StashAway is a robo-advisor — an automated investment platform that builds and manages a diversified portfolio on your behalf. It is licensed by the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) and has been operating in Malaysia since 2018. You deposit money, answer a few risk questions, and StashAway allocates your funds across global ETFs without you needing to pick individual stocks.
The pitch is straightforward: professional-grade portfolio management at a fraction of the cost of a traditional unit trust or financial adviser. But does the reality hold up? This review covers how StashAway actually works, what it costs, and whether it makes sense for your situation.
How StashAway Works — The ERAA Framework
StashAway does not just throw your money into a static 60/40 portfolio and forget about it. The platform uses a proprietary framework called ERAA (Economic Regime-based Asset Allocation) to adjust your portfolio based on macroeconomic conditions.
In plain terms, ERAA monitors economic indicators — inflation, growth rates, central bank policy — and shifts your asset allocation when conditions change. During periods of high growth and low inflation, the portfolio tilts toward equities. During downturns or inflationary spikes, it shifts toward bonds, gold, and other defensive assets.
This is the core differentiator from a static index fund approach. Whether the active rebalancing adds value over a simple buy-and-hold strategy depends on the time period — more on that in the performance section.
When you sign up, StashAway assigns you a StashAway Risk Index (SRI) ranging from 6.5% to 36%, based on your risk tolerance and investment horizon. A higher SRI means a larger allocation to equities. You can adjust this yourself at any time.
Fees — What You Actually Pay
StashAway charges a single annual management fee based on the total amount you have invested. The fee structure is tiered:
| Amount Invested (RM) | Annual Management Fee | |-----------------------|----------------------| | First 25,000 | 0.8% | | 25,001 – 50,000 | 0.7% | | 50,001 – 100,000 | 0.6% | | 100,001 – 250,000 | 0.5% | | 250,001 – 500,000 | 0.4% | | 500,001 – 1,000,000 | 0.3% | | Above 1,000,000 | 0.2% |
There are no sales charges, no switching fees, no withdrawal penalties, and no performance fees. The management fee is the only fee StashAway charges directly. However, the underlying ETFs in your portfolio have their own expense ratios — typically 0.1% to 0.3% — which are embedded in the ETF price and not billed separately.
For context: a typical Malaysian equity unit trust charges a sales fee of 3–5% upfront plus an annual management fee of 1.5–1.8%. StashAway's all-in cost is significantly lower, especially at higher investment amounts.
Portfolio Options
StashAway offers three main portfolio types:
General Investing — The flagship product. A globally diversified portfolio of ETFs allocated according to your SRI. This covers equities, bonds, commodities, and real estate across developed and emerging markets. Best suited for medium to long-term wealth building.
Thematic Portfolios — Focused portfolios targeting specific sectors: technology, healthcare, ESG, and others. Higher concentration risk than the general portfolio, but useful if you have a strong conviction on a particular theme. These still use ETFs — you are not picking individual stocks.
Simple Guaranteed — A capital-protected option backed by a Malaysian bank deposit. Lower returns than the equity-heavy portfolios, but your principal is guaranteed. This is closer to a fixed deposit alternative than a true investment portfolio. Useful for short-term parking of cash you cannot afford to lose.
Minimum Investment
StashAway requires a minimum of RM100 to start investing, with a minimum top-up of RM10 thereafter. This is one of the lowest entry points available for a diversified global investment portfolio in Malaysia.
By comparison, most unit trusts require RM1,000 minimum, and purchasing individual ETFs on Bursa Malaysia typically requires at least one board lot (100 units), which can mean RM500+ depending on the ETF price.
Historical Performance
Here is where honesty matters: past performance does not predict future returns, and StashAway's results vary significantly depending on your SRI level and the time period measured.
Based on publicly available data from StashAway, portfolios with higher risk indices (SRI 22–36%) have delivered annualised returns in the range of 5% to 12% over multi-year periods, while conservative portfolios (SRI 6.5–14%) have returned in the range of 2% to 6% annualised. These ranges account for various market conditions including the 2020 drawdown and subsequent recovery.
A few important caveats:
- Returns are denominated in USD for the underlying ETFs, so currency fluctuation between MYR and USD affects your actual returns
- The ERAA framework's defensive repositioning during downturns can either protect your capital or cause you to miss recovery rallies — it depends on timing
- StashAway publishes track records on stashaway.my — check their performance page for the most current data with your specific SRI level
Do not rely on any single number. Look at the full track record across different market regimes, and understand that a robo-advisor is a long-term play — not something you evaluate over six months.
EPF i-Invest Integration
EPF members can invest a portion of their Account 1 savings through the i-Invest platform, which includes StashAway as an approved fund manager. This allows you to channel EPF savings into StashAway portfolios without withdrawing cash from your own pocket.
There are limits on how much you can transfer, and the eligible amount depends on your EPF balance and age. For a complete breakdown of EPF withdrawal rules and the i-Invest mechanism, see our EPF Complete Guide 2026.
StashAway vs the Alternatives
| | StashAway | Wahed Invest | Unit Trusts | DIY Stocks/ETFs | |---|-----------|-------------|-------------|-----------------| | Type | Robo-advisor | Islamic robo-advisor | Managed fund | Self-directed | | Min. investment | RM100 | RM100 | RM1,000 (typical) | ~RM500+ (1 lot) | | Annual fees | 0.2–0.8% | 0.39–0.79% | 1.5–1.8% + 3–5% sales | Brokerage per trade | | Shariah-compliant | Optional themes | Fully Shariah | Depends on fund | Your choice | | Effort required | Very low | Very low | Low (agent handles) | High | | Control | Limited | Limited | None | Full | | Diversification | Global ETFs | Global Shariah ETFs | Varies by fund | Up to you |
StashAway vs Wahed Invest — Wahed is the direct Islamic alternative. If Shariah compliance is non-negotiable for you, Wahed is the better fit — every portfolio is fully Shariah-compliant by default, not just select themes. Fee structures are broadly similar. Both are SC-licensed. The choice comes down to your compliance requirements and which platform's investment philosophy you trust more.
StashAway vs unit trusts — The fee difference is the headline. A unit trust charging 1.7% annually plus a 5% upfront sales charge needs to significantly outperform StashAway's global ETF portfolio just to break even on costs. Some actively managed funds do outperform, but most do not consistently beat their benchmarks over 10+ years. If you are currently paying unit trust fees and not seeing meaningfully better returns, the cost savings alone make StashAway worth considering.
StashAway vs DIY investing — If you enjoy researching stocks, reading annual reports, and managing your own portfolio, a robo-advisor will feel restrictive. You give up control in exchange for convenience. The DIY approach has no management fee beyond brokerage costs, but it requires real time, knowledge, and discipline — particularly the discipline not to panic-sell during drawdowns. For most people who are not active investors by inclination, StashAway removes the behavioural risk of making emotional decisions.
If you are new to investing entirely, start with our beginner's guide to investing in Malaysia before committing to any platform.
Who StashAway Is For
- Working professionals who want their money invested but do not have the time or interest to manage a portfolio themselves
- New investors who find the stock market intimidating and want a structured entry point
- Anyone currently in high-fee unit trusts who wants similar diversification at a lower cost
- EPF members looking to deploy a portion of Account 1 beyond the default EPF allocation
- People who know they should invest but keep procrastinating — the automated nature removes most friction
Understanding why you should invest at all starts with understanding what inflation does to uninvested cash. Our inflation calculator shows how purchasing power erodes over time — it is the single strongest argument for getting your money working.
Who Should Skip StashAway
- Experienced DIY investors who already manage a diversified portfolio at lower cost — you are paying for convenience you do not need
- Anyone who needs full Shariah compliance — Wahed Invest is the better fit unless StashAway's specific Shariah thematic portfolio meets your requirements
- Short-term savers — If you need this money within 12 months, a high-yield savings account or fixed deposit is more appropriate. Investment portfolios can and do lose value in the short term
- People who want full control over every holding in their portfolio — StashAway picks the ETFs and allocation, not you
The Bottom Line
StashAway solves a real problem for a specific group of Malaysians: people who know they should invest beyond their EPF and savings account, but who will never realistically build and manage their own portfolio. The fees are fair, the minimum is accessible, and the SC licence provides regulatory oversight.
It is not the cheapest possible way to invest — buying a single global ETF on your own costs less. But it is the most frictionless way to get a diversified, professionally managed portfolio without overpaying for unit trust fees or needing to learn technical analysis.
Start with RM100 if you are curious. Treat the first three to six months as a learning period where you watch how the platform works, how your portfolio moves, and whether you are comfortable with the approach. Then decide whether to commit more.
Disclosure: money.com.my may earn a referral fee if you sign up for StashAway through links on this site. This does not affect our editorial assessment — we review every product using the same criteria regardless of commercial relationships.