IslamicFinance.de

France is gradually developing its Islamic financial sector. The absolutely first french Sukuk was launched in 2011 with aim of investing in the food sector in France. Later followed two more Sukuk issues in 2012 for both individual and institutional investors. Through these Sukuk issues France demonstrates its disposition to support Islamic financial structures and develop the market.

According to Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani, no political motivation lies behind Qatar's investments in France. The Prime Minister further said that the country does not have any great political ambitions and that everything concerning investments in France is done after extensive coordination with the French side. So far, Qatar has acquired Paris Saint-Germain football club, 3% of energy giant Total, and stakes in building firm Vinci and in media group Lagardere.

Read more on: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=54911

The Convergences 2015 world Forum for the Millennium Development Goals will be on in Paris from 19-21 September 2012. It is a main event for all professionals interested in discussing innovative answers to reduce poverty in Europe and around the world.

La Zakat et les Banques
Ecole de Management Strasbourg
26 mai 2012
Dans le cadre du programme de recherche « Banques
et Finance Islamique » soutenu par l’Agence Nationale
de la recherche, un colloque « La Zakat et les
banques » est organisé le 26 mai 2012 à l’Ecole de
Management Strasbourg.
L'implantation annoncée de diverses institutions
financières islamiques en France, ainsi que la volonté
affichée de banques françaises de développer cette
finance, se heurteront assurément à certaines
difficultés qui trouvent leur source dans l'intégration
en droit français d'obligations de droit musulman telle
que la Zakat. Outre une présentation du régime de la
Zakat, l'objectif retenu est de s'intéresser à l'insertion
de la finance islamique et de la Zakat en France, et de
tenter d'apporter des réponses aux questions qu'elle
ne manquerait pas de soulever.

A NEW BREED OF TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN INVESTMENT HOUSE TO BE LAUNCHED AND SHOWCASED PARIS, JULY 2012

Qatari Aurum will be launching its first large-scale foray into the world of Technology and Design during an annual gathering of other GCC-based investors and private equity houses in Paris during July this year. The newly¨established group, comprising high net-worth venture capitalists from Qatar, is yet to launch formally but has already set about making waves in an industry reserved for Silicon Valley start-ups and traditionally large-scale US private equity houses. It is expected that the Group will announce its inaugural acquisition of equity in a globally established internet start-up at the Capital & Projects Exchange, Paris, France, July 2012.

The focus of the group is toward bringing a wealth of technology know-how in the internet media and software design services to the GCC region. There is a course laid out to use this investor insight in gathering the choicest design and development houses locally within the region and injecting them with world-class expertise, fuelling a technology-drive unsurpassed in recent times.

Report offers comprehensive reference material about Shariah scholars in the Middle East and around the world as Islamic Finance industry assets top US$1 trillion. Failaka Advisors, in partnership with Paris-based Grapes Market Research & Advisory, has released the second edition of The Shariah Report.

The 2012 version of the report is the world’s first comprehensive report on Shariah scholars, with detailed profiles of more than 120 of the top scholars in the Middle East and from around the globe highlighting Islamic Finance’s global reach.

“Spanning from East to West, The Shariah Report profiles Shariah Scholars from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe & North America, providing insight into the depth and breadth of the industry”, added Anne-Sophie Gintzburger, Founding Director at Grapes. Each scholarly profile comprises country of birth, academic qualifications, a cross-referenced list of institution where each scholar serves as a Shariah Board member, and a list of their important works on Islamic finance.

Real Economy Partners (REP) is going to launch the world’s first Francophone Islamic finance resource by the name of the French Islamic Finance Review. The new service has the purpose to circulate academic research on Islamic finance in partnership with Paris’s Collège de Sorbonne in French, English, Arabic and Turkish.
FIFR will also help the development of Islamic finance not only in France, but in the French-speaking world, with special emphasis in the Maghreb and French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.
FIFR also wants to help advance the initiatives of French banks in the Islamic finance sector and will publish articles and news in four languages throughout the Francophone world.

University Strassbourg is conducting a conference about Islamic retail banking for France, an opportunity to invest? The event is in French. More details below:

Nous vous invitons à participer à la *36ème Conférence PHARE* organisée par l'/Ecole de Management de Strasbourg/ et /E.M. Strasbourg Partenaires /*à l'occasion de l'ouverture de la 4ème promotion du Diplôme d'université Finance Islamique* en janvier 2012 *sur le thème :

*"La banque de détail islamique en France :
un nouveau marché à investir ? "**

Jeudi 1er Décembre 2011 à 18h00 à l'EM Strasbourg - 61, Avenue de la Forêt-Noire*/ Cette conférence sera suivie d'un cocktail offert par EM Strasbourg-Partenaires dans les locaux de l'EM Strasbourg/
*
_Animée par :_
. Michel STORCK, Professeur des universités affilié à l'EM Strasbourg, Co-responsable du Diplôme d'Université (D.U.) «Finance islamique»***

_Intervenants :_
** .** Sâmi HAZOUG, Coordinateur pédagogique du D.U. «Finance
islamique»* - EM Strasbourg
**.** Laurent WEILL, Professeur des universités affilié à l'EM Strasbourg,Co-responsable du D.U. «Finance islamique»*
**.** Le représentant d'une banque

**

Bahraini group is helping universities begin courses in Sharia-compliant business practices to avoid a shortage of experts in the US$1 trillion (Dh3.67tn) market.
Khairul Nizam, the deputy secretary general of the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions, stated that the industry will need 15 % more personnel over the next five years and 25 % more in a decade.
Countries like Nigeria, Thailand, Australia and France plan to present legislation to facilitate Islamic financing, moves that will increase demand for scholars to certify that the products meet requirements on no interest payments.

Egypt has renewed interest in the growing sector of Islamic banking and finance in an effort to rebuild the economy of the country using internal methods of financing.
Part of the country's pursuit will be to launch a sovereign Sukuk, or bond, program within months. It would be Egypt's first sovereign Sukuk, ahead of country states including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Jordan aditionally mature markets such as Great Britain and France.

A branch of Banque Populaire du Maroc offers French retail customers Islamic current accounts. More details on their website: http://www.chaabibank.fr/Harmonis/Harmonis.html

Source: http://www.al-kanz.org/2011/06/17/chaabi-bank-agence/

Banque Populaire du Maroc aims to convert 10 % of their 300.000 clients to the new account type. Further the bank plans to offer short term Islamic mortgages (4-5 years) towards end of the year and long term mortgages next year, reported AFP on 20 June.

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iX5kUdQ-c0SLwTFkJfm6x...

Banque Populaire du Maroc has a pan European strategy aiming for 40 branches throughout Europe it was announced during the opening in 2009 in the Netherlands.

Source: http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/business/news2009/december/banque-chaabi

ISF Workshop 2011
International Sustainable Finance Workshop:
Responsible Finance, Ethical Finance, Islamic Finance, Social Finance, Micro Finance...

September 22, 2011

Venue: Paris-Dauphine University

Place du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny

75775 PARIS Cedex 16

§ Deadline for the submission of full paper : May 16, 2011.
§ Complete papers must be sent to BOTH following email addresses:
kaouther.jouaberping@dauphinepong.fr
and
dhafer.saidaneping@skemapong.edu

Download call for papers (pdf)

The Workshop is organised by the European Research Group (Groupement de Recherche Européen (GDRE)) “Money, Banking & Finance” (Monnaie Banque Finance) and its working group Islamic Finance jointly with Skema Business School and Paris-Dauphine University

The recent financial crisis has pointed out the limits of conventional finance. The role of financial markets is to provide products and tools that allow an efficient redistribution of risk among agents and over time.

ISF Workshop 2011
International Sustainable Finance Workshop:
Responsible Finance, Ethical Finance, Islamic Finance, Social Finance, Micro Finance...

September 22, 2011

Venue: Paris-Dauphine University

Place du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny

75775 PARIS Cedex 16

§ Deadline for the submission of full paper : May 16, 2011.
§ Complete papers must be sent to BOTH following email addresses:
kaouther.jouaberping@dauphinepong.fr
and
dhafer.saidaneping@skemapong.edu

Download call for papers (pdf)

The Workshop is organised by the European Research Group (Groupement de Recherche Européen (GDRE)) “Money, Banking & Finance” (Monnaie Banque Finance) and its working group Islamic Finance jointly with Skema Business School and Paris-Dauphine University

The recent financial crisis has pointed out the limits of conventional finance. The role of financial markets is to provide products and tools that allow an efficient redistribution of risk among agents and over time.

Educational courses on Islamic economy are going to be eld by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) in Paris, France. The participants will become familiar with Islamic Shari’a in economic fields.

Buoyed by the response for its real estate mezzanine funding, QIB (UK) is showcasing the product at the annual MIPIM real estate conference that begins today in France. The product was introduced during 2010 and is focused upon the 60%-80% tranche within the capital stack.

France plans to develop Islamic finance and attract investment from the Gulf to its economy.
The first Islamic bond from France may be sold in early 2011 after the government introduces guidelines for sukuk offerings.
The aim of France is to boost exports to the region by coordinating them with small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The following borrowers are expected to sell Islamic bonds: MALAYSIA, YEMEN, DUBAI, GULF INVESTMENT CORP., FRANCE, SAUDI INTERNATIONAL PETROCHEMICAL CO., GENERAL ELECTRIC CO., PALESTINE MONETARY AUTHORITY, NAKHEEL PJSC, SABAH CREDIT CORP., CREDIT AGRICOLE SA, NOOR ISLAMIC BANK, NATIONAL COMMERCIAL BANK, KPJ HEALTHCARE BHD., EMIRATES TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., SENEGAL, ALBARAKA BANKING GROUP., ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT BANK, THAILAND, KNM GROUP BHD., CAGAMAS BHD., SAUDI ARABIAN OIL CO., GAMUDA BHD., EGYPT, PT BANK MUAMALAT INDONESIA, SENAI-DESARU EXPRESSWAY BHD., MALAYSIA DEBT VENTURES BHD, INDONESIA, TURKEY, KAZAKHSTAN, PHILIPPINES, SAUDI ELECTRICITY CO., EMIRATES INTEGRATED TELECOMMUNICATIONS CO., LAFARGE MALAYAN CEMENT BHD..

France’s model was approved by a top Islamic finance body to issue local sukuk, or Islamic bonds, which would ease their listing on the Paris financial market.
The aim was to marry France’s tax laws with the Islamic financial instrument.

Many jurisdictions are interested in Islamic finance and have taken initiatives to develop the industry through reviewing their legal framework to facilitate the introduction of a range of Islamic financial products, including more recently France, Ireland, Australia, Jordan, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Lebanon.
One of the key determinants for the successful development of Islamic finance in any jurisdiction is the existence of a conducive legal framework that supports the operations and growth of the industry.

The programme, fully sponsored by Kuwait Finance House-Bahrain (KFH-Bahrain), is a joint initiative of KFH - Bahrain, Young Arab Leaders Organization (YAL) and InJAz Bahrain.
The main objective of the annual mentorship programme was for Bahraini students to gain in-depth insight into a leading entrepreneurial ecosystem in Sophia Antipolis.