IslamicFinance.de

Noor Bank has committed its support to the art and design exhibition at the Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES 2016). GIES 2016 is scheduled between 11-12 October at the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai and is under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The summit is anticipated to convene more than 2,000 policymakers to discuss key developments of the Islamic economy sector. Speaking on the bank’s participation in GIES 2016, Hussain Al Qemzi, CEO of Noor Bank, said that this event deeply resonated with Noor Bank’s core values. Noor Bank is looking forward to showcasing the exhibition which features signature art works of this year’s emerging artists alongside established names in the field.

Until now a full picture of global debt was missing. However, the October 2016 Fiscal Monitor has put a number on the size of debt covering virtually the whole world. Global debt is at record highs, amounting to $152 trillion or 225% of global GDP. Close to $100 trillion or about two thirds are liabilities of nonfinancial firms and households, private debt. The remainder is public debt. The concern with excessive private debt goes beyond the risk that it may mutate into public debt. Excessive private debt is associated with financial crises. Moreover, financial recessions are longer and deeper than normal recessions. It is excessive private debt that countries should avoid. Therefore, regulatory and supervisory policies should ensure the monitoring and sustainability of private debt.

A report titled 'Developments and opportunities in Islamic-themed television and online video content' identifies 188 Islamic-themed television and online channels globally. The report is produced by Thomson Reuters and Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) in partnership with DinarStandard. It identifies the main Islamic-themed broadcast media markets in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) 57 member countries. OIC markets generated a total of $10 billion in advertising revenue during 2015. According to Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of DIEDC, this report is proof of the sustainability of Islamic values that endure the test of time. Haroon Latif, director of Strategic Insights at DinarStandard, said that Muslim viewers were a key customer segment in the Culture and Recreation sectors. He added that there were significant untapped opportunities across genres in Islamic-themed media.

The third Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES) to be held in Dubai on October 11 and 12 will set a special focus on the utilisation of Islamic funds for social and entrepreneurial development. One plenary session will deal with the issue of Islamic charity funds or trusts (waqf) created by philanthropic giving in Muslim communities which remain an underused social development instrument. These funds contain significant assets, estimated by some to exceed a value of $500bn annually. Waqf can not only be used in its traditional, real estate-related form, but also in movable form of cash, potentially creating wide-reaching opportunities for social investment. Abdul Aziz al-Ghurair, chairman of Dubai-based Al Ghurair Foundation for Education, said the concept was about harnessing the abundance of underutilised capital for social development.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) has partnered with Fidor Bank to launch the region’s first 'community based digital bank'. The new platform is designed to fit the lifestyle of millennial consumers also known as Generation Y. Fidor Bank is Europe’s original digital challenger bank. The bank centres around an online community, where users can exchange financial advice and also help co-create banking products. According to CEO of ADIB, Tirad Al Mahmoud, the new platform will allow users to completely change the way they bank and manage their finances using digital technology to serve all their banking needs. The 'new digital bank' will be available for existing and new customers to sign up to in the upcoming months.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank has cut more than 200 jobs over the past three months. The cuts were made mostly in the retail business and about 100 people were dismissed last month. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank joins other lenders in the U.A.E. that have cut jobs to adjust to slower economic growth after oil prices halved over the past two years. Union National Bank dismissed about 50 people in August, while Emirates NBD, the nation’s biggest bank, reduced its workforce by more than 250 people at its small and medium enterprise and Islamic lending businesses in April.

The 47th anniversary of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was celebrated on Saturday in Istanbul. The event was organized by the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA). Halit Eren, general director of IRCICA, said the organization had two main goals, one to restore Islamic cultural heritage in Muslim regions in war and the other to struggle with radicalism. Eren said the OIC works on projects to restore the historical structure in the walled city of Jerusalem and in war-torn Syria. OIC General Secretary Iyad bin Ameen Madani was the main speaker of the organization. In his speech, Madani said the OIC made important steps in social, cultural, economic, technologic and educative domains.

Amid challenging economic conditions, the Islamic banking sector in Oman achieved significant growth since its start in 2012. The total assets of Islamic banks and windows combined, amounted to RO 2.7 billion as at the end of July 2016 which constituted about 8.5% of the total banking system assets. According to Khalid Howladar, Global Head of Islamic Finance at Moody’s, the growth has been a result of the Omani government’s strategy that has allowed conventional banks to offer Islamic services. Howladar addted that the growth is driven by strong retail demand and proactive government legislation. Across the GCC the Islamic banking sectors have been experiencing growth in their respective market shares with the lone exception of Kuwait.

According to Moody's, the Islamic banking sector continues to outpace growth of conventional banking in key markets, often supported by proactive regulations and strong retail customer demand. Analysts say the broader slowdown in growth, reflects more challenging economic conditions across a number of core Islamic markets, particularly in the GCC countries due to lower oil prices. Despite the current challenges the sector still has potential for further growth, especially in countries such as Oman, Turkey and Indonesia where the penetration of Islamic financing assets remain relatively low. According to Khalid Howladar, Global Head of Islamic Finance at Moody’s, Oman has been highly successful in achieving a high level of Islamic banking penetration. Oman's example shows the effectiveness of government support and regulation in acting as a catalyst for growth.

Traditionally, investments from the Arabian Gulf into Africa have focused on North Africa, but this scenario is slowly changing. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, FDI inflows from the Gulf to sub-Saharan Africa topped US$9.3 billion between 2005 and 2015, with Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Nigeria attracting the largest number of Gulf investors. Especially the sectors with high return margins are capturing the attention of investors. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among the top investors on the continent when it comes to agriculture. The UAE’s Al Dahra Agriculture is investing in wheat farming in Egypt, while Saudi companies have invested heavily in Sudan’s agricultural sector.

With only roughly 20 million Muslims in #China, it is not surprising that Islamic finance has not taken off in China. However, some Chinese companies have expressed interest in tapping into offshore pools of Islamic funds. For example, HNA Group, the owner of Hainan airlines, is considering Islamic financing options for its proposed US$ 150 million acquisition of ships as well as a large offering of offshore Sukuk. Another example is that of Country Garden, which issued a Malaysian Ringgit 1.5 billion sukuk through its Malaysian subsidiary in December 2015. Chinese interest in Islamic finance can be motivated by the diversification of funding sources as much as financial diplomacy purposes. China’s growing geo-political clout via the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative affords new incentives to facilitate the use of Islamic finance.

The Central Bank of Suriname has granted the Trust Bank a licence to commence Islamic banking. Trust Bank plans to be in operation by the first quarter of 2017. A year ago, Trust Bank signed an advisory services agreement with the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), to support its conversion into Islamic compliant operations. CEO of Trust Bank, Maureen Badjoeri said that Trust Bank wants to facilitate SMEs in more ways than just financially. With this approach, SMEs will be able to start-up or expand production of goods and services with a spin-off in job creation, trade, export and adding to GDP growth. With the Trust Bank closer to reality, Suriname may emerge as a hub for Islamic banking and finance in the region.

According to Moody’s Investors Service, growth prospects for the Islamic banking are still strong despite subdued sukuk issuance predicted for 2016. Growth in the Islamic banking sector continues to broadly outpace that of conventional banks in most systems in which Islamic banks have been established. The current size of the Islamic finance market has been estimated to range from $1.66 trillion to $2.1 trillion with expectations of market size to be $3.4 trillion by end of 2018. According to the Moody's report, Islamic banking sector growth is driven by strong retail demand and proactive government legislation for the industry. There is potential for further growth, especially in countries in which the penetration of Islamic banking assets remains relatively low, at between 5% and 10% of Islamic financing assets.

Senegal raised FCFA200bn (around $341m) from a sukuk that raised FCFA50bn more than originally planned. Sukuk Etat du Senegal offers 6% a year profit margin, paid half yearly with a two-year grace period. The asset is backed by shares in the Léopold Sedar Senghor international airport. Senegal was the first country in the West African Economic and Monetary Union’s (WAEMU) to issue sukuk, with a debt deal worth FCFA100bn back in June 2014. Ivory Coast aims to raise FCFA150bn as part of a two tranche FCFA300bn sukuk program set up last year. The transaction is expected to deliver a yield of 6.5% and have a tenor of seven years. Meantime, Togo also aims to raise FCFA150bn through a 10-year sukuk offering a 6.5% yield.

The United States needs to shift its spending from war to education, from CIA-backed regime change to a new Global Fund for Education (GFE). The current imbalance in US spending on global education and military-related programs is staggering: $1 billion per year on the former, and roughly $900 billion on the latter. Several recent international reports show that annual global development assistance for primary and secondary education needs to rise from around $4 billion to around $40 billion. Only this ten-fold increase can enable poor countries to achieve universal primary and secondary education (as called for by Goal Four of the new Sustainable Development Goals).

Saudi Arabia’s central bank has asked local banks to reschedule consumer loans after the government cut bonuses and other financial perks for public sector workers. The cabinet announced this week that it would slash ministers’ salaries by 20% and reduce a range of allowances for public employees. In addition, the government said it would base salary payments on the Western calendar rather than the Islamic calendar; since the latter is about 11 days shorter. This is expected to reduce income further. Banks are currently negotiating with the central bank to be allowed to deduct up to 40% of customers’ salary payments to service their consumer loans, instead of the 33% currently permitted. If the central bank declines, banks will discuss raising interest rates on the loans.

The Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) was officially launched on Thursday. It was first announced two years ago by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and is now supported by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The decision-making body approved projects worth $363mn for the first of the five years that the fund will be operational. These projects will be primarily in the Middle East and several Islamic and African countries. The funds will be used to protect communities from the risk of malaria and HIV/Aids, increase access to water and primary healthcare, and empower poor farmers to grow more food. Administered by the IsDB, the fund combines $2bn of IsDB financing with $500mn in grants from donors.

A sukuk is a sharia-based hybrid instrument that can have the features of both a conventional debt instrument and of equity. Sharia requires all financial contracts to be rooted in real sector activities. Sukuk has coupons paid at prefixed times in the future. However, the quantum of the coupon is not prefixed, but depends on the performance of the sukuk-issuing enterprise. This ensures that the sukuk holders partake in the risk of the enterprise. A sukuk can be issued for any commodity. The commodity-linked sukuk would not only be a win-win instrument for both investors and issuers, it would also be beneficial to society.

#Senegal has upsized its second sale of sovereign sukuk, with #Ivory Coast and #Togo expected to close their own deals in coming days. Senegal issued a debut sukuk in 2014 and returned to the market in July with a 10-year deal paying a 6% profit rate backed by assets from Dakar's international airport. Senegal's sukuk raised a total of 200 billion CFA francs ($341.5 million) from an initial plan for 150 billion CFA francs. Ivory Coast is completing a sale of 150 billion CFA franc worth of 7-year sukuk, while Togo aims to raise 150 billion CFA francs from its debut sukuk, which has a 10-year maturity and 6.5% yield. Niger has also signed up for a sukuk programme to raise 150 billion CFA francs in two phases, although a timing has yet to be determined.

Diyar Al Muharraq has announced the signing of a Murabaha contract worth $366 million with a consortium of banks including Al Salam Bank-Bahrain, Kuwait Finance House, Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait and Al Baraka Islamic Bank. The participating banks will part fund the Deerat Al Oyoun Social Housing project; total costs are estimated at $700 million. Diyar Al Muharraq will bear the responsibility for financing and constructing all units of Deerat Al Oyoun as well as the initial infrastructure and public utilities. The anticipated date for the project’s first phase completion is February 2018. Al Salam Bank Deputy Group CEO Anwar Murad commented on the agreement being a milestone in terms of organizing a project of this magnitude, stressing the cooperation between Islamic and conventional banks in the region.