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The Thomson Reuters Global Sukuk Index is at 116.87897 points, up from 115.79726 at the end of last month. The Thomson Reuters Investment Grade Sukuk Index is at 114.80806 points against 113.69014 at end-December. The sukuk in the pipeline include: Ivory Coast plans to make a debut 200 billion CFA franc ($340 million) sukuk issue in 2015. International Bank of Azerbaijan also plans to issue $200-300 million of debut sukuk this year. Malaysia's UniTapah Sdn Bhd plans to issue up sukuk murabaha of up to 600 million ringgit. Kenya will issue its debut sukuk in the next financial year to June 2016.

Abu Dhabi's government-owned Al Hilal Bank said on Thursday its chief executive Mohamed Jamil Berro had not resigned, correcting an earlier comment from a spokeswoman who said he was leaving. The CEO still remains in his position and it is business as usual for the bank, according to a statement from the bank. Earlier, the bank's spokeswoman told Reuters that Berro had resigned, with Al Hilal's executive vice president of wholesale banking, Sarie Ahmed Arar, assuming the role of acting CEO. The bank's spokeswoman mistakenly informed Reuters that Berro had resigned, the statement said without elaborating.

Bank Islami Pakistan has received regulatory approval to study the acquisition of KASB Bank Limited. An acquisition could see Karachi-based Bank Islami add 105 branches to its existing network of 213, while the transaction would require the conversion of KASB Bank's conventional financial products into sharia-compliant ones. In November, the central bank placed KASB Bank under a six-month moratorium as it struggled to meet capital adequacy requirements. Last week, Bank Islami's board of directors approved a plan to raise 3.5 billion rupees ($34.8 million) via subordinated Islamic bonds to fund its expansion strategy.

The share of national income going to wages across industrialized countries has fallen from over 66 per cent in the early Eighties to around 61 per cent, according to the OECD. Globally, the decline is even sharper – from 62.5 per cent in 1980 to 54 per cent in 2010, according to the United Nations. Rising pay inequalities at the same time as a falling wage share mean even less of the rewards of growth go to the working people who create them. The World Economic Forum itself has at least finally put deepening income inequality at the top of its list of global concerns. The world economy is wage led, and if the wages increase, then the greater spending power boosts growth.

An Airbus-backed, sharia-compliant aircraft leasing fund has signed its maiden deal to buy five A330-200 planes with an option for four more. Based on list prices, the deal for the nine planes is worth approximately $2 billion, according to Dubai-based International Airfinance Corporation (IAFC), which manages the fund. The fund, which exclusively finances Airbus aircraft for clients in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, was launched in June with seed capital from Airbus and the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank. The fund has a target size of $5 billion and uses a 4-to-1 mix of sharia-compliant debt and equity.

Premier Bank in Somalia has successfully gone live with Path Solutions’ iMAL Islamic Banking & Investment System on the 29th of December 2014. The implementation of the new R14 Branch Automation in the latest Java version serves the bank’s purposes of focusing on its business growth, managing risks and controlling costs. Phase I implementation covers System Admin, Accounting, Customer Service Management (CSM), Report Designer, SWIFT, Alerts (SMS Banking), and Processing modules in iMAL. Phase II implementation is already in progress and includes Facility Management System, Islamic Investment System, Provisioning, Profit Calculation System and Integration Manager modules along with Internet Banking, ATM, and Mobile Banking.

A call for a 'Marshall Plan' in the Arab world was made at the start of the 2015 World Economic Forum in Davos. One speaker outlined his idea to have a fund to invest in large and small economic projects across the Arab world. The investment would come from Arab sources. There's tons of capital in the area, he said. Several other attendees agreed that such a fund can go ahead without the political stability. However, there are also dangers in the region, like having no change for decades and suddenly dramatic change. The long tradition of strong men and weak states has led to the hollowing out of the nation state and these issues are now coming to the fall.

Sabana Shariah Compliant REIT (SGX: M1GU) has released its full-year earnings for 2014 recently. The REIT focuses on industrial properties scattered around Singapore which are collectively worth around S$1.26 billion as at 31 December 2014. Despite seeing gross revenue for the whole of 2014 grow by 12.1% to S$100.3 million from a year ago, the trust’s net property income (NPI) actually declined by 9.2% to S$72.95 million. The decline was partly due to a huge 200% increase in property expenses for the trust. Income available for distribution to Sabana REIT’s unitholders followed suit with a 16.4% drop to S$51.6 million.

Islamic International Rating Agency (IIRA) has reaffirmed the Takaful Financial Strength (TFS) rating of The Islamic Insurance Company (TIIC) in Jordan at 'A' (Single A). Outlook on the assigned rating is 'Stable'. The fiduciary score has been reassessed in the range of '71-75', which indicates that protection factors are adequate. The assigned rating derives strength from TIIC 's franchise as a Shari'a compliant operator that builds on the reputation of its parent, Jordan Islamic Bank, and which forms part of the Al Baraka Banking Group. Established in 1996, the company has grown at a steady rate and presently commands a market share of about 4% in Jordan's overall insurance sector.

Alkhabeer Capital has signed a strategic agreement with Alareen Holding Company, Saudi Arabia-based real estate development company, to get exposure to the Saudi residential development market. Saudi Arabia will need significant supply of new housing projects in order to keep pace with the growing population. Due to the growing young population, the rapidly declining household sizes and evolving Saudi lifestyle, demand for residential units is expected to remain healthy across the Kingdom, according to Ahmad S. Ghouth, Deputy CEO at Alkhabeer Capital. The cooperation with Alareen enables Alkhabeer to access the growth potential,

Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) will hold the 14th edition of its Annual Shari'a Conference on 22 and 23 March 2015 in Manama, Bahrain. The conference will be held under the auspices of the Central Bank of Bahrain. Discussions will include on topics relating to application of Shari'a to international Islamic finance products, services and practices as well as continuing innovation of Islamic finance to support further growth and expansion of the industry. Following the conference, AAOIFI will hold training sessions for its Certified Shari'a Adviser and Auditor (CSAA) and Certified Islamic Professional Accountant (CIPA) qualification programs from 24 to 27 March 2015.

Emerging headwinds could slow progress in the global Sukuk markets compared to 2014, even though 2015 is likely to be a solid year overall. Supporting Sukuk issuance is the still-positive economic performance of core markets such as the GCC and Malaysia, the implementation of new regulatory requirements, and increasing interest in Sukuk from countries that have not yet tapped the Sukuk market looking to diversify their investor base. However overall issuance volumes could be lower in 2015 as a result of reduced global liquidity should the US Federal Reserve begin increasing interest rates in the 2nd half of 2015. Lower oil prices also pose a threat to issuances.

CEO of the Franco-American Alliance for Islamic Finance (FAAIF) Camille Paldi explains that there is a huge potential for Islamic finance in France. This is due to the fact that France is the fourth-ranked financial market worldwide and number one in the Eurozone and desires to attract liquidity from cash rich Gulf investors and Asia. This factor coupled with a large Muslim population and an open-minded and financially savvy general populace equates to a large success factor for Islamic finance in France. French officials forecast that France may attract US$120 Billion in Islamic assets through lending and investments in French businesses, property, and financial markets by 2020.

Muhammad Nurul Islam, managing director/chief executive officer of Jaiz Bank, explained that wholesale transparency in the bank’s regular operations at all levels has enabled it to move away from huge losses to break-even point in record time. However, there are also challenges for the bank, such as the need for a liquidity management instrument that is non-interest banking compliant to manage our excess liquidity. Islam also said that by 2016 end, the bank will have improved capital to enable it go outside the shores of Nigeria. So in the next five years, Jaiz Bank will go International and expand its business base.

Al Hilal Bank is reportedly partnering with Hind Al Oud perfume manufacturer that specialises in musky Arab scents to create a themed card targeting women. Al Oud will also provide complimentary perfumes alongside the perfumed MasterCard.

Bahrain-based General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (CIBAFI) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) are planning a joint meeting in Bahrain next month aimed at discussing issues of internationalisation of Islamic financial services. The roundtable meeting of the directors of operations and investment of Islamic banks, themed 'Internationalisation Strategies of Islamic Financial Institutions', will be held on February 23 and 24. Through the meeting, the council expects to increase awareness and information sharing about the CIBAFI Strategic Plan 2015-2018.

Qatar Islamic Bank ( QIB ) plans to raise up to 2 billion riyals ($549.4 million) through a capital-boosting sukuk. Qatar's largest sharia-compliant institution by assets announced the sukuk after reporting fourth-quarter net profit that was up an estimate-beating 30.4 percent year on year. On Sunday QIB said that its board had proposed a Basel III-compliant Tier 1 sukuk worth up to 2 billion riyals, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval. QIB's total capital adequacy ratio, a combination of Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital, stood at 14 percent at the end of 2014, against a 12.5 percent minimum prescribed by Qatar's central bank.

Malaysia-based International Islamic Liquidity Management Corp (IILM) has reissued $860 million worth of three-month Islamic bonds. The auction drew 11 bids worth $1.065 billion, with the sukuk priced at a profit rate of 0.553 percent. The IILM last went to the market in November when it increased its outstanding sukuk programme, rated A-1 by Standard and Poor's, to $1.85 billion from $1.65 billion. IILM sukuk are designed to meet a shortage of highly liquid, investment-grade financial instruments which Islamic banks can trade to manage their short-term funding needs.

Gatehouse Bank is marketing a new CMBS-style transaction backed by the rental cashflow from a Paris office property. The deal is backed by an acquisition facility of more than EUR100m, where the rental payments will be securitised through two classes of fixed-rate certificates. This new structure, labelled a commercial rental-backed security (CRBS) by Gatehouse, removes the uncertainty because the certificates are backed by the direct legal ownership of the building. The bank will look to attract typical CMBS buyers, which are increasingly seeking to access this asset class.

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