Unit trust provider Unit Trust of Fiji (UTOF) yesterday processed and paid out a total of $8,349,667.68 in final dividend to its 108,000 account holders for the financial year ending December 31, 2025 – for the investment period from July 1 to December 31.
In the 2024 final distribution, UTOF’s total account holders were 104,000, which means that within the span of 12 months, it had recorded an additional 4000 new account holders.
Those account holders include the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) minor accounts under its care totaling some 35,000, employee investment scheme initiative, provincial councils, regional partners, and everyday moms and dads and many more unit holders that have entrusted UTOF with their hard-earned savings.
“This declaration reflects the Unit Trust of Fiji’s continued commitment to delivering sustainable returns and creating long-term value for our investors, despite a very challenging and evolving economic landscape,” UTOF board chairperson Lavinia Kaumaitotoya said at a press conference in Suva yesterday.
She said last year was marked by moderate economic growth, rising interest rates and global market volatility, but through prudent portfolio management and diversification, they maintained strong performance across its funds, reinforcing investor confidence and supporting Fiji’s broader financial ecosystem.
In her announcement, Ms Kaumaitotoya said UTOF achieved a 2025 final dividend rate of 3.95 cents per unit for its Income and Growth Fund (IGF) and paid out a total dividend of $7,791,329.
For their Income Fund, she said they declared the annualised dividend rate (ADR) of 3.00 per cent and paid out $558,338.
In 2024, the declared rates were 3.85 cents per unit for the Income and Growth Fund and 3.00 per cent ADR for the Income Fund.
“So congratulations to our unit holders, you can now check your account,” she said.
Ms Kaumaitotoya also shared the positive performance of the IGF having achieved a total return of 8.30 per cent.
She said their total return for 2024 was 7.44 per cent, which meant UTOF had delivered an even stronger performance this year despite the challenging economic environment.
“For our valued IGF investors, here’s what this means for you: the 2025 dividend yield stands at 2.83 per cent, your capital gain is 5.47 per cent, and together, this gives you a total return of 8.30 per cent for the 2025 financial year.
“This continued consistency and growth also strengthen the Fund’s long–term performance.
“I’m proud to announce that the five–year average annual return for the Income and Growth Fund now sits at 8.14 per cent.
“This is a meaningful milestone.
“It tells us that even through varying market cycles, economic shifts, and global uncertainties, the Fund has continued to deliver stable and competitive returns for our investors.
“These results reaffirm our dedication to safeguarding and growing the wealth of our unit holders.”
UTOF chief executive officer Vilash Chand they had continued to pay out a record dividend when compared to the last five years, and the total return provided in the IGF was again a “master achievement” for the investment institution post-COVID.
He also commended the growth in account holders.
“That shows the confidence of our unit holders or investors have in the Unit Trust of Fiji and the investment climate in general in Fiji as well,” Mr Chand said.
He said they were also witnessing that there were a lot of new investors coming on board, and reasoned that perhaps, there was a lot of financial discipline among Fijians and they had the capacity and capability to save some dollars.
He said there were also options available to their investors to exercise when they get their dividends – either it be paid out to their bank accounts or they get it accumulated to their current account by way of reinvestment.
“The promising trend we are noticing at the moment is a lot of investors are actually turning to reinvest their dividends, which is a good sign,” Mr Chand said in response to a question from this newspaper.
“It means you are accumulating your dividends into your investments, and you’re getting better dividends the following year.
“Percentage wise, I think we are knocking around 90 per cent of our investors who are opting to reinvest their dividends.
“If I can put it in a context, five years back, the number used to be around 65 per cent to 70 per cent.
“So that increase in interest of having a reinvestment option, this shows the confidence the investors have in our fund and the return we provide.”
Mr Chand said another very important achievement was the portfolio size that increased beyond $600 million.
In 2024, UTOF had recorded a total of $521m under management, which had exceeded a target it set by 114.46 percent and in less than eight months.
“I’m pleased to say that we have achieved our target for 2025 and a similar growth is expected for the 2026 financial year.
“We expect to continuously diversify our portfolio and provide the much needed return our unit holders deserve, considering the challenging market we have.
“But we have some interesting times ahead for this year.”
Mr Chand said the strategy, aside from diversification, was to continue to invest in some growth and high yield stocks, which it had done for the last several years.
Ms Kaumaitotoya said looking ahead to 2026, they would continue to pursue strategic investments, regional expansion, and alignment with Fiji’s National Development Plan (NDP) to ensure inclusive and sustainable financial growth.
“On behalf of the board and management, I extend my sincere gratitude to our unit holders for your trust and confidence in the Unit Trust of Fiji.
“Together, we will continue to build a stronger financial future for all Fijians.”
