Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s biggest local-currency bond market, will let retail investors fund Kuala Lumpur’s new subway as it starts marketing its first exchange-traded notes to individuals.

Jan 8 (Reuters) - DanaInfra Nasional Bhd, a unit owned by Malaysia's Finance Ministry, on Tuesday launched a 10-year Islamic bond worth 300 million ringgit ($98.6 million) aimed at retail investors to raise funds for the country's largest infrastructure project.

Kuala Lumpur: DanaInfra Nasional Bhd this morning launched RM300 million of Islamic bonds (sukuk), which will be the country's first such issue meant for retail investors.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 8, 2013): Malaysia's first exchange-traded bonds and sukuk (ETBS) launched today is expected to offer an annual return of about 3.7%.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 8, 2013): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak today launched the much anticipated first retail exchange traded bonds/sukuk (ETBS) with a maiden issuance by DanaInfra Nasional Bhd.

KUALA LUMPUR: The challenge for Malaysia, which now accounts for three-quarters of the global sukuk market, is to make sukuk part of the global investment mainstream.