KUALA LUMPUR (May 6): The National Higher Education Fund Corp (PTPTN) has declared a 4.1% dividend for its Simpan SSPN savings scheme for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2025 (FY2025), marking its highest payout in 11 years.

That translates into total payout of RM505.68 million, which will be distributed to 6.07 million depositors. This is a notable increase from the RM439.87 million it distributed a year ago, when the dividend rate stood at 4.05%.

PTPTN chairman Datuk Seri Norliza Abdul Rahim attributed the strong performance to the fund's strategic asset allocation. “The increase is supported by a prudent investment strategy that preserves capital while delivering competitive returns,” she said during the dividend announcement on Wednesday.

The returns generated were by a mix of short- and long-term shariah-compliant investments in the domestic money market and sukuk instruments, Norliza added.

Simpan SSPN is a government-backed savings scheme managed by PTPTN to help Malaysian families save for higher education. Historically, Simpan SSPN's dividends have ranged between 2.5% and 4.25%, with the peak achieved between 2012 and 2014.

Its offerings include the Simpan SSPN Prime plan, which focuses on basic education savings, and Simpan SSPN Plus, which combines savings with takaful protection and structured monthly contributions. Contributors are eligible for up to RM8,000 in annual personal income tax relief.

During the year under review, Simpan SSPN recorded total deposits of RM3.33 billion, up from RM3.17 billion in 2024. This brings the fund's cumulative deposits to RM23.88 billion. The scheme also recorded more than 500,000 new account openings in 2025. With the latest distribution, total dividends paid out since the scheme's inception in 2004 have reached RM2.63 billion.

Depositors can check their dividend earnings via the myPTPTN application starting May 7.