IslamicFinance.de

A consortium of Gulf-based banks has announced the successful closing of a $230.5 million and a euros 115.3 million syndicated dual-currency Murabaha financing facility for Turkish Bank Asya. Launched at $225 million, the facility was oversubscribed to close at $382 million equivalent with participation from 28 banks from across the globe. The facility carries a profit rate of 125 bppa over the relevant benchmark. The proceeds from the facility will be used by Bank Asya to expand its financing activities in Turkey. ABC Islamic Bank, Barwa Bank, Emirates NBD Capital, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Noor Islamic Bank and Standard Chartered Bank were the Initial Mandated Lead Arrangers and also the Bookrunners for the deal.

Shares in Turkey's Gozde Girisim were up 9.49 pct to 4.50 lira, its upper limit for the session, after it mandated asset manager Unlu to sell its 11.57 percent stake in Turkish Islamic lender Turkiye Finans. Turkiye Finans is majority owned by Saudi Arabia's National Commercial Bank, and Gozde by Turkish conglomerate Ulker.

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) said yesterday that it has assessed the deposit liabilities of Jaiz Bank Plc, and that in a couple of weeks, the bank will start paying premium as insurance cover for its depositors. NDIC Managing Director/CEO Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim said the premium collected from the bank would be invested in non-interest bearing instruments. A sensitisation workshop for NDIC solicitors was organized to educate the legal team because excessive litigations remained a major challenge to developing formidable deposit insurance system in the country. According to him, other challenges are the lack of proper understanding of the distinction in the legal status of NDIC as liquidator and deposit insurer by legal practitioners, the court and the public at large.

The Finance Ministry has approved a 6-billion-baht fund for recapitalization of the Islamic Bank of Thailand, of which the ministry is the major shareholder. The project aims at reviving the bank after it has been plagued by the problem of non-performing loans (NPLs). Out of the 6-billion-baht rehabilitation fund, 3 billion will come from the ministry itself, and the rest from the Government Savings Bank and the Krung Thai Bank, which are shareholders of the Islamic Bank. The first allocation of 920 million baht under the rehabilitation scheme will be made to the Islamic Bank in June. However, the second batch of 3 billion baht has yet to be approved by the parliament and depends on the needs for money by other units.

Brandon Short, a former Goldman Sachs investment banking executive for MENA, will join with two former senior executives from Deutsche Bank to form World Business Partners UAE ("WBP"), a small business finance company based in Dubai. The other co-founders of WBP are Doug Naidus, former Managing Director and Global Head of the Residential Lending Division of Deutsche Bank, and former Chairman and CEO of MortgageIT, and Alex Gemici, former Managing Director and Head of MENA Residential Finance for Deutsche Bank. World Business Partners UAE will offer a Shariah-compliant financing solution ranging from AED 35,000 to AED 1.5 million for small businesses seeking working capital. WBP’s ijara asset sale-leaseback program allows SMEs to use the cash equity of their existing assets to fund their businesses’ growth and expansion.

As part of an initiative backed by the Islamist government, state-run Ziraat Bank is working to set up a Shari’ah-compliant entity. Turkey already has four Islamic banks, known locally as participation banks, of which three are foreign-owned. But Shari’ah-compliant assets account for just 5 percent of total banking assets, far below the average of 25 per cent in the Gulf región. Size is mostly the problem. Islamic banks in Turkey are also lagging in innovation compared to peers elsewhere in the Muslim world. Stronger and larger Islamic banks could strengthen Turkey's financial position. Domestically, they could lure funds that could help fund Turkey's GDP growth. Internationally, stronger Islamic banks would enable Turkey to attract more cash from the Gulf and Asia.

As they shift towards more market-based economies, Arab companies can no longer afford to neglect demands for greater accountability and transparency in the boardroom. Ten years ago companies had their own practices and policies addressing accountability and social responsibility but there were no regulatory precepts and little attention paid to details of transparency or conflict of interest – issues crucial to the running of a modern business. Today 14 of the 17 MENA economies have a corporate code of some description and “hawkamah” (the Arabic word for governance) is becoming more than just a catchphrase. But while some countries are making great strides improving accountability and transparency, in many of the countries that need it most - those experiencing political, social and economic transition with an urgent need for foreign investment and jobs - the process has faltered.

Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), the world's biggest petrochemicals group, will issue a sukuk late this year or next year to fund coming projects. SABIC has 40 billion riyals ($10.7 billion) worth of projects over the next few years and the company prefers to fund these with sukuk. Its Chief Financial Officer Mutlaq al-Morished said the timing of the sukuk would depend upon both the development of the projects and conditions in financial markets. It is too early to give the size of the sukuk, he added.

PwC Luxembourg in association with the Luxembourg Stock exchange publishes a new brochure about Sukuk listing in the Grand Duchy. This document distributed on 6 May 2013 during the “Journée boursière” provides an overview of the Islamic Finance Market in Luxembourg and highlights the benefits of Sukuk Listing and Trading in Luxembourg. 16 Sukuk have been listed on the Luxembourg Stock exchange. With more than 3,127 listed issuers coming from 103 countries, the Luxembourg Stock Exchange meets capital market players’ needs. Luxembourg remains one of the most competitive, stable and secure environments in Europe to locate securitisation transactions. The development of Islamic Finance in Luxembourg has been set as priority by the Grand Duchy.

British lender Barclays has said Middle East syndicated lending is recovering from a three-year low, as companies seek to lock in cheaper funding costs to repay debt maturing this year and in 2014. Regional loans surged nearly 50% in the first quarter from a year earlier to $15.2bn, led by borrowings from the UAE, said the CEO for the Middle East and North Africa, John Vitalo. Market conditions were now conducive to borrowing, reducing loan margins leading to an overall reduced cost to the borrower, Vitalo added. There was also a hunt for yield by the international banks given their demand-starved markets and interest from regional companies to borrow, he said.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, advisor to Dubai's ruler, has said the emirate may issue another sovereign bond in 2013. He also said the government is looking at alternate means to repay its debt if asset sales don't materialise. When asked if an alternative to asset sales was in place, he confirmed that they were considering it. However, he could not specify what, since it's confidential information because of the restructuring.

Telecom Malaysia (TM) has enough cash to redeem its RM2 billion sukuk that will mature on December 31, according to its senior officials. TM has RM3.7 billion in cash and bank balances as at end-2012, its chief financial officer Datuk Bazlan Osman said. Therefore, the group does not see any need to issue more bonds to raise funds for now, he added. TM’s healthy reserves were lifted by a year-on-year growth in net income of 6.1 per cent from RM1.19 billion in 2011 to RM1.26 billion last year. This was largely helped by a 9.2 per cent revenue growth from RM9.15 billion in 2011 to RM9.99 billion last year, which TM claimed is the highest in the industry.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has passed orders against a takaful company for not complying with the provisions of the Insurance Ordinance, 2000 and the Companies Ordinance, 1984. Further, SECP’s insurance division has also passed an order against a life insurance company under section 130(2) of the Insurance Ordinance, 2000. The SECP has also issued 13 warning letters and four show-cause notices to various insurance and takaful companies for contravening various provisions of corporate laws, insurance laws and related accounting standards and regulations. To maintain transparency and provide equal opportunities to all insurance surveyors, Pakistan Insurance Institute has been mandated to examine and check the competency of surveyors, on the basis of which the SECP will issue a licence.

Few Saudis are insuring their homes despite the recent floods and the relatively low-cost SR 5,000 annual premium per house on average. Sheikh Khaldoun Barakat, chairman of the board of directors of Arab Reinsurance Company, said current prices are “reasonable” and based on a house’s location, preparations to avoid risk and other factors.
He added companies and shops need to have insurance because there is a high risk of heavy losses if an accident or disaster occurs. Homeowners and businesspeople in Saudi Arabia are unaware of the importance of insurance against disasters. according to Barakat. Insurance experts said that government and the private sector should raise awareness of the importance of housing insurance.

The Capital Market Authority is finalizing a regulatory framework which will allow foreigners to directly own stocks in Saudi Arabia, though the market has no need for liquidity from international investors. Foreign investment is attracted to come to the market for the technical expertise and human capacity. Indications are that foreign appetite is strong to invest in the largest regional exchange, which could add greater depth and breadth to the market and ultimately benefit all participants, Furthermore, large institutional investors could push for greater disclosures and transparency which will pave the way for Saudi equities to be included in widely followed emerging markets indices. Following this, the next steps would be the introduction of new instruments such as REITs, options and warrants, and covered shorts. An efficient and well-regulated market should be the eventual goal.

Bahrain-based First Energy Bank (FEB) plans to build a $1 billion polysilicon production plant in Saudi Arabia with a local partner to cater to rising regional investments in solar power. The project is spearheaded by the strategic partner, FEB and the techno-commercial developer, Project Management and Development Company (PMD). It will cover a total area of approximately 375,000 square meters in Al Jubail Industrial City 2, and is expected to start production in 2013. The project will have a total production capacity of 7,500 tons per annum. It is expected that future expansion of the project facility (in second phase) would include investments in downstream sector. The project has achieved key milestones like the signing of the power supply agreement with Saudi Electricity Company (SEC).

Parviz Aghili earlier this year opened what is in effect the Iran's only privately owned bank, the Middle East Bank. It focuses on domestic corporate clients and wealthy individuals within Iran’s private sector. Since it opened its doors in January, the Middle East bank – the smallest Iranian bank with only three branches so far – has attracted 1.4tn rials ($114m) in deposits and granted 3tn rials in loans. But the greater challenge for the western-educated veteran banker will be avoiding to become state-owned. Aghili said the bank has no interest in attracting state-owned or quasi-state-owned companies as shareholders or as clients. For now the Middle East bank plans to remain small. Moreover, it plans to open representative offices in countries such as India and Oman.

After the European Union imposed sanctions on Iran-based Bank Mellat and removed them in January, the EU Council has now launched an appeal against the decision of the court. However, Bank Mellat is at present considering applying to the EU Court to strike out the EU Council’s appeal on the grounds that the appeal was filed too late. According to Sarosh Zaiwalla, senior partner at Zaiwalla & Co, the EU Council appealed the decision due to political pressure from the United States government to reinstate sanctions. He stressed the importance of an independent court system in order to deal with businesses who have disputes criss-crossing legal borders.

Arcapita Bank has lined up $350 million in financing to take it out of Chapter 11 protection this summer. The Bahraini investment firm is seeking bankruptcy-court approval to move forward with a deal under which Goldman Sachs International will arrange and syndicate up to $350 million in financing, which court papers show will be structured to be compliant with Islamic Sharia law.

HSBC reported profits before tax of US$8.4 billion for its global business during the first quarter, a 95 per cent increase on the amount generated during the corresponding period a year earlier. HSBC Middle East, the bank's regional arm, reported profits before tax of $524 million for the first quarter, a 57.8 per cent increase compared with a year earlier, as it released provisions earlier made for bad debts. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank reported net profit at group level of Dh340.1m for the first quarter, an increase of 10.6 per cent compared with a year earlier. ADIB reported 5.4 per cent growth in net customer financing assets during the quarter to Dh54bn. At the same time, the bank's provisions and charges for bad debts were flat compared with a year ago at Dh185.5m.