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Business Wire
a day ago
- Business
- Business Wire
New Brand Finance Ranking: PIF and BlackRock Stay on Top as World's Most Valuable Sovereign Wealth Fund and Asset Management Brands
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BlackRock is the world's most valuable asset management (AM) brand with a value of USD8.3 billion, and PIF is the most valuable and fastest-growing sovereign wealth fund (SWF) brand, according to data from Brand Finance, the world's leading independent brand valuation consultancy. The collective value of the top 50 brands grew 5% year on year, to USD73.9 billion in 2025. BlackRock's brand value has risen 17%, driven by a surge in assets under management, strategic acquisitions in private markets, and leadership in technology and AI. PIF is the most valuable SWF brand, (up 11% to USD1.2 billion). It also ranked seventh for brand value to AUM ratio among all AM and SWF brands, the only SWF to feature in the top 10. PIF's AUM have grown due to robust portfolio performance, driven by a range of key portfolio companies and maturing long-term projects. J.P. Morgan Asset Management ranks as second most valuable AM brand (up 3% to USD7.2 billion) and leads AM and SWF brands in brand strength with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 87.6/100 (AAA). Vanguard (USD6.0 billion) is third most valuable. The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) is the strongest SWF by BSI, scoring 64.1/100 (A+). PIF is the second strongest AM brand, scoring 62.9/100 (A+). David Haigh, Chairman and CEO of Brand Finance, commented: ' high-profile investments with a positive impact continue to build the brand values of asset managers and sovereign wealth funds. This is evident in the impact of successful sports partnerships, which deliver an observable uplift in awareness and familiarity among B2B and informed audience. Formula 1 and football are powerful and popular ways for asset managers and sovereign wealth funds to raise their international profiles in a way that is consistent with the brands' wealth and stature.' Note to Editors The full ranking, insights, methodology, and definitions of key terms are available in the Brand Finance Asset Management & Sovereign Wealth Fund 50 2025 report. Brand Finance is the world's leading brand valuation consultancy.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
Flying passports: Immigration enhances safeguards against graft at high-risk entry points
The Immigration Department is doubling down on internal enforcement measures amid renewed scrutiny over frontline integrity. This follows the arrest of four officers over alleged graft at the Malaysia-Singapore border. Johor Immigration director Datuk Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus said six anti-graft protocols remained firmly in place, in line with standing orders issued by the director-general of the Immigration Department, to curb abuse and syndicate infiltration at national entry points. "These protocols are not symbolic. They are enforced at high-risk locations, including the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complexes at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB)," he told the New Straits Times yesterday. "They cover everything from bag and body checks, closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera surveillance, rotation of officers, system access audits and handphone bans to integrity pledges for high-exposure assignments." Rusdi was responding to queries after the arrest of the four enforcement officers at the BSI complex, who were remanded over allegations of stamping foreign passports without the holders being physically present — described as the "flying passport" ruse. Two officers were detained on suspicion of accepting RM3,000 bribes while manning the motor vehicle entry lane. Two others were picked up later. Investigators also seized 14 foreign passports, four mobile phones and RM3,000 cash. The suspects, who have been remanded for six days, are believed to have received RM200 per passport for bypassing verification procedures. The case is investigated under Section 17 of the MACC Act 2009. "This is why internal controls exist," said Rusdi. Immigration enforcement officers at all entry points are prohibited from carrying personal mobile phones, which must be stored in lockers. Bag and pocket inspections are conducted before and after each shift to detect smuggling, cash bribes or unauthorised documents. Immigration counters are monitored around-the-clock via CCTV cameras by the integrity unit. Officers caught engaging in suspicious interactions are flagged for further investigation. He confirmed that the department was still reviewing proposals to equip officers with body-worn cameras and artificial intelligence-backed behavioural monitoring systems. Despite the procedural safeguards, Rusdi admitted that the risk of collusion remained. "We must reinforce a culture of integrity before compromise becomes embedded," he said.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Mullayanagiri as conservation reserve in Karnataka will protect Neelakurinji species
BENGALURU: The Karnataka forest department is pressing the revenue department to give its concurrence to declare and protect revenue lands in Mullayanagiri, Chikkamagaluru, as a conservation reserve. This will protect the area where Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes sessilis) flowers bloom in large numbers. 'When the proposal was first conceptualised, the area identified in Mullayanagiri where the Neelakurinji blooms was 16,000 acres in 2020. When the proposal was reconsidered and cleared at the last State Wildlife Board meeting, the area had been reduced to 9,000 acres,' sources in the department said. The species that blooms in Mullayangiri is different from what is found in the Nilgiri mountains, Strobilanthes kunthiana. Experts from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) said around 32 Neelakurinji species have been discovered so far. 'The shrubs are difficult to identify unless they bloom, which happens once in 12 years. It is also interesting as the species which was ideally found in higher altitudes is now found in the foothills and other forest patches,' said Dr Saheed S Hameed, senior scientist, head of office, BSI, Southern Regional Centre. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, PC Rai said the proposal was sent to the revenue department two months ago, after the State Wildlife Board's standing committee approved the idea to declare the region as a conservation reserve. Principal Secretary, Revenue department, Rajendra Kataria said a ground report from the district administration has been sought, and a resurvey is being done. Many of the identified areas are inam lands, sold, developed or are private lands. Sources said a survey is under way to identify developed forest lands, to exchange for revenue land proposed as a conservation reserve. The forest department is also pinning its hopes on the National Green Tribunal, Chennai, that has taken up a suo motu hearing on protecting the Neelakurinji species and declaring them protected by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 'If all the Neelakurinji species are declared IUCN, then not just Nilgiris, but all parts of Western Ghats will also be protected,' forest officials said.
AsiaOne
3 days ago
- AsiaOne
4 Malaysian immigration officers at JB-Singapore checkpoint arrested over 'flying passport' scheme, Malaysia News
Four enforcement officers at Malaysia's Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex were nabbed for allegedly accepting bribes in what authorities call a "flying passport" scheme. The term refers to when a person's passport is carried across the border by a third party and stamped without the holder being physically present. The passports are later returned to the owners, who had entered Malaysia illegally. This allows them to bypass immigration processes, reported The Star. The officers are suspected of receiving RM3,000 (S$910) in bribes, according to the New Straits Times (NST). The two main suspects were detained during an unannounced inspection at the checkpoint on Friday (July 25). Another two were arrested for allegedly abetting the scheme on Saturday. BSI CIQ Commander Roszita Dim said the two are a 31-year-old officer and a 49-year-old supervisor, reported Bernama. During the operation, authorities found suspicious data entries linked to the ID of an officer manning a car zone counter, including records of foreigners identified as problematic visitors that would need to be manually corrected. About RM2,800 in cash were found at the car clearance counter, and 14 foreign passports stashed in a bag hidden in the ceiling of another counter. Two mobile phones were reportedly seized from the officer at the car counter, and another two from the motorcycle zone supervisor. "Initial investigations suggest that the cash and mobile phones are linked to bribery transactions involving the 'flying passport' scheme," NST quoted a source from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission as saying. The suspects allegedly received around RM200 for each passport stamped. [[nid:720102]]
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
Two more officers detained in flying passport scheme at CIQ Complex
JOHOR BARU: Two more enforcement officers have been detained in connection with the 'flying passport' activity at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex. The latest arrests by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) bring the total number of enforcement officers detained in the case to four. The suspects are believed to have received bribes amounting to RM3,000 as part of a syndicate that stamps passports without the holders being physically present at the border—an activity known as the 'flying passport.' The four men, aged between their 20s and 40s, were detained at the Johor MACC office on Saturday (July 26) following investigations into misconduct at the checkpoint counters at BSI CIQ. According to a source, two of the officers were initially arrested by the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) during a surprise inspection at the BSI complex on Friday (July 25) before being handed over to the MACC. "Following their arrest, two more enforcement officers were detained for allegedly abetting in the flying passport activity. The suspects are believed to have received about RM200 for each passport stamped without the passport holder's presence," said a source. Initial investigations uncovered 14 foreign passports, four mobile phones belonging to the two main suspects, and around RM3,000 in cash believed to be bribe money. When contacted, Johor MACC deputy operations director Hairul Ilham Hamzah confirmed the arrests, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009. "All four suspects will be brought to the Johor Baru Magistrate's Court on Sunday (July 27) morning for a remand application," he said. On Saturday, AKPS BSI CIQ commander Roszita Dim said the first two male suspects were detained on Friday following a covert surveillance operation by the AKPS compliance unit that began at 3 p.m. on the same day. "Our operation targeted the team on duty at the CIQ complex, where suspicious activity was first detected around 7.30 p.m. at the vehicle zone counter at the entry checkpoint. "Investigators observed several questionable entries of visitor data using an officer's login credentials at the counter, including data linked to foreign nationals flagged as problematic visitors. "These entries triggered manual data correction actions by one of the suspects," she said. Roszita added that another instance of suspicious data clearance involving a problematic visitor was detected at around 9 p.m She then said that in this incident, a supervisor's user ID stationed in the motorcycle zone was used. "A search at the vehicle zone counter uncovered RM2,800 in cash and two mobile phones in one of the suspect's possession. "The investigation then led to a concealed stash of 14 foreign passports, with 11 belonging to Chinese nationals and three to Indonesian nationals, hidden inside a black bag above the ceiling at another counter," she said. A 'flying passport' refers to an illegal immigration tactic in which passports are carried—often by third parties—across borders without the physical presence of their holders. The passports are then returned to their owners, who had entered the country through unauthorised channels. This method allows problematic individuals to bypass immigration checks and security protocols undetected.
