IslamicFinance.de

A lack of legislation is seriously hampering domestic issues of Sukuk in Kuwait, forcing companies to go abroad, Abdulkader Thomas, president of consultancy Shape Financial Corp said to Ulf Laessing and Raissa Kasolowsky published on Reuters. A ministerial decree allowing sukuk issued in 2007 was not adequate for the market to flourish, Thomas said. Saudi Arabia would also have to overhaul its legislation for its sukuk market to function more effectively.

Indonesia began gauging interest this week for its maiden global sukuk that is expected to raise up to USD 650 mn. Sri Mulyani Indrawati, finance minister, confirmed that the offering circular for the Sukuk Al Ijara reported John Aglionby in the Financial Times. Barclays Capital, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank are marketing the Sukuk. t has been rated Ba3 from Moody’s Investors Service, BB- from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services and BB from Fitch Ratings.

Yields on traditional government bonds are coming down: The government’s 10-year paper is now offering 11.99%, down from above 14 % in February. Indonesia’s credit default swap spreads over US Treasuries have tightened to 491 bps, down from well over 1,000 bps late last year.

Gulf Finance House plans to launch a GBP 50 mn UK commercial property fund and a USD 50 mn Sukuk fund in the GCC. The USD 50 mn sukuk fund, to launch in the next two weeks pending regulatory approval, would focus on government, quasi-government, or very stable GCC issues, reported Ulf Laessing and Raissa Kasolowsky on Reuters.

Indonesian retailer PT Matahari Putra Prima Tbk raised a bigger-than-targeted 528 billion rupiah ($46.68 million) from a bonds issuance to help finance business expansion.

Matahari appointed PT HSBC Securities Indonesia, PT Indo Premier Securities and PT Ciptadana Securities as underwriters. It planned to raise 500 billion rupiahand achieved to raise 226 billion rupiah from Sukuk and 302 billion rupiah from conventional bonds. Pricing is about 16 % for 3 years and 17 % for 5 years.

Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) plans to issue USD 5 bn Sukuk, over the next five years to finance its programmes.

IDB's president Mr Ali said he expected 2009 issue would be priced higher and that the new sukuk would increase the IDB’s 2009 financing programme by 15 %.

Esteban Duarte and Neil Unmack reported on Bloomberg on 30 March that European Finance House Ltd. in London, a subsidiary of Qatar Islamic Bank seeks is planning the EFH Global Sukuk Plus Fund, managed by Aleksandar Devic, a former Lehman Brothers credi analyst. The Fund targets USD 200 mn.

EFH’s Luxembourg-based fund is targeting this year a yield of 6 % points more than the 3-m USD LIBOR. The fund will buy sukuk with an average credit rating of A, the sixth-highest investment grade ranking in Standard & Poor’s scale.

Mark Watts is head of asset management at European Finance House an he expects a strong rising Sukuk issuance once capital markets are free again.

HSBC has received approval from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to sell Sukuk (Islamic Bonds) in Hong Kong, the first local bank in the territory to do so.

Bruno Lee is head of liabilities business and wealth management.

The Ministry of Finance, Brunei Darussalam announced the successful pricing of its 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th issuance of short-term Sukuk Al-Ijarah securities. The accumulated total of these four Sukuk issuance was B$ 165 million; B$ 31 million for Series 24, B$ 60 million for Series 25, B$ 11 million for Series 26 and B$ 63 million for Series 27.

Sukuk sales may rebound and reach a record this year, with the Gulf accounting for about two-thirds of the debt issued as higher yields attract investors according to NCB Capital. There is an estimated ‘pipeline’ of about USD 39.3 bn of so-called sukuk, Jarmo Kotilaine, chief economist at Saudi Arabia’s NCB Capital, said in a report. He estimates the pipeline from the Gulf Cooperation Council to be USD 24.6 bn.

The average extra yield on corporate and government sukuk above the London interbank offered rate is 12.26 % points, up from 5.76 % points a year ago, according to HSBC-Nasdaq Dubai indexes.

B.K. SIDHU reported in The Star Malaysia on 30 Marcht that it has won 19 mandeates to raise nearly USD 2.5 bn from the Islamic capital markets and that it is planned to launch a USD 500 mn infrastructure fund. The issuers of the Sukuk are partially situated in the Gulf including a sovereign.

Badlisyah Abdul Ghani is the CIMB Islamic chief executive officer.

The Saudi Capital Market Authority aims to promote the bond and Sukuk markets said its chairman Chairman Abdulrahman Al Tuwaijri according to Arabiya.

The Islamic Bank of Thailand (IBT) plans to rise between USD 70 mn to USD 200 mn via Sukuk in Malaysia and Middle East countries by this year. Malaysia's second largest banking group CIMB, and its newly acquired BankThai, had approached the IBT to launch the Sukuk bond in Malaysia.

Indonesia's finance ministry plans to sell its first global sharia-compliant bond issue, or sukuk, before June, backed by 7.5 trillion rupiah (USD 650 mn) worth of assets. The sukuk will be issued according to the ijara, or lease-based, principle.

Bahrain is finalising a USD 500 mn Sukuk, said Central Bank of Bahrain Governer Rasheed Al Maraj. The sukuk, would consist of a USD 250 mn refinancing for an existing sukuk that matures in June, and a new USD 250 mn issue, both scheduled to be issued by the end of May.

The board of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank has approved issuing a AED 2 bn (USD 545 mn) sukuk to the government.

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) said that it planned a USD 500 mn sukuk, to finance its 2009 financing program.

Oksana Kobzeva reported on 18 March on ArabianBusiness that Russia's second largest bank VTB may become the country's first issuer of sukuk. VTB Capital and Liquidity Management House, a subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House, on Wednesday signed a protocol of intention aimed at cooperating in the development of Islamic finance in Russia and other former Soviet countries.

VTB Capital is headed Yuri Solovyov

Experts are expecting further drop in Sukuk isssuance in 2009. Local currencies help to support the markets, K. Salman Younis, head of Kuwait Finance House's Asian operations was cited.

Indonesia aims to raise about USD 580 mn from its first global 5-year Sukuk issue this year, targeting specifically Mideast investors among others, such as from Asia.

Malaysia’s capital market is fundamentally and prudentially stronger than during the 1997/98 financial crisis, according to the Securities Commission (SC). The market’s exposure to the current global financial turmoil is indirect, the commission said in its Annual Report 2008 released yesterday.

The country also guarantees 100 % of bank deposit until 2010, it said.
The Malaysian Islamic capital market also proved to be relatively resilient with 47 sukuk issues worth RM 43.2 bn approved by the SC last year, which accounted for 31 % of all corporate bonds approved.