Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has called on Muslim and non-Muslim residents in the country to invest in sharia compliant capital market following the launch of NU mutual fund last Friday (June 17).

"We call on the people to become investors in view of the fact that the sharia compliant capital market offers big potentials but is still growing at a slow pace," chief of the NU central executive board Marsudi Syuhud said here on Sunday.

With the launch of NU sharia compliant mutual fund, the Islamic organization can take part in encouraging the domestic industry and the publics participation in the sharia compliant capital market. Only 0.2 percent of the Indonesian population invests in the sharia compliant capital market, he said.

According to a report from the Financial Service Authority (OJK), the growth of investment in the sharia compliant capital market was still less than 5 percent.

In fact, sharia compliant shares grew 8 percent per year, net asset value expanded 16.4 percent per year and outstanding sukuk (sharia bonds) increased 3.9 percent per year.

Therefore, NU continued to familiarize the public with the mutual fund called Cipta Nusantara through its 52,282 branches in the country and abroad, he said.

He expressed the hope that the mutual fund would attract more than 83 million NU and non-NU members in the country who are expected to donate part of their return to religious, educational, social and economic activities through NU.

NU is teaming up with PT Ciptadana Asset Management as an investment manager.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016