IslamicFinance.de

Bank Asya closed 80 branches and cut its headcount by 1,708 people in a bid to boost profitability next year. Bank Asya has seen its profits and capital base collapse since it found itself at the centre of a power struggle between now President Tayyip Erdogan and his former ally-turned-foe Fethullah Gulen, the Islamic cleric whose sympathisers founded the bank. The bank made a 301 million lira ($133 million) net loss in the first nine months of this year after a 60 million lira profit a year earlier, while its balance sheet has shrunk.

From 2008 to 2013, Bank Asya's assets and net revenue grew annually at 28 percent and 12 percent, respectively. Its reputation and business were soaring when, in December 2013 and without prior warning, President Erdo?an launched a powerful and concentrated attack on the bank, alleging that it was weak and insolvent. Despite losing almost half its market value during one excruciating week in September 2014 and reporting its first ever quarterly loss in 18 years of TL 301 million, Bank Asya has responded by highlighting its capital adequacy ratio of 18.3 percent. Ultimately, the solution to Bank Asya's current predicament ideally lies with President Erdo?an withdrawing his unfounded allegations.

Bank Asya's net loss in the third quarter was due to higher loan provisions as it sought to increase its asset quality, and the Islamic lender's operations are continuing "healthily," the Turkish bank said in a statement on Tuesday. Bank Asya fell to a 301 million lira ($133 million) net loss in the third quarter from a 60 million lira profit a year earlier as its assets declined sharply, it said earlier in a stock exchange filing. The bank said its capital adequacy ratio stood at 18.32 percent.

Turkey's Bank Asya on Tuesday posted a third-quarter net loss on loan provisions and a shrinking balance sheet but said its operations were healthy despite political turmoil that has surrounded it for much of the year. The Islamic lender fell to a 301 million lira ($133 million) net loss from a 60 million lira profit a year earlier. Assets of 16.5 billion lira at the end of the third quarter were down 40 percent from the end of 2013, while deposits almost halved to 10.07 billion over the same period. The bank continued its operations with a capital adequacy ratio of 18.32 percent, despite a 9-month loss due to higher loan provisions as part of efforts to increase asset quality, Chief Executive Ahmet Beyaz said.

Turkish and international bankers convened at the IFN Turkey Forum 2014 in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss Turkey's growing Islamic banking sector. Professionals from Turkey, Malaysia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates discussed a number of key issues pertaining to various markets, trends and strategies. The Islamic banking sector is booming in Turkey, according to Central Bank of Turkey Deputy Governor Murat Cetinkaya, who said that Islamic banks have doubled their market share in the past 10 years. According to Cetinkaya, Turkey's regulatory framework, in conjunction with the recent macroeconomic stability, has paved the way for the growth of the sector.

The chairman of Istanbul's Stock Exchange, ?brahim Turhan, has said that public offerings of debt instruments is increasing. He made the comments in response to questions from press members after the 11th Synergy Meeting held in Bursa by the Balkan and Rumelia Industry and Business Association (BALKANS?AD). He also announced for the first time that the Islamic Development Bank, of which the Turkish Treasury is also a shareholder, will be quoting non-interest bearing notes (sukuk) of $10 billion at Istanbul's Stock Exchange Market. He added that soon a major insurance company will be offered to the public, followed by an important bank due for a capital increase.

Turkish state-run lender Halkbank has decided to establish an Islamic finance unit, in line with a government effort to develop the sector and tap a pool of investors in the Gulf and southeast Asia. The bank said its management would seek regulatory approval for the Islamic unit, known locally as a participation bank, but gave no further details on the plans. The Halkbank board has mandated the general management for the establishment of a participation bank, and to carry out the required processes for legal and administrative permissions, it said in a stock exchange filing. Since 2012, the Turkish government has pushed the development of Islamic finance by regulatory moves and issuing sukuk.

Turkey’s government has moved to expand Islamic banking by inviting public banks into the sector. Earlier this month, the largest state-run bank, Ziraat, received approval to establish an Islamic unit with $300 million in capital. Ziraat has nine months to establish the new bank. But a key question remains unanswered: Where will the capital come from? If Ziraat’s interest-based earnings are considered illicit, how is it going to establish the capital of an interest-free bank? To resolve the conundrum, the Treasury is reportedly planning to provide the required capital although it also operates on the basis of interest. Meanwhile, the government has already submitted a bill to parliament to clear legal hurdles in Vakifbank and Halkbank’s path to Islamic banking.

The third Turk-Arab Youth Congress started on Oct. 24 and was hosted by the Istanbul Youth Assembly Foreign Affairs Commission at the Istanbul Congress Center to create a platform for Turkish and Arab youth to discuss a vision for the region's future. A team of well-educated youth from around the world gathered at the three-day program titled "How to Lead the Future." Several sessions were held on the first day of the congress, discussing different issues of the region. On the second and third day, workshops were held under the subsidiary bodies of the congress and they published a final declaration with the remarks of the participants.

Ahmet Beyaz, the chief executive of Turkey’s government-besieged Bank Asya, says his bank is the victim of a political campaign waged by Turkey’s powerful president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Beyaz and his executive vice-president Feyzullah Egriboyun claim the repeated attacks on the bank clearly constitute a crime under Turkey’s strict banking legislation. The Turkish president has denied any orchestrated campaign against Bank Asya. He went on to say "this bank has already failed", without naming Bank Asya. Such claims are wrong, Beyaz says, insisting Bank Asya is among the three strongest banks in Turkey, boasting a capital adequacy ratio at about 20%. Bank Asya supporters argue that the Erdogan attacks on Bank Asya pose a systemic risk to the wider Turkish banking system.

The Ziraat Bank has received regulatory approval from the banking watchdog (BDDK) to establish what would be the fifth Islamic lender in the country, a key part of the government's efforts to expand the sector. Ziraat will be allowed to set up a standalone Islamic unit with $300 million in capital, according to the regulator.

According to a Turkish official Turkey has not taken specific decisions for this year to utilize sukuk market on an annual basis. Turkey sold its US$1.5bn debut 5.5-year sukuk in September 2012, and followed that up with a US$1.25bn five year note in October 2013.

The Al Hilal Bank was chosen from a diverse pool of GGC candidates this year, representing companies from a cross-section of industry sectors. GGCs currently come from more than 65 countries. The Al Hilal Bank is now part of the ‘New Champions,’ a larger WEF community of pioneers, disruptors and innovators. It will be able to contribute to the Forum’s platform of meetings, projects and knowledge products for pursuing responsible and sustainable growth.

Sukuk issuance and investing is expanding outside of the Islamic world. The asset holders range from sovereign wealth funds and high-net-worth-individuals in the Arab Gulf, to retail investors in other Muslim majority countries such as Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia. According to Moody’s Investors Service, Malaysia at present dominates the sukuk market when it comes to both sovereign and corporate issuance. Other major issuers include the governments of Indonesia and Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The overall outstanding amount of sukuk will probably reach around $115 billion this year.

Bank Asya clients are battling help the Turkish lender against what they say is a government-orchestrated bid to scuttle it. Turkish social networking sites are full of customer’s notices to raise funds to “Save Bank Asya from sinking!” The Islamic lender has more than a million deposit-holding customers and 282 branches. President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an targeted it as part of his attacks on the Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen. Erdo?an has long accused Gülen - now based in the United States - of seeking to overthrow him.

The Pakistani unit of Bahrain's Al Baraka Banking Group has raised 2 billion rupees ($19.5 million) via the country's first issuance of subordinated sukuk, or Islamic bonds. The seven-year private placement is the first to be issued by an Islamic bank in Pakistan, according to Abdullah Ghaffar, head of investment banking at Al Baraka Bank Pakistan.

Due to the phasing in of Basel III global banking standards around the globe, several Islamic banks have issued subordinated instruments in order to raise capital, including those in Turkey, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Speculation publicly expressed by President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an that Bank Asya doesn't have a sound structure and his obvious attempts to sink this bank constitute a crime under Turkish law, according to Selin Sayek Böke, the Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy chair in charge of the economy. Sharing her opinions about the current economic situation in Turkey, Böke stated that Turkey has further potential for growth, but its economy is currently in stagnation. She attributes this situation to structural problems. The current decline in the practice of democracy and the erosion of the rule of law will likely cause further trouble ahead, as investors are already unwilling to make big investments in a country with an increasingly authoritarian government and leaders.

Islamic International Rating Agency (IIRA) has lowered the foreign currency international scale and local currency credit rating of Bank Asya to respectively B+ and BB- (previously BB+ and BBB-), in response to the weakened financial profile of the institution. IIRA has also revised the bank's national scale rating to BB+ from A. IIRA said the bank's opportunities to raise fresh capital and to reach liquidity in the market have decreased. It can no longer endure this situation. The credit rating agency Moody's also adjusted the ratings of the bank downward in a statement released in the last week of August.

Turkey’s stock exchange prolonged a freeze on Asya Katilim Bankasi AS’s shares, a day after it twice suspended trading in the Islamic lender. Bank Asya swung between losses and gains of as much as 11% before Borsa Istanbul called the halt because of “abnormal” buy and sell orders on Thursday. The shares had resumed trading on 15 September after a five-week suspension. The bank fell 48% in the three days through 17 September. Meanwhile, the president this week called for Turkey’s banking regulator to take action on Bank Asya, citing deteriorating finances. On the other hand, Bank Asya issued a statement earlier this week saying that it was facing an “economic lynching campaign” and continued to carry out its responsibilities to depositors and shareholders.

Turkey’s stock exchange halted trading in Asya Katilim Bankasi AS (ASYAB) twice today, deepening concern about the Islamic lender that has lost almost half of its market value this week. Istanbul-based Bank Asya swung between losses and gains of as much as 11 percent before Borsa Istanbul halted trading, saying “abnormal” buy and sell orders warranted the decision. The stock resumed trading on Sept. 15 following a five-week suspension imposed on the heels of a failed takeover bid by Qatar Islamic Bank SAQ and amid speculation the government will seize the lender. It fell 48 percent in the three days through yesterday. The lender is “just trying to stay afloat,” Erdogan said today.