National Bonds, the UAE-based financial and Sharia-compliant investment company, has announced that its assets under management increased by 9 percent to AED7.8 billion in 2019, according to the results published by the company.

The assets included mainly Wakala Deposits (38%), Real Estate – Yield Generating (27%) and Sukuk (25%), according to National Bonds, which is owned by the investment arm of the Dubai Government, the Investment Corporation of Dubai, ICD.

It also announced that, for those with holdings of AED1 million or above, earned an average return on investment, ROI, of 3.89 percent, one of the highest in the region. Meanwhile, the current market EIBOR (Emirates Interbank Offered Rate) for 1 year is 1.43 percent in the market.

Holdings that range between AED350,000 to AED1 million earned an average of 3.08 percent. The range between AED150,000 to AED 350,000 earned an average ROI of 2.74 percent. The range between AED 100,000 to AED150,000 earned an average ROI of 1.40 percent. The range between AED 50,000 to AED 100,000 earned an average ROI of 1.38 percent.

Holdings in the lower bracket, ranging between AED5,000-50,000, would get 1.30 percent as an average ROI, which is still higher than what’s offered by other financial institutions, the company claimed.

The company attributed the positive results to its low-to-medium risk investment policy, which has shielded it from the negative repercussions of unfavourable economic and financial developments around the world.

National Bonds’ Chairman, Khalifa Al Daboos, said he was proud of the results, especially since they were achieved while the world economy was going through some major challenges.

“This proves that our fiduciary low-to-medium-risk strategy is paying off,” he added.

“Besides, National Bonds always takes into consideration the macro-environment when it comes to managing and diversifying its investment portfolio, to preserve bondholder’s funds while ensuring positive returns for its investors.

“Despite changing world economic conditions, the UAE’s saving culture remained robust in 2019, compared to the year before, Al Daboos said.

“This means that the UAE society remains aware of the importance of saving money, as well as the country’s ability to weather any economic shocks,” he added.

National Bonds’ CEO, Mohammed Qasim Al Ali, said, “Last year, the company focused on two main things: increasing the number of companies joining its saving and investment programmes, such as “Employee Savings Programme”; and growing the number of its investors by launching attractive tailored programmes, such as Booster, which provides regular income through competitive returns up to three years,” he added.