Takaud, a specialist provider of savings, investment and pension solutions for the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, has registered solid growth during the first six months with a 9.9 per cent increase in the mid-year returns for its investors.

Announcing the results, Takaud said its global investment strategies have resulted in getting impressive mid-year returns, thus marking a new six-month high for the performance of the company’s bespoke strategies.

Takaud specialises in creating and offering diverse investment strategies. These investments comprise mutual funds from a wide range of industries and regions, in addition to bonds or sukuk and cash.

Investment strategies provide the diversification so favoured by modern investors—spreading a single investment among many geographical regions and economic sectors - and are accessible to investors at all levels, said a statement from the company.

The global strategies include investments from the US, Europe, Asia and selected emerging markets. The Regional Strategies include investments from the Mena region as well as from global markets.

The Sharia Strategies include only investments that accord with the principles of Sharia law, it stated.

Leading the way is the Global Growth Strategy, which saw an increase in value of fully 9.91 per cent in just the first six months, while the Global Balanced Strategy posted an impressive 5.84 per cent, thus registering a six-month increase, while the Global Prudent Strategy’s 3.31 per cent performance exceeded last year’s first-half performance.

Johannes van der Dong, Takaud’s chief investment Officer said: "We constructed these and all our strategies to take full advantage of positive market forces and minimize any negative trends. Right now, markets are in good shape and our investment strategies are benefitting. We are pleased to see our planning produce excellent results for our customers."

The Takaud investment team chooses the investments comprising the company’s investment strategies from among thousands of possible options, he stated.

It shortlists the most promising and then undertakes exhaustive reviews of performance data, investment structure and fund-manager attributes, including in-person interviews and site visits.

Investment analyst Akshay Bhandarkar said: "By the time we make a decision on an investment, we know it and the people who manage it very well. We must feel confident before we decide to offer an investment to our customers."

Takaud pointed out that it maintains continuous vigilance to ensure investments perform according to expectations.

"We monitor our investments constantly. If any of them do not perform, we are ready with high-quality alternatives. Our customers’ best interest is our primary focus," remarked investment analyst Zainab Ebrahim.

A Bahrain-based firm, Takaud is 50 per cent owned by Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) and 50 per cent by United Gulf Bank, a member of the Kipco Group.

It offers well-designed investments for savers at all levels, including sharia-compliant strategies, regional strategies, the Takaud bond strategy and many other options.-TradeArabia News Service