweden.

References

  1. Ariff, Mohamed (1998). APEC and Development Co-operation. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 39–. ISBN   978-981-230-020-1.
  2. "Brunei Investment Agency". Sovereign Wealth Funds News. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  3. Singh, Daljit; Freeman, Nick J. (2000). Regional Outlook: Southeast Asia 2000–2001. Institute of Southeast Asian. pp. 50–. ISBN   978-981-230-087-4.
  4. "Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) - Sovereign Wealth Fund, Brunei - SWFI". www.swfinstitute.org. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  5. Sidhu, Jatswan S. (22 December 2009). Historical Dictionary of Brunei Darussalam. Scarecrow Press. pp. 87–. ISBN   978-0-8108-7078-9.
  6. Gunn, Geoffrey C. (2000). New World Hegemony in the Malay World. The Red Sea Press. pp. 170–. ISBN   978-1-56902-135-4.
  7. 1 2 "Brunei Investment Agency". Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  8. Alex Brummer (26 April 2012). Britain for Sale: British Companies in Foreign Hands – The Hidden Threat to Our Economy. Random House. pp. 123–. ISBN   978-1-4481-3681-0.
  9. Current Biography Yearbook. H. W. Wilson Co. 1990. p. 57. ISBN   9780824201289.
  10. "The Sultan of Brunei has made the country's first investment in a UK listed company, ploughing £20m into Graze backer Draper Esprit". City A.M. 5 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.