IslamicFinance.de

According to Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, the number of participation bank branches has reached 869, thier size of assets has increased to 81.5 billion Turkish Liras. Therefore, the participation banks’ share in assets is 5 percent and in funds it’s 6 percent. However, these figures are below expectations, he added. The minister stated that the tax difference between sukuk and bonds has been removed, legislation related to Islamic financing has been completed, and the private pension system has become able to be built on non-interest instruments. Moreover, Turkey has expressed its intention to create a legal basis for Takaful insurance, since Bahrain-based Albaraka is planning to found an Islamic insurance firm. Furthermore, two new participation banks from the Gulf countries had been preparing to enter to the country.

Kuwait Finance House (KFH said its 20 percent capital increase had been oversubscribed by shareholders, without providing specific details. The bank was raising 319 million dinars ($1.12 billion) from the sale of 639 million new shares at 0.5 dinars each - a 35.9 percent discount to the closing price at the start of June, when the offer period was announced. The share sale, which ran for two weeks from June 5, will boost KFH's paid-up capital by 64 million dinars and would fund the bank's expansion and strengthen its balance sheet. The sale will push the bank's Tier 1 ratio towards its 17 percent target for the end of 2013. It currently stands at 13.6 percent, below the 15.5 percent average for the Kuwait banking sector. The capital increase is part of the bank's five-year strategic plan, with shareholders giving assent to the move in April.

Bankers, businessmen and economic experts urged masses to adopt Sharia-based banking and insurance in their need of daily lives and businesses. Speaking at the Second Islamic Financial Expo and Conference (IFEC) held at local hotel on Thursday, they enlightened participants about the potential of Islamic banking, hereafter underlining the need of awareness and penetration of Islamic banking and Takaful services across the country. Islamic banks are very active in introducing different products to the customers which not only meet their demands at commercial and domestic levels but also fulfill Sharia principles. However, there are loopholes in the Islamic banking industry which must be addressed mutually by banks, regulator and the government.

Bank Muamalat Indonesia delayed an up to $177 million initial public offering because of recent stock market declines. The sharia lender hasn’t decided on a new timetable for the IPO. Muamalat had already lowered the indicative price range on the deal to Rp 575-675 from the original Rp 625-975, to try and drum up demand. CIMB and Bahana Securities were hired to underwrite the IPO.

Bahraini lender Al Baraka Bank's Turkish unit is working on the issue of a $200 million sukuk, Al Baraka Turk general manager Fahrettin Yahsi said on Wednesday. Yahsi explained the sukuk would be issued when market conditions allowed and added that the bank would renew its $450 million murabaha syndication with a higher volume at the end of September.

According to a new special report published by Moody's Investors Service, the Saudi sukuk market will continue to grow over the next 12-18 months. Strong sukuk issuance has continued in 2013, with SR 11.6 billion already issued during Q1, leading the rating agency to expect that 2013 sukuk issuance will surpass 2012 levels. With limited investment options available, IFIs tend to maintain higher levels of very low-yielding cash and Islamic interbank placements. A larger sukuk market would facilitate liquidity management through a pool of higher-yielding Shariah-compliant securities and offer a profitability boost to local IFIs. Moody's says that the record issuance is being driven by strong investor demand; increased financing opportunities to fund the country's large-scale infrastructure projects; and a developing yield curve following the sovereign-guaranteed benchmark sukuk issuance by the General Authority of Civil Aviation in early 2012.

A majority of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) in the Middle East believe wealth creation is faster today than in the past, according to the latest report of Barclays Wealth Insights. Over half (60%) of respondents in the Middle East agreed that wealth can be created faster today than in the past, in comparison to 43 per cent in Europe and 31 per cent in North America. Interestingly, more than half (54%) of Middle Eastern respondents stated that personal investments have contributed largely to their overall wealth portfolio, compared to other sources of income such as inheritance at 49 per cent. In terms of how this wealth is used, HNWIs in the Middle East have a tendency to allocate more of their resources to personal property than to tangible assets and collectibles. Many HNWIs around the world now prefer to give their money to family and friends and charitable causes in their lifetime rather than as inheritance, the report revealed.

The second issue of the quarterly CSR Al Youm newsletter, released by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry 's Centre for Responsible Business (CRB), marks the Sustainability Network's membership reaching 50 from just 2 in 2010. It also focuses on the members' sharing of their experiences on CSR, Sustainability and Corporate Governance to further support its development and adoption in the UAE. In its 'Sustainability Network Interview Series', the newsletter features Mr. Wasim Javed, HR Director, Middle East and Africa, TNT Express, who talks about his company's approach to CSR. The newsletter covers Engage Dubai's annual Give & Gain Day programme where business volunteers helped with everything from cooking classes at special needs schools to employability workshops for university students. Also, the newsletter profiles the CSR partnership in action of CHEP, Imdaad and Union Paper Mills to minimise waste to landfill and there is an article highlighting the environmental requirements of the Dubai Chamber CSR Label.

Bindu Ananth and Amit Shah recently published the book "Financial Engineering for Low-Income Households". The motivation of this book is to systematically compile principles from finance and economics theory and apply them to the context of design and delivery of financial services for low-income households. This is meant by the term financial engineering in this context. The biggest opportunity is in going away from standardized products to customized delivery. Financial engineering is essential to this customization because it provides the algorithms/rules for this customization. Therefore, in theory, each person can have a uniquely designed portfolio of financial services that reflect her growth and risk management needs. KGFS, a growing rural financial services company, has developed products and an operating model to meet the needs of low income households and to apply financial engineering.

Deloitte released its new Takaful report titled "The global Takaful insurance market: charting the road to mass markets". The report studies the emerging regulatory and practice challenges that will impact the Takaful industry, as well as assesses the business structures and strategies, market developments and growth trends globally. A roundtable was held in Bahrain in June, where Deloitte experts, national regulators, and executive Islamic bankers discussed the report and focussed on the regulatory and industry challenges specifically facing the Middle East Takaful market as well as identifying potential business strategies in the region. Latest industry data estimates that the global Takaful business will reach $20 billion by 2017. Ten key challenges were identified that would significantly impact the future of the Takaful industry.

The National Commercial Bank (NCB) recently signed an agreement with King Khalid Foundation to give financial donations to the best charity foundations that were able present a plan of a charity project. The aim of this initiative is to support training programs and build the capabilities of charity foundations’ staff to promote efficiency, effectiveness and performance, which will be positively reflected on the society. The list of wining projects included Qualifying the Adolescents project presented by Charity Society for Marriage & Family Care in Baha, Rehabilitation of Visually Impaired project presented by Ebsar Foundation, My Skill is Enough project presented by Albir Society Jeddah, and Qualifying the Job Seekers from Ensan Committee project presented by Charity Committee for Orphans Care (Ensan), Riyadh. Each foundation received a financial donation at the value of SR 200,000.

Alkhabeer Capital, a leading asset management and investment banking firm headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, announced the appointment of Tariq Hayat as Chief Corporate Communication Officer. Tariq joins Alkhabeer Capital from Arcapita Bank where he had worked since 2003 in senior corporate communications and management roles before being appointed as Arcapita’s Head of Corporate Communications. His key responsibilities will be to direct Alkhabeer’s internal and external corporate communication strategies, in addition to delivering specific stakeholder engagement initiatives to support the company’s accelerated growth.

Venture Capital Bank successfully secured the acquisition of a prime boutique new-build freehold residential development in Mayfair Chambers, one of London's most eminent residential districts.. This investment opportunity comprises of a building currently being developed to house six luxurious residences. Construction of the development has commenced and delivery of the apartments is expected to be in April 2014. VCBank has been working on this development and investment opportunity for several months. The Bank has engaged Trowers & Hamlins - an international law firm- to conduct a full legal due diligence on the site and offer advice given the new changes in the tax regime addressing matters such as stamp duty land taxes, capital gain taxes, and annual tax on enveloped dwellings (ATED).

Tunisia has won $1.2 billion in funding from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), aimed at backing industrial, agricultural and trade projects. The IDB funding line will include loans and grants, and will be for three years, with disbursements of $400 million each year until 2015. The IDB has also given Tunisia a financial guarantee to issue a sukuk worth $600 million before 2014. Tunis is also in talks with Qatar about the Gulf state making a deposit at the Tunisian central bank with easy conditions. The assassination in February of opposition politician Chokri Belaid triggered the worst street violence since the revolution. Elections expected towards the end of this year will create fresh uncertainty. The state budget deficit is expected to rise to around 5.9 percent of gross domestic product this year from 5.1 percent last year.

Tunisia's fledgling Islamic finance industry could take a 25 to 40 percent share of the country's financial sector in five years' time if necessary rules, consumer education and private investment plans materialize, according to a Thomson Reuters study. Currently, sharia-compliant business accounts for just 2.5 percent of the Tunisian financial sector. The study estimates that Islamic financial assets in Tunisia could reach $17.8-$28.5 billion by 2018, up from $1.4 billion at present. Some industry practices that are controversial among some Islamic scholars, like tawarruq or commodity murabaha, are generally being avoided in Tunisia, the study found. One boost for Islamic finance in Tunisia would be issuance of the country's first sukuk, which the government is planning. Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has given Tunisia a financial guarantee to issue a sukuk worth $600 million. Last week, the IDB extended said it would extend $1.2 billion in funding to Tunisia for industrial, agricultural and trade projects.

Al Madina Insurance Company is planning to float an initial public offering (IPO) in the fourth quarter of this year in an attempt to change its status to a Sharia-compliant takaful firm. As per the draft takaful regulation, insurance companies have to be public firms to function as takaful companies. The promoters will reportedly divest 40 per cent of their holding in the company in favour of investing public through the IPO, which will be a premium issue. Al Madina Insurance, which has branch operations in several parts of the country, has a capital base of OMR10 million. Besides, three other companies made similar proposals: Al Maha Ceramics, Sembcorp Salalah Power and Oman Arab Bank. Al Madina has received an 'in principle' approval from the Capital Market Authority for converting its status into an Islamic insurance firm and a final approval will be given only after the company lists its shares on the Muscat Securities Market (MSM).

Fitch Ratings has affirmed HSBC Amanah Takaful (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd's (HSBCAT) Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating at 'A-' with Stable Outlook and has simultaneously withdrawn the rating. The rating of HSBCAT is no longer considered by Fitch to be relevant to the agency's coverage. The rating reflects HSBC group's franchise value, distribution channel and management support. HSBC Holdings Plc (AA-/Stable) has a strong ability and willingness to provide it with continuing support. The rating also incorporates HSBCAT's conservative investment mix, healthy capitalisation, and prudent management. The rating is constrained by the takaful operator's modest size, and a limited track record amid a competitive and evolving takaful operating environment. Additionally, the company is challenged to manage its expenses effectively as it builds up its business portfolio.

Dubai Exports , the export promotion agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED), recently showcased the emirate's expertise and resources in Islamic economic services to the business community in Toronto and Vancouver across a series of seminars. The seminars, jointly organised by Dubai Exports and Borden Ladner Gervais LLP focussed on encouraging linkages between Islamic financial and advisory firms in Dubai and their counterparts in Canada. Participants in the seminar also discussed the changes required in Canada's taxation and regulatory system regarding Islamic financial products. Opportunities are especially seen in the connection of the sophisticated financial and business communities in Dubai with leading edge Canadian technology companies and entrepreneurs in such areas as clean tech, life sciences, advanced materials and information technology, which are all shari'a compliant.

In Sudan, Sharia-compliant microfinance is the government-mandated rule, not the exception. That’s because the country’s banking system went fully Islamic in the 1980s, legislating Sharia principles. In 2007, the Central Bank of Sudan established a dedicated microfinance unit to foster a conducive policy environment, a regulatory framework, and the intellectual, human, and financial capital to provide those services effectively. Moreover, the Central Bank introduced various Shariah-compliant products, such as musharaka, mudaraba, salam financing and istisna, to meet specific needs of potential customers. Banks were required to channel at least 12% of their total loan portfolio toward microfinance clients. Out of this have emerged several exciting programs that are offering early evidence that the country’s strategy is paying off.

Algeria hopes to stem high unemployment rates among its young population by promoting the development of micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs). Key to that effort, of course, is the provision of financial services. Therefore, the Algerian government set out to make a Sharia-compliant product available that is both affordable and scalable. In collaboration with several national and international institutions the Algerian Ministry for Industry, piloted one such product in the Ghardaia region of Algeria. Four years later, this musharaka product has provided new opportunities for 167 MSMEs. Given the success of this product, musharaka is now available through Al Baraka branches nationwide. The bank is also working with its nationwide branches to test other Sharia-compliant products, including, murabaha and qard hassan as well as Sharia-compliant micro-insurance products.