Maybank Trustees Berhad
Issuers and institutional clients needing a large, bank-backed corporate bond/sukuk or fund trustee, plus retail estate planning under a familiar brand
Trustee Footprint Index
70/100A reproducible score of public-record footprint and disclosure, not fees, quality or suitability. See the methodology. Disclosed scale is often self-reported.
| Category | Corporate & bond trustee |
| Ownership | Maybank group (Malayan Banking Berhad) |
| Established | 1963 |
| Headquarters | Kuala Lumpur |
| Licensing | Registered as a trust company under the Trust Companies Act 1949 (registered 11 November 1963); acts as SC-recognised bond/sukuk trustee and approved unit trust/CIS trustee under the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007 |
| Scale | Not disclosed publicly; company describes itself as a top industry player in private trust and retail trustee services, and has administered unit trust funds since 1991 and bond/CIS trusteeship for decades. Specific assets under trusteeship and number of issues are not disclosed. |
| Best for | Issuers and institutional clients needing a large, bank-backed corporate bond/sukuk or fund trustee, plus retail estate planning under a familiar brand |
Maybank Trustees Berhad (MTB), company number 196301000109 (5004-P), was incorporated on 12 April 1963 and registered as a trust company under the Trust Companies Act 1949 on 11 November 1963, making it one of the oldest local trust companies in Malaysia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Maybank group (Malayan Banking Berhad), Malaysia's largest bank by assets, and operates from Kuala Lumpur.
MTB runs two distinct lines. On the corporate side it acts as trustee for private debt securities (corporate bonds and sukuk), collective investment schemes and unit trust funds (it has administered unit trust funds since 1991), and real estate investment trusts, alongside custodian, escrow, ESOS and e-money trustee mandates. Under Malaysian rules a trustee must be appointed to protect bond and sukuk holders and to enforce the trust deed, and MTB is one of the established players in that market. On the retail side it offers will writing, Islamic wasiat writing, private trusts, insurance and Takaful Hibah trusts, and estate administration, positioning itself as a top industry player in private trust and retail services.
The company is opaque on numbers. It does not publish assets under trusteeship, the value or count of bond and sukuk issues it serves, market share, or standard fee schedules, so scale here is stated as not disclosed rather than estimated.
MTB features in two of Malaysia's most cited bond-trustee court cases. In the Pesaka Astana matter, the Federal Court in 2014 (CIMB Bank Berhad v Maybank Trustees Berhad and related appeals) held MTB liable to bondholders, finding it had failed to prevent bond proceeds from being disbursed to and misused by the issuer, a decision that rattled the domestic bond market and sharpened the debate over trustee duty of care. MTB was also a defendant in the Aldwich bond programme litigation, another leading case on the scope of duties owed by trustees, advisers and auditors in bond issues. These cases are part of Malaysian capital-market legal history and are relevant context for anyone assessing the trustee's institutional record.
Services
- Corporate bond and sukuk trusteeship (private debt securities)
- Trustee for collective investment schemes and unit trust funds
- Real estate investment trust (REIT) trustee
- Custodian and escrow services
- Will writing (conventional) and Wasiat writing (Islamic)
- Private trusts, insurance trusts and Takaful Hibah trusts
- Estate administration
- Employee Share Option Scheme and e-money trustee services
Strengths
- Backed by Maybank, the largest banking group in Malaysia, giving strong institutional standing and continuity
- One of the oldest trust companies in the country (founded 1963), with long experience across bonds, sukuk, unit trusts and REITs
- Full-service: covers both institutional corporate trusteeship and retail estate planning (wills, wasiat, private trusts)
- Offers both conventional and Islamic (Shariah) solutions including Wasiat and Takaful Hibah trusts
- Nationwide reach and branch access through the Maybank network
Watch-outs
- Little quantitative disclosure: assets under trusteeship, market share and fee schedules are not published
- Named defendant in the landmark Pesaka Astana bond case, where the Federal Court in 2014 (CIMB Bank v Maybank Trustees) held the trustee liable to bondholders for failing to prevent misuse of bond funds
- Also a defendant in the long-running Aldwich bond programme litigation over trustee and adviser duties
- As a large bank subsidiary, service can feel more institutional and less bespoke than boutique trustee firms for individual clients