IslamicFinance.de

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) plans to continue its current strategy based on prudence in risk management, coupled with innovation in customer experience and products. This approach is working: over the past two years, ADIB has attracted more than 100,000 new retail customers, taking its total to more than 950,000. In the first half of 2017, net profits rose more than 14.1% year-on-year to $307m. Total revenues reached $757m, up 4.1%. CEO Khamis Buharoon says the bank has now a balanced customer base, across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the northern emirates, comprising UAE nationals, as well as Arab, Asian and Western expatriates. A number of new additions to ADIB’s range of retail and wholesale banking services are planned. According to Buharoon, ADIB's individual and corporate customer base will continue to grow and key factors remain digitisation and automation in branches.

Socially responsible investment (SRI) and Islamic finance share significant common ground. Both spheres of investment demand the businesses chosen for investment are socially useful, not detrimental to humanity, and compliant with humanitarian ethics. SEDCO Capital has incorporated the Sharia-compliant investment approach with its responsible investment strategy and created the concept of prudent ethical investing (PEI). At the heart of PEI lie the environmental, social and governance criteria (ESG) that are integrated into financial analyses. SEDCO Capital is not only Sharia-compliant but also evaluates ESG aspects as part of its investment process. PEI is merging these two forces to embrace a more sustainable economic development model that is expected to attract non-Muslim SRI investors into the Islamic finance market.

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and KPMG have come together to launch the first FinTech Abu Dhabi Innovation Challenge on Oct. 22. The Innovation Challenge includes an intensive five-week program for innovative and mature start-ups to conceptualize and present market-ready solutions that address real business challenges in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. During the program, 10 finalist teams will work divided into six focus areas: Financial and Investment Management, Financial Inclusion, RegTech, Trade Finance, InsurTech and Private Capital Markets.The finalists will showcase their solutions at the FinTech Demo Day in Abu Dhabi to a panel of industry experts. Each finalist will benefit from mentoring sessions and fast-tracked consideration for admission to ADGM’s Regulatory Laboratory (RegLab) program. They will also win a $15,000 cash stipend to cover any costs associated with travel matters and accommodation.

The West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM), in collaboration with the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) started a five-day regional course on interest-free Islamic banking. Director General of WAIFEM, Professor Akpan H. Ekpo, stated that the objective of the course is to provide a broad understanding of the rudiments of Islamic banking. In particular, it will provide clarity on the Shariah requirements and the avoidance of Riba in modern-day banking business. 1st deputy Governor of the CBG, Dr Saikou Jabbie, said the Gambian Government entered into partnership with the Islamic Development Bank to develop the necessary infrastructure for Islamic banking in the country. He noted that the Central Bank even developed an investible Islamic instrument called the Sukuk AL Salam in 2007. On his part, Professor Ekpo thanked the Central Bank and its staff for their support to WAIFEM and its activities. WAIFEM is rated as a centre of excellence in capacity building and training, and it caters for the capacity needs of the private sector.

Islamic finance is still a nascent industry in Azerbaijan, even though the country’s large Muslim population indicates great potential demand for its services. The key hurdle that limits any meaningful expansion of Islamic finance in the country is the absence of a comprehensive regulatory framework. It is therefore important to develop a full-fledged legal framework that is specifically tailored for monitoring, guiding, and supervising the Islamic banking system. Islamic finance, as an ethical form of finance, can do an enormous amount of good. Islamic finance forges a closer link between real economic activity that creates value and financial activity that facilitates it. Islamic finance can attract investors from GCC and Asia to Azerbaijan. However, the country continues to face multiple challenges, such as a lack of public awareness and a talent shortage in Islamic finance. Still, favorable regulation remains the key to Islamic finance growth in Azerbaijan.

Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, chairman of the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN), says the 1% interest charged on study loans is not to make a profit, therefore it is not right to abolish it. In his view, the cost is minimum and is used to cover the staffing and administrative costs of those who are managing the accounts. Borrowers are charged between 1% and 3% interest, and additionally, their loan amount will increase if they fail to pay their instalments. After the agency's establishment, administrative costs had amounted to 4% a year. It was gradually reduced to 3% a year since January 1, 2004. Now, the interest is only 1% a year, beginning June 1, 2008. In 2017 PTPTN is expected to collect RM4 billion by the end of the year. Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh said the target was achievable as the agency had collected RM3.4 billion last year, when its target was only RM2 billion.

Pakistan's Polio Eradication Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq said the country was highly indebted to the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) for its support and acknowledges the critical support of the bank for Polio eradication. The senator was talking to an IDB delegation visiting the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC). The IDB delegation was led by Dr Sadik Mohammad Teyeb, senior health specialist of the bank from Jeddah and Inamullah Khan, Country Representative of the Bank in Pakistan. The current epidemiology in the country is quite promising with only 3 Polio cases reported in 2017 compared to 14 reported by 7th August in 2016. The most significant progress has been made in the core reservoirs of Karachi and Khyber-Peshawar which have not reported any Polio case since January and February 2016.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) has been awarded for its commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) from the regional CSR Network Consultancy, a member of the United Nations Global Compact initiative. The award was presented to Mohammed Al Fahim, Regional Head of Corporate Banking at ADIB. ADIB has a proven track record of CSR initiatives, including launching blood donation campaigns, sponsoring mass weddings and organising a range of activities during Ramadan. The bank adopted design principles aimed at minimising both energy and water inputs and waste outputs. In addition, ADIB Future’s Champions League was a recipient of the Gold Prize for the Best Sports CSR Initiative, and Bronze winner in the Youth Development Project of the Year at the 2017 Sports Industry Awards. ADIB also maintained its commitment to recruit, develop and promote local talent through its youth development programme.

The recent move by Dana Gas to declare its approximately US$700 million of outstanding trust certificates unlawful has been a troubling development for the Islamic finance industry. Dana Gas has initiated proceedings in the UAE to declare the sukuk illegal and has secured a series of injunctions preventing enforcement by creditors, but the key question remains unanswered. That is whether non-compliance with Shari'a principles would have any bearing on the legal enforceability of these instruments. Any judgment in favour of Dana Gas could have wide ranging implications on the sukuk market. White & Case LLP argue that the concept of Shari'a-compliance should be treated as distinct from legal enforceability. Dar Al Sharia Legal & Financial Consultancy issued a pronouncement on the Shari'a-compliance of Dana Gas' sukuk at the time the sukuk were issued. Pronouncements of such nature are generally not open to retroactive invalidation as is being sought by Dana Gas.

#Malaysia’s eastern region Sarawak will host this year’s World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) from November 21 to 23. According to Sarawak’s Deputy Chief Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, the state will use the forum as a platform to promote Islamic investment opportunities in various industries. He added that Sarawak was currently also undergoing a rural transformation programme and had designated 77,000 hectares of land for the development of a halal hub. The deputy minister said the WIEF will also focus on strengthening the partnership between Muslim and non-Muslim communities. The conference is expected to attract about 2,000 potential participants and representatives of various sectors. In another development, Islamic finance will soon make its foray into Cambodia, which is home to an estimated 300,000 Muslims. Two Malaysia-based Islamic financial institutions are expected to open their first branches by the end of the year and in 2018. Another recent highlight for Islamic finance was the Brunei Darussalam Islamic Investment Summit 2017 held on August 2 and 3.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) regulators are setting out to establish a framework to guide the small business (SMB) crowdfunding market. Reports noted that regulators are aiming to promote innovation and a broadening of small business activity. Equity crowdfunding is expected to provide $93 billion to small- and medium-sized enterprises by 2020, reports added. In the UAE, SMBs stand to gain significantly from that trend, as these businesses make up an estimated 85% of all UAE companies. In Dubai, that number is even higher, at nearly 95% of all businesses. Meanwhile, research from the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development found that as many as 70% of small business loan applications in the UAE are rejected by traditional banks. Ian Johnston, Chief Executive of the Dubai International Financial Services Authority (DFSA), said the DFSA was the first in the GCC region to formalize a tailored regime for loan and investment crowdfunding platforms, which represent an important source of financing for the SME sector.

Abu Dhabi government-owned Al Hilal Bank has raised $100 million through a private placement of sukuk. The issue, led by First Abu Dhabi Bank, has a two-year maturity and offers 90 basis points over three-month London Interbank Offered Rate. The bank issued a privately placed $225 million sukuk in June last year, describing the deal as the first private placement of sukuk by a United Arab Emirates financial institution. That sukuk matures in January 2019, while the new $100 million issue is due on Aug. 14 of the same year. Al Hilal Bank is rated A1 by Moody's and A+ by Fitch Ratings.

The Malaysian company Farad launched its Farad cryptoken at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) on Monday. The CEO of Farad, Wan Hasni, said this was the first cryptocurrency backed by real-economy activity. The Farad cryptoken (FRD) is a digital currency, with each token representing the rights to the forward purchase contract of 80,000,000 ultra-capacitor cells produced by a Chinese company over a period of 36 months. According to company documents, at the time of initial coin offering (ICO), 1 FRD will be equivalent to $12.50. The pre-sale ICO will happen on August 25, and then on September 15 the full sale will begin. Around 1.2 billion FRD will be issued in the ICO, half during the pre-sale and half at the full sale, for a 10% premium. The ICO will be followed by roadshows in Asia and Europe to promote the business.

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has announced two new partnerships with non-profit organizations from London and Zurich. The first alliance is with the Swiss Finance and Technology Association (SFTA). The second one is the British think tank Responsible Finance and Investment Foundation (RFI). The Swiss partnership will strengthen the collaboration between local FinTech businesses and will provide new opportunities for knowledge transfer. ADGM also signed an agreement with the London-based RFI. Both parties will work together to assist young FinTech entrepreneurs in testing and introducing innovative products under the ADGM Reglab program. In addition to that, RFI and ADGM will also set up an open platform to share knowledge and expertise. According to Blake Goud, the CEO of RFI, FinTech can have a leading role in transforming the way Islamic institutions connect with their clients. In his view, this partnership can encourage and support emerging FinTech companies to adopt ethical, responsible and Islamic approaches.

Khazanah Nasional has announced its initial public offering of a seven-year wakalah sukuk by special purpose vehicle Ihsan Sukuk. The size of the sukuk is RM5 million, has a profit rate of 4.6% per year, and is rated AAA by RAM Rating Services. It is the third tranche of issuance under Khazanah’s RM1 billion Sustainable and Responsible Investment Sukuk programme. The two earlier tranches were used by Khazanah’s not-for-profit foundation, Yayasan Amir, to fund the rollout of its Trust Schools Programme in at least 20 schools. As of June 2017, the foundation’s Trust Schools Programme had been rolled out to 83 schools across 10 states.

According to the Central Statistics Agency, Indonesia’s poverty rate is at 10.70% as of the second half of 2016. The rapid growth of Islamic finance presents an opportunity to address the social and economic gap. However, behind the success of Islamic finance is the reality that this development is diverting from the fundamental goal of Islamic law. Mehmet Asutay, a professor in Islamic finance at Durham University, argues that the development of Islamic financial institutions have neglected Islamic social goals. The Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMT) can be one solution in empowering the poor. As a microfinance institution, the BMT may provide better outreach as it is more accessible to the poorest people. The small amount of credit may encourage them to engage in financing activity. BMT lacks formalization and supervision, the government is expected to strengthen Islamic microfinance by linking BMT to robust capital injectors.

The Capital Market Authority (CMA) authorised Moody's Investors Service to conduct credit rating activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Managing Director Monica Merli welcomed the announcement, emphasizing the Kingdom's increasing prominence in the debt capital markets. Saudi Arabia is a key market for Islamic finance, an area in which Moody's is recognised as a global thought leader through ratings, research and speaking engagements at leading conferences. The Kingdom completed the world's largest ever inaugural Sukuk issuance at $9 billion in April 2017, a transaction rated A1 by Moody's. Moody's currently rates 140 issuers and 92 debt programmes across the Middle East, including leading coverage in rating Islamic financial institutions and Sukuk.

In Indonesia the newly established Haj Fund Management Agency (BPKH) has pledged to match the performance of its Malaysian counterpart Tabung Haji. The BPKH will manage Rp 99.3 trillion in haj funds, gathered from 3.4 million people who have paid deposits to go on the haj, by investing in sharia-compliant instruments. BPKH chairman Yuslam Fauzi says the agency aims to be the world’s largest haj fund manager within 10 years through diversified investment with an 8 to 10% annual return. President Joko Widodo inaugurated the executive board of the BPKH, which is taking over management of the haj fund from the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Indonesia has sent more than 200,000 people to Mecca on the haj. The waiting list for the haj is 15 to 20 years.

The Qatar Islamic Bank aims to boost its deposit base by offering certificates of deposit in Qatari riyals and US$, after it was hit by an outflow of money due to sanctions against Qatar by its neighbouring Gulf countries. The bank said this weekend, that it was offering 1 and 2 year CDs in its 2nd series of such papers. Its first series was launched End of 2015. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar beginning of June this year, accusing the country of supporting terrorism. This prompted some firms and individuals from those states to pull money out of the Qatari banks. As a result, deposits in the Qatari banks shrank 1.8 % from the previous month in June. Qatar Islamic Bank was particularly hard hit, with its customer deposits falling to US$26.6 billion at end of June, according to its financial statements.

The standoff between Dana Gas PJSC and its bondholders carries on after the company that’s trying to void $700 million of its own debt was said to believe investors may even have to pay the company.
Dana Gas says a court battle with holders of the Islamic securities, or sukuk, may see it having to return less than 10 % of the amount it borrowed. In a second scenario, it believes creditors may have to pay it as much as $150 million, and that the case may last more than 10 years. The Gas company had announced plans to restructure the debt in May, this week retracted an offer to replace the bonds and is pursuing a resolution in court. It said in June the debt was no longer Sharia-compliant. Investors questioned the validity of the claim since neither sukuk regulations nor UAE laws governing the matter have changed since they were issued in 2013.