Islamic #funds, asset management sector poised for growth

A report by Malaysia International Islamic Financial Center shows that the Islamic fund and wealth management sector is expected to grow significantly. The report notes that Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have the largest market share of the global Islamic funds and wealth management industry, together holding more than 67%. Saudi Arabia contributed a 35.6%-share of $25.2bn and 209 Islamic funds at end of the first quarter of 2017, while Malaysia has the most number of Islamic funds globally with 388 funds managing a total AuM of $22.6bn. The growth of the sector stems from the fact that global fund and asset managers increasingly notice the potential of this sector. Since it is now also accessible to institutional investors, as well as non-Muslim investors, they began using it as a new way to diversify investments. In a projection by Thomson Reuters, the global Islamic funds and asset management industry remains poised for growth and should increase in volume by more than 8% to $77bn by 2019.