IslamicFinance.de

The central banks of China and the UAE are strengthening bilateral financial cooperation in order to further increase trade and investment activities between China and the Middle East. Greater yuan currency usage in bilateral transactions will provide opportunities for public and private asset managers in Middle East to diversify and enhance their portfolio investments.

The Islamic banking arm of a leading regional bank is looking for an experienced Product Manager to join their Wealth Management team.

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•To start, structure and drive the asset management business, products and services.
•Analyze potential fixed income and real estate (residential, commercial, or industrial) opportunities in order to assist in business development or growth of the real estate portfolio.
•Prepare and review the offer documents.

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The role is to manage all product development and research for Islamic Finance, implement the agreed strategy, launch new or updated products to market and take the lead on building relationships with the various stakeholders in the Islamic Finance space.

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Syrian banks remove deposits from their branches in “hot spot” areas and transport the cash to their head offices in Damascus. However, a lot of money is going missing on the way due to robbery, theft and payoff to gangs. Moreover, Syria also faces fuel shortage and a power outage in Damascus after an attack on the main power line.

Last Sunday, Meethaq, the Islamic banking window of bank muscat opened its first branch in Ghubra. More branch openings are planned in all major cities across Oman this year aiming to reach customers and attract them through Sharia-based products and services. The final amount of capital for the bank’s operations will be determined by business opportunities.

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Dubai Islamic Bank’s (DIB) Long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘A’. This is due to the bank’s systemic importance and the Dubai government’s 30 per cent stake. Hence, there is a high probability of support from UAE authorities if needed. The bank’s Viability Rating (VR) at ‘bb’ reflects the domestic operating environment and DIB’s asset quality among others. The Long-term IDR is expected to be stable.

The Government of Dubai mandated five banks to arrange a benchmark-sized, dollar-denominated Islamic bond which is expected to price on Tuesday in the low four percent area. The mandated banks to arrange the deal are Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, HSBC Holdings, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Standard Chartered.

Sharakah is Oman’s fund that supports prospective entrepreneurs in the establishment and running of their own businesses in the Sultanate. It provides capital and assistance in order to develop the SME sector and generate job opportunities. So far, Sharakah has supported more than 50 businesses in 13 years. It also regularly takes part in exhibitions, among which the annual Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Exhibition and Conference aiming to help it reach out to budding entrepreneurs.

“Hima” means “protected place” in Arabic and aims at preserving special landscapes for the public. Middle Eastern environmentalists have established several new himas in Lebanon and are promoting the idea throughout the Middle East since they have positive effects on the communities.

Since 2009, the emirate’s financial authorities and indebted government related enterprises (GREs) have adapted new tactics to overcome the debt crisis. The actions include negotiations with creditors and mortgage providers as well as repayments and restructurings. However, Dubai’s debt is still as high as $110bn, so this year’s debt deals are just the beginning of the approach to manage the crisis and avoid legal actions.

Arab leaders from various countries will take part in the third Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in Riyadh starting on January 21st. The summit will last two days and aims to break tradition and tackle the people's hopes in the times of the Arab Spring uprisings. The foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud al-Faisal, pointed out that the summit must concentrate on problems and issues concerning the lives and aspirations of the people.

Al Dahra, an Abu Dhabi-based company, announced the investment of around 200 million Euros in Serbia's agriculture. 100 million Euros will be invested in the new irrigation system in order to boost production, and 100 million in the takeover of 80 percent stake in eight state-controlled agricultural companies. The investment in irrigation is expected to pay off in three to five years.

NCB Capital has launched AlAhli Global Natural Resource Fund aiming to enrich investment portfolios with natural resources due to rising demand for those in emerging markets. Investors are given the opportunity to achieve capital growth by investing primarily in the listed shares of international companies that are involved in the natural resource related sectors. AlAhli Global Natural Resource Fund is a Shariah-compliant fund denominated in US Dollars with a minimum subscription amount of $2000, managed by investment professionals.

Al Rajhi Takaful posted a net profit of SAR 1,477 thousand for the last quarter of 2012. Compared to that, the net profit for the corresponding period in 2011 was SAR 5,125 thousand, which marks a decrease of 71.2%. The net profit before Zakat is SAR 2,118 thousand for Q4 2012, contrasting with profit before Zakat of SAR 5,125 thousand for the same period in 2011, thus reaching a decrease of 58.7%. There is a 55.2% difference in net profit after Zakat betwen Q3 and Q4 in favour of the former. In Q4 it was SAR 3,294 thousand.

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIBK) registered a decline of 9.5% in terms of profit last year. Meanwhile, the biggest Shariah-compliant lender in the country raised provisions against bad loans. According to a recent statement, the net income was 1.24 billion riyals ($341 million). In comparison to that, it was 1.37 billion riyals in 2011. Estimations of seven analysts pointed at a profit of 1.46 billion riyals. In 2012 the bank raised provisions from 194 million riyals in 2011 to 502 million riyals.

•Strategic interventions for improvement of portfolio size and quality
•Portfolio Pricing initiatives
• Support the acquisition efforts , specially around cross sell and alternate channels

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RAKBank has recently launched an Islamic banking unit. According to a statement by the Ras Al Khaimah-based lender, it had received approval from the Central Bank to start an Islamic offering. The new unit will offer customers debit and credit cards with discounts at Sharia-compliant outlets, as well as car loans and takaful policies. As a subsidiary, RAKBank Amal becomes part of a continuously increasing number of lenders seeking to capitalise upon a development drive into Islamic finance.

Aldar Properties PJSC (ALDAR) has consented to buy Sorouh Real Estate PJSC at the cost of 5.5 billion dirham ($1.5 billion). According to a statement y the two companies, 1.288 of Aldar's shares will be offered for each Sorouh share. Thus, based on the closing price of January 17th, Sorouh’s shares are worth 2.10 dirhams. The Managing Director of Sorouh - Abubaker Seddiq Al Khouri - will be chairman of of the combined Aldar Sorouh Properties PJSC. The deal was backed by the government of Abu Dhabi, which has taken an increasingly direct role in the development of projects and support of builders after the impact of the credit crisis on real estate.

Islamic finance is growing at a 20% per year rate which contrasts with what conventional banking is currently most famous for - scandals, huge pay offs and bonuses. Even non-Muslims are attracted to Islamic finance which led to the fact that numerous countries have adopted and accepted this financial model. It is obvious that there is a huge economic benefit to be sought from it due to the enormous potential of the branch. Malaysia seems to be the leader in the Islamic finance market, developing by leaps and bounds.