UAE

Dubai Chamber, Pearl Initiative co-host seminar on integrated reporting

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Centre for Responsible Business together with the Pearl Initiative organized a seminar on integrated reporting. The seminar was held in the Dubai Chamber's head office in Dubai on Wednesday 14th. Professionals in the areas of CSR, sustainability, finance and strategy occupied in listed companies, public sector, private companies, state-owned enterprises and family firms took part in the event. The major topic of the seminar was integrated reporting - what it was and what ossibilities there are to help businesses take more sustainable decisions. Also, means to enable investors and other stakeholders to understand how an organisation is really performing were discussed.

Sukuk fund outlook from Rasmala

Last month, the dominant tone in Rasmala was one of "risk on" due to fluctuations in $ interest rates which had little bearing on Sukuk pricing in the region. The nervousness in the international market only led to a brief halt in the local market followed by soldiering on as soon as positive sentiment returned. The striving for yield continued at a quick pace. This is evident by the strong performance of some yielding names in the conventional space which were previously unloved but higher. An example of such yielding names is Dubai Holdings 14s and 17s which reached an increase of more than 2% and 3% respectively on the month.

Shrugging Off a Debt Default, Gulf Islamic Financial Markets Show Maturity

After the request of Dubai World of six-month delay on payments on US$26 billion in debt in 2009, default became an extremely dirty word. Consequently, when this year Dana Gas failed to repay US$920 million on its sukuk, the local press was hesitant whether or not to call this a default. During the global economic and financial crisis, the UAE and Dubai in particular were shook by the credit rating agencies, investors and the international press. Fortunately, multibillion-dollar bailout from Abu Dhabi averted the worst. Until recently, companies, which faced inability to repay their debt, looked for restructuring before deadline. Dana Gas made an exception, however, they managed to come up with a restructuring deal very quickly, thus demonstrating development in terms of maturity of the Islamic finance market.

World's first Basel III Tier 1 Sukuk may boost supply - Fitch

Fitch Ratings claims that after Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank's (ADIB) hybrid Tier 1 Sukuk further UAE banks are likely to follow their example and issue Basel III-compliant bonds. Both conventional and Shari’ah-compliant banks are expected to issue Tier 1 products in the coming year. Fitch also noted that relatively high levels of capital are a necessity for banks in the Gulf region in order to deal with the difficulties in the operating environment. Moreover, hybrid Tier 1 instruments are believed to be a cost-effective means of accessing a wider investor base.

Ethica Launches 700 Page Islamic Finance E-Book for Professionals

Today the certification institute Ethica launched an e-book on practical, usable information about Islamic finance. The 700 pages of the book cover a number of topics from sample Islamic finance contracts, over 1,000+ scholar-approved Q&As, to the entire "Meezan Bank Guide to Islamic Banking," study notes to Ethica's award-winning Certified Islamic Finance Executive (CIFE) program, etc. At the end of the e-book there is an easy-to-use subject index. The emphasis lies on entrepreneurship.

Dana Gas restructures $920 million sukuk

Dana Gas has eventually agreed upon restructuring its sukuk worth $920 million. Thus, it will potentially avert the seizure of its assets in Egypt. According to Dana's statement on Wednesday, the company intends to pay its sukuk holders a mix of cash and new bonds which will be split between a sukuk and a convertible. There is no information on what proportion would be in cash. This solution to Dana's default is believed to serve best the interests of all stakeholders.

ADIB launches $1bn sukuk

A few days ago, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank launched a sharia-compliant hybrid Islamic bond worth $1bn, thus aiming to boost its core capital. The Tier 1 perpetual sukuk has no particular maturity date. It was launched at a profit rate of 6.375%. Even though the structure of the sukuk is rather rare and unusual for the Middle East, the demand is high. This means that that ADIB offered enough of an incentive to reel in investors. It can be expected that more bonds of a similar kind may follow this issue.

Dana Gas Restructures $1 Billion Bond to Avert Asset Seizure

Dana Gas PJSC was able to conclude a restructuring deal with sukukholders including BlackRock Inc. (BLK). Thus, the formerly mentioned seizure of its Egyptian energy assets will be averted. The company has reached an in-principle agreement with its creditors, according to which it will convert the Islamic bonds into an ordinary and a convertible sukuk. Sukukholders will receive a partial cash payment as well.

Gulf Islamic banks ready to step in as HSBC pulls back

Just as HSBC Holdings announced it would shrink its Islamic banking operations in a number of countries, the National Bank of Abu Dhabi made plans to increase the contribution of its Shariah-compliant operations three times over the next eight years. Thus, it becomes clear that HSBC's move is nothing but a sign of its own priorities. While it is set to continue its operations mainly in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia with a limited presence in Indonesia, local banks have the opportunity to step in for it.

Dana Gas in deadlock over sukuk negotiation

After its default, Dana Gas has asked creditors for a decision on the liquidation of its US$920 million sukuk (Dh3.37 billion). Locked in last-minute negotiations with a committee of sukuk-holders, Dana discusses a standstill agreement over repaying the bond. The company has made a request to its creditors to declare whether they will seek to dissolve the bond. Such a measure would enable attempts to seize the company's assets, including concessions in Egypt and Sharjah.

ADIB to issue hybrid sukuk this week

This week, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) plans to issue a hybrid sukuk. However, it is likely that investors will demand a big premium for the rare structure. According to expectations, the bank will raise minium $500m to shore up its core capital, complying thus with tighter Basel III global standards. This is a prerequisite for the Tier 1 capital which will be introduced in the UAE in the years to come. ADIB’s Tier 1 sukuk structure is different from the usual instruments to raise Tier 2 capital sold by different Gulf lenders. Firstly, there is no maturity date. Also, the principal is repaid at the discretion of the issuer.

UAE's Dana Gas says not aware of sukukholder action against co

Dana Gas, which announced inability to repay a $920 million sukuk on maturity last week, claims to have no information about any action from bondholders against the company. It is expected that creditors will stake claim to the company's assets in Egypt. In a statement by Dana, it was confirmed that the company is not aware of any enforcement actions against the company by sukukholders. They further added that discussions with the adhoc committee of sukukholders show constructive progress.

DIB registers $81 million profit

Recently, Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) announced a flat third-quarter net profit. Even though there was a big jump in provisioning, the bank exceeded all forecasts of the analysts. During the three months until September 30, DIB made 298.5 million dirhams ($81.3m). Compared to that, the same period last year brought a profit of 298m dirhams. The 43% jump in provisions did not affect the steady quarterly profits. The bank's chairman, Mohammed Al Shaibani, pointed out that DIB's performance was notable for delivering strong results while meantime sticking to its conservative approach to provisioning.

Bondholders seeking key Dana Gas assets

Dana Gas could not manage to repay a $920 million sukuk on its maturity date. It is suggested that holders of the bond will stake claim to the extensive Egyptian assets of the company. According to an announcement by Dana Gas, they are in talks with bondholders aiming to amend and extend the terms of the sukuk.

Read more on: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=340947

3rd Arab Women Leadership Forum to kick off on Nov.19

Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) will again be the host of its flagship Arab Women Leadership Forum. The third edition of the forum will be held on 19th - 20th November at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai. The main focus of the forum will be issues and opportunities regarding the role of women in the boardroom. The theme of the forum is announced to be "Board Leadership '&' the Case for Diversity". National as well as internationally recognised speakers and accomplished women role models will take part. In addition, the forum will play the role of a high-level networking platform for conference attendees.

Read more on: http://gulftoday.ae/portal/d3563b47-a8a2-44bc-bda3-640272425c98.aspx

Banker charged with embezzling more than Dh1 million

The case of missing deposits worth over Dh1 million in total has been solved. On Wednesday, a banker was charged with embezzlement in a Dubai court. The 39-year-old Jordanian banker with Dubai Islamic Bank is said to have embezzled funds by squirrelling away payments from customers who had completed their bank loans via a loan recovery agency. The criminal acts took place during the period between 2009 and 2011 when the banker was working at Dubai Islamic Bank.

Read more on: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/crime/banker-charged-with-embezzling-m...

Abu Dhabi to host sustainability forum

Abu Dhabi will be the host of the annual general meeting of the World Future Council (WFC). The event will be held in the Middle East for the first time in the coming month. Prominent personalities from all over the world will take part in the discussion of the interests of future generations in sustainable policy-making. The title of the meeting is ‘Securing Our World: The Crucial Next 5 years’ and it will be conducted from November 21 to 25. WFC has had success in inspiring a number of governments to frame legislations and policies in order to conserve natural resources.

Read more on: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/abu-dhabi-to-host-sustaina...

ADIB puts Islamic finance on the global ethical business agenda

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) has managed to bring up Islamic finance as an ethical and sustainable business model in the global financial scene. In a TV series launched by Bloomberg TV and sponsored by ADIB, CEO of ADIB Tirad Al Mahmoud explained his view of Shari'a-compliant banking being a viable, resilient and ethical business model. Especially because of the global financial crisis, the demand for ethical banking all around the world has been extremely high.

Read more on: http://www.ameinfo.com/adib-islamic-finance-global-ethical-business-316817

Dubai's Tamweel Q3 profit falls on provisions, funding costs

Islamic mortgage provider Tamweel registered a drop in the profit during the third quarter of the year. The drop is as high as 46,5%, which misses the forecasts of analysts by far. The 8.4 million dirhams ($2.3 million) net profit in Q3 of 2012 contrasts with 15.7 million dirhams in the same period last year. The forcasts by Arqaam Capital and EFG Hermes lied at a profit of 22 million dirhams.

Read more on: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/22/emirates-tamweel-results-idUSL...

Dubai Bank to be rebranded by November-end

According to an official announcement, by the end of November 2012 Dubai Bank will be rebranded as Emirates Islamic Bank (EIB). By merging the two Islamic banking holdings of the Emirates NBD Group, a stronger, more resilient proposition for customers will be provided. With the completion of the alignment process, customers will be able to enjoy an expanded network of 50 branches, 100 ATMs and CDMs across the UAE. Also, there will be free access to over 700 ATMs and CDMs which are part of the Emirates NBD Group.

Read more on: http://www.emirates247.com/business/economy-finance/dubai-bank-to-be-reb...

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