Paradigm REIT, one of the newest retail names on Bursa Malaysia, reported a profit after taxation of RM27.8 million for the first quarter ended 31 March 2026, alongside a distribution per unit of 1.80 sen. The result lands just as Malaysia withdraws the long-standing preferential withholding tax rate that helped sell M-REITs to retail investors in the first place.

The numbers behind the quarter

For the three months to 31 March 2026, Paradigm REIT booked revenue of RM60.46 million, a marginal 0.6% dip from the preceding quarter, while net property income (NPI) came in at RM39.23 million, down 6.0% quarter-on-quarter, according to its filing with Bursa Malaysia. The manager attributed the softer NPI to lower advertising and promotional income and higher property management fees during the quarter, a seasonal pattern familiar to mall landlords once the festive trading peak passes. The first quarter typically captures the tail of Chinese New Year footfall, so a modest sequential easing was always likely rather than a sign of structural weakness.

Profit after taxation stood at RM27.8 million and distributable income was RM28.88 million, giving a distribution margin of 47.8%, as reported by BusinessToday. The trust proposed to pay out 99.82% of that distributable income, equal to 1.80 sen per unit, with payment scheduled for 10 June 2026. On the closing unit price of RM0.955 as at 31 March 2026, that annualises to a distribution yield of 7.7% - a notably generous figure in a year when the 10-year Malaysian Government Securities yield and most fixed deposits sit far below that level.

The balance sheet remains solid for a freshly listed vehicle. Net asset value was RM1,646.03 million, or RM1.0276 per unit before distribution, which means the units were trading at a discount to NAV at quarter-end - a gap that yield-hunting investors tend to watch closely. Occupancy across the three-asset portfolio held near the top of the range: Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru at 99.5%, Paradigm Mall Petaling Jaya at 98.6% and Bukit Tinggi Shopping Centre, in Klang, fully let at 100%, per the manager's results commentary carried by Minichart. Sponsored by WCT Holdings, the trust carries a concentrated but high-quality book of suburban and regional malls rather than a single flagship asset, spreading its rental risk across the Klang Valley and Johor.

Why it matters for Malaysian readers

Paradigm REIT only listed in 2025, so this is among its first clean quarters as a public trust, and the early read is reassuring for anyone weighing retail-mall exposure as part of a property portfolio. A 7.7% headline yield sits well above what most fixed deposits or even larger diversified M-REITs currently offer, and near-full occupancy at all three malls signals that the underlying tenancies - the actual rent-paying shops - are healthy rather than propped up by short, easily-broken leases. For investors who cannot stomach the lumpiness and maintenance drag of owning a physical shoplot, a REIT unit offers a liquid proxy for the same retail rental income.

But the bigger story for unit-holders is tax, not occupancy. Effective from the 2026 year of assessment, Malaysia has stopped applying the concessionary 10% withholding rate on REIT distributions to most non-corporate investors. As The Edge Malaysia reported, resident individuals will now be taxed at their prevailing progressive rates with no withholding deduction, while non-resident individuals and foreign institutions face a rate of up to 30%, and non-resident companies a 24% final withholding tax. The change followed remarks by the Finance Minister II earlier in the year that the M-REIT market had matured into a stable, widely accepted asset class that no longer needed continued fiscal support.

That distinction matters when you read a 7.7% gross yield. The figure quoted in any REIT result is before your personal tax treatment, so two investors holding the same Paradigm units will keep different amounts depending on their income band and residency. For a Malaysian in a lower tax bracket, the new progressive treatment can actually work out cheaper than the old flat 10%; for higher earners and foreign holders, the bite is larger. Anyone modelling REIT income alongside a mortgage or rental cash flow should run the after-tax number - our loan qualifier is a useful starting point for stress-testing how much fixed income you actually need against your monthly commitments.

Context from the wider sector helps frame the result. Larger retail M-REITs such as IGB REIT and Pavilion REIT enjoyed a strong opening quarter on the back of Chinese New Year and Hari Raya spending, so Paradigm's flat-to-softer sequential numbers should be read against an unusually high festive base rather than as a sign of fading demand. The common thread across the better-performing names this season has been prime, high-footfall malls with sticky tenants - precisely the profile Paradigm is built on. For a property buyer deciding between a REIT unit and a physical shoplot or strata-retail investment, that sector-wide resilience is a reminder that location and tenant mix, not the wrapper, drive the income.

Editorial commentary

The withdrawal of the preferential rate is being read by parts of the market as a sentiment overhang, particularly for tax-sensitive foreign holders who priced the old 10% certainty into their entry decisions. Yet the income case has not collapsed. Maybank Investment Bank has noted that net M-REIT yields are still estimated to average 4.7% to 6.0%, which remains competitive against most other asset classes even after the tax change. Paradigm's gross 7.7% gives it a wider cushion than the sector average to absorb that shift, and its trading discount to NAV adds a second margin of safety.

Rummah News reads this quarter as evidence that well-located, fully occupied retail assets can still carry a yield premium in 2026, but the era of buying any M-REIT purely for a flat 10% net distribution is over. Selection now matters more: occupancy quality, lease expiry profile and the sponsor's pipeline will separate the winners from the laggards as the tax tailwind disappears. A concentrated three-mall trust lives or dies on tenant retention at each asset, so the next two quarterly filings will be more instructive than this one.

Practical takeaway

Paradigm REIT's Q1 2026 distribution of 1.80 sen per unit will be paid on 10 June 2026 - confirm your units are registered before the entitlement date.
The 7.7% yield is a gross figure; recalculate it against your own income tax band now that the 10% preferential withholding rate has been withdrawn for the 2026 year of assessment.
Resident individuals in lower tax brackets may keep more than under the old regime; higher earners and foreign holders generally keep less.
Near-full occupancy at all three malls (98.6%-100%) is the metric to watch each quarter - a slide there would pressure future distributions.
Compare the after-tax REIT yield against rental yields on physical property before deciding where to park capital; browse current listings in Petaling Jaya and Johor Bahru, where two of the malls sit.
Check recent comparable pricing on our transactions page if you are weighing a mall-adjacent residential purchase over a REIT unit.

Closing

With its first full year as a listed trust under way, Paradigm REIT's next quarterly filing will show whether occupancy and distributions hold up once the preferential tax cushion is fully gone. For income-focused Malaysian investors, the after-tax yield - not the headline number - is now the figure that counts.