IslamicFinance.de

Islamic finance is drawing more interest in Russia as the country struggles economically and requires fundamentally new approaches to attract investments from abroad. The sector is just beginning to grow in Russia and its perspectives were discussed during the recent Gaidar’s Forum in Moscow, one of the major annual international conferences on economy in Russia. Implementation of Islamic finance in Russia started through the so-called pilot projects in the predominantly Muslim republic of Tatarstan. It has both existing infrastructure and client base. Islamic banking could account for up to 5 per cent of the entire financial market in Russia.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov plans to open an Islamic bank, with help from the United Arab Emirates. Kadyrov is known for his conservative, heavy-handed response to dissent against his rule and that of Russian President Vladimir Putin, recently calling for the Russian opposition to be tried as “enemies of the state.” Kadyrov has repeatedly portrayed himself as a protector of moderate Islam in the primarily Muslim Chechnya. Now Kadyrov has revealed that he is setting up a new project to attract more investment from the Gulf. He said he had spoken with Abu Dhabi-based development company Mazcorp and it had agreed to help him “move towards the realization of the project.”

The Islamic banking system continues making its way to Russia, although not as quickly as its supporters would like, primarily Russian Muslims who number 21 million people, according to various estimates. The main problems relate to the need to change the Russian legislation. But the first steps in this direction are already being made. A draft of amendments to the Civil Code was submitted to the State Duma this week to help separate Islamic money flows from non-Islamic funds. The document prepared by Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for the Financial Market Dmitry Savelyev stipulates opening special bank accounts to allow investing funds on these accounts into assets permitted by the Code of Muslim Laws.

An agreement has been reached in Groznyy, the capital of Russia's Chechen Republic, to open an Islamic bank in the republic, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said. Executives of Mazkorp company Hilal Suhail Hilal Rashid Al Mazrouei and Wael Saab came from the UAE and agreed to start implementing the project. Opening of the bank is of enormous value for the republic, Kadyrov said. Large properties are under development in Chechnya with participation of capital from the UAE. The decision was also made at the meeting with the management of Mazkorp on shareholding participation in development of Magnus-Groznyy pharmaceutical cluster to start next year and on investment into construction of Ahmat-Tower multifunctional high-rise property in the capital of Chechnya.

Mina Mehrnoush, the head of planning at Iran’s Organization for Trade Development, said three Russian banks have voiced their readiness to promote banking relations with the Islamic Republic in the near future in a bid to boost commercial cooperation between Tehran and Moscow. Mehrnoush also said that during a recent visit to Russia by an Iranian trade delegation, “good meetings” were held with three Russian banks, namely Mir Business Bank, Tempbank and RFC Bank. Mir Business Bank, which is the agent bank of Bank Melli Iran, agreed to provide good facilities and open proper credit lines for Iran, she said. The Iranian trade official went on to say that other issues were also discussed in her meetings with Russian banking officials, including opening accounts for Iranian companies without having to make a trip to Russia.

Tourism authorities have launched a program to make more halal-certified food products available in Russia. The program aims to attract more tourists from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The halal program will focus on Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi and the towns of the Golden Ring. According to Schegolkova, these cities already have the infrastructure and hotels that can provide halal-friendly services. The list of cities will be expanded over the next few months. In addition to cuisine from Russia’s Muslim regions and internal republics, the program aims to make halal-certified traditional Russian dishes widely available in the country.

A bill eliminating legislative obstacles to the commission of leasing transactions in accordance with Islamic finance was introduced to the State Duma. The changes are to be made to the law «On Financial Rent (Leasing)». The bill allows separating the two transactions lease and sale in time. So in order to do that, it is suggested to amend the current law and add that the transfer of ownership will be covered in the lease agreement, like in the current model, or in the separate purchase and sale agreement, which then will be Shariah compliant. The drafted bill also provides the possibility, by an agreement of the parties, to avoid penalties for past due payments.

Kazakhstan's parliament has approved legislative amendments to facilitate Islamic finance, paving the way for Central Asia's largest economy to issue its first sovereign sukuk next year, a government official said.
The amendments, which still require the president's signature, would also allow for the conversion of conventional banks into Islamic ones, said Yerlan Baidaulet, an adviser to the Investments and Development Ministry.

«We expect the sovereign sukuk in early spring of next year. Probably in March, it depends on the decision of the Ministry of Finance as it has its own budgetary process», Baidaulet said on the sidelines of an industry conference in Kuwait. The legal amendments to the banking services and securities laws are the latest steps by the majority Muslim state to help develop Islamic finance. A dedicated Islamic banking law is also currently in preparation, Baidaulet said. Lawmakers have also passed a law to establish an offshore centre in the capital Astana, which is partly aimed at attracting Islamic finance business, he added.

The leading Russian companies consider Islamic finance as a new and effective source of capital attraction. The issue of forming a collaboration with the Middle East and Southeast Asia capital markets will be discussed at the debate seminar of the Russian finance directors’ club.
The financiers of the largest Russian companies such as Vnesheconombank, Rosselkhozbank, Rosevrobank, SIBUR holding, the RUSSIAN INVESTMENT SOCIETY, VTB Capital Investment Management, Svyaztransneft, Inteco, Promsvyazkapital, Far East energy Management Company, INTERAVIAGAZ and others have confirmed their participation in the conventional meeting.
The key topic of the seminar – «Crisis – it is time to make an important decisions. TODAY IS TOO EARLY, TOMORROW WILL BE TOO LATE». The discussions will also touch on the issues of economic situation and risks assessment, forecasts, collaboration with banks, financing import from the West Europe with the assistance of the export and credit agency. The first Vice-President of the Russian finance directors’ club Tamara Kasyanova, who is in the top 100 of the Russian economy and finance experts, will hold the seminar.

Linar Yakupov is marked out in ISLAMICA 500, the unique project of ISFIN, the largest consulting organization for the Islamic financial markets.
In ISLAMICA 500, data on leading experts in area of Islamic economy and the "halal" industry from around the world are published. The peculiar guide contains curriculum vitae about each of experts, whose efforts and achievements formed the basis of development of the Islamic economy on a global scale. The encyclopedia contains information on pioneers of the Islamic finance world, Muslims and non-Muslims, men and women who represents a range economy sectors: finance, science, business, politics, the international relations, the law, mass media and the capital markets – all the areas that exert influence on Islamic economy.

During last six months, the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Malaysian-Russian consortium comprising UNIRAZAK, IBFIM and IBFD Fund have been working up on the possibility of preparing the feasibility study on launching Islamic banks or Islamic banking windows on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan as a pilot region for the introduction of Islamic banking and finance in the Russian Federation. The Feasibility study includes main principles and philosophies of Islamic finance, strategies and approaches of Islamic banking and takaful implementation, market study on the potential Islamic finance consumers, considerations and prerequisite of successful implementation.

REDmoney Events in partnership with Islamic Business and Finance Development Fund (IBFD Fund), will organize the IFN CIS & Russia Forum on the 9th of December 2015 in Moscow. The event is expected to draw market players and regulators from key Islamic finance markets globally and within the Russian Federation and CIS. Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan and Azerbaijan have developed Islamic banking since 2005 resulting in the creation of number of Islamic financial institutions. On its part, Tajikistan has recently started preparing a draft law on Islamic banking and finance. Russia as the largest country in CIS is also involved in Islamic finance development process.

Russia may amend its financial regulations to allow Islamic banking in a bid to attract funds from Muslim countries, as its economy struggles with a recession and Western sanctions. The move comes as economists, including those at the International Monetary Fund, say U.S. and European sanctions are having a significant negative impact on the Russian economy by blocking important Russian companies from accessing global financial markets. Officials have created a task force charged with implementing Islamic banking in the country, including amending the country’s banking laws, said Dmitry Savelyev, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets and the leader of the task group.

Shariyah Review Bureau (SRB) has signed a strategic partnership with Russia-based Islamic Business and Finance Development Fund (IBFD Fund) to become its Official Sharia Advisory Partner. Under the agreement, IBFD Fund’s partnership will leverage SRB’s extensive Shari’a consultation footprint and scholarly network to promote, upgrade and administer Russian financial establishments to set up Sharia compliant funds and transactions. Alongside the Sharia Advisory activities, the engagement will see SRB focus on developing and building its scholarly capabilities in the Russian language while IBFD Fund will add promotional service locations to its existing network as well as increasing their overall capabilities. The partnership will also strengthen credibility between CIS and GCC countries in the domain of Islamic finance.

Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Madani came for the visit with the head of Russian Central bank Elvira Nabiullina, being accompanied by the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. The trip has been organized within the framework of the visit of the Islamic Development bank (IDB) head to the VII International Economic summit of Russia and OIC countries – KazanSummit 2015. During the meeting, Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Madani told about the history of the IDB and the principles of its operation. He noted that today Islamic banking is represented even in countries, where there is no Islam, for instance, in China.

The rector of the Russian Islamic Institute (RII) Raffick Mukhametshin awarded the degree of honorary professor, a gown and a diploma to Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al Madani, the President of the Islamic Development Bank. The ceremony was held in the framework of the Strategic Forum of the VII International economic summit of Russia and the OIC - KazanSummit 2015. Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al Madani arrived to Kazan to participate in the VII International Economic Summit Of Russia and OIC countries and became a guest of Honor of the annual KazanSummit. Head of the Islamic Bank delivered a speech at the Strategic Forum of the summit.

Islamic finance could help Russian companies hit by Western sanctions to gain access to credit, Rustam Minnikhanov, President of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, said at the Kazan Summit Forum. According to Rustam Minnikhanov, Russian banks, including the country’s largest bank Sberbank, are currently showing an interest in Islamic finance. One of the advocates of the development of Islamic banking in Russia is the head of Sberbank, former Russian Minister of Economic Development, German Gref. Minnikhanov also said that the development of Islamic banking in Russia should be done on a federal level and that there is no talk of creating a unique financial zone in Tatarstan.

Maxim Tafintsev, President of the Arab European Lawyers Association, speaks on why Russia’s authorities this year are seriously going into the issue of opening the door to Islamic banking under Shariah Islamic law. For the past five years a certain practice has formed in the framework of the existing legislation, the practice, which allows using and employing certain products. Installment selling and leasing are allowed now, insurance products began to work as well. Specifically Russia needs to modify its banking laws to conduct credit and deposit policies. Particular changes in the tax legislation are required to help Islamic financial products be less costly. By the number of Muslim population in Russia, which is 20 million, their engagement in legal financial turnover may bring from shadow avalanchine sums of money.

KazanSummit 2015, the 7th International Economic Summit of Russia and OIC countries, will be held in in Kazan, Russia on June 15-16, 2015. The international partner of KazanSummit 2015 is the Islamic Development Bank. Within the framework of KazanSummit 2015, the Russian-Arab Business Council will organize an event called «Business dialogue Russia– the Arabic world. New stage of interaction: trade, suborders, investment, and finance». TATNEFT became the golden partner of KazanSummit 2015. Find more information on the website http://www.kazansummit.com/

Herman Gref, the head of Russia’s largest bank Sberbank, welcomed the introduction of Islamic banking in the country’s traditionally Muslim regions, saying it would help attract capital from Arab countries. The rapid growth of the Muslim population in Russia contributes to a sharp increase in demand for Islamic banking tools expected in the coming years, said Samir Tagiyev, manager for business development in the CIS and Europe, the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD). The Russian government has to elaborate a legal framework that will integrate Islamic banking into Russia's financial system.