IslamicFinance.de

Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) is studying a potential issuance of Islamic shares (i-shares) by Malayan Banking (Maybank). PNB group chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar said currently about 25% of the Maybank group’s earnings come from the syariah-compliant businesses, and proposed that 20% of the group’s shares can be designated as i-shares. The move to list i-shares would provide an extra boost to the Malaysian Islamic capital market, said Abdul Wahid. He added that there are currently only two listed syariah-compliant financial institutions in Malaysia, BIMB Holdings and Syarikat Takaful Malaysia. If the plan goes through, it will create RM20 billion worth of new syariah-compliant instruments, which is three times bigger than BIMB’s market capitalisation. Abdul Wahid added that the group is looking at three asset classes for further investments overseas, namely public equities, private equities and real estate.

Capital Intelligence Ratings has affirmed the credit ratings of Tadhamon International Islamic Bank (TIIB), based in Sana'a, Yemen. The Bank’s Long- and Short-Term Foreign Currency Ratings (FCRs) are both maintained at 'C', reflecting the volatile operating environment and devastated economy. TIIB has confirmed to CI Ratings that it is not currently in default of any obligations. All ratings remain on a 'Negative' Outlook. The rating is supported by adequate liquidity. Real estate and other investments outside of Yemen represent around 40% of the balance sheet. The Support Rating is adjusted to '5' from '4' based on the low likelihood of support from shareholders and the authorities, and their ability to provide timely assistance.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) plans to continue its current strategy based on prudence in risk management, coupled with innovation in customer experience and products. This approach is working: over the past two years, ADIB has attracted more than 100,000 new retail customers, taking its total to more than 950,000. In the first half of 2017, net profits rose more than 14.1% year-on-year to $307m. Total revenues reached $757m, up 4.1%. CEO Khamis Buharoon says the bank has now a balanced customer base, across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the northern emirates, comprising UAE nationals, as well as Arab, Asian and Western expatriates. A number of new additions to ADIB’s range of retail and wholesale banking services are planned. According to Buharoon, ADIB's individual and corporate customer base will continue to grow and key factors remain digitisation and automation in branches.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) has been awarded for its commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) from the regional CSR Network Consultancy, a member of the United Nations Global Compact initiative. The award was presented to Mohammed Al Fahim, Regional Head of Corporate Banking at ADIB. ADIB has a proven track record of CSR initiatives, including launching blood donation campaigns, sponsoring mass weddings and organising a range of activities during Ramadan. The bank adopted design principles aimed at minimising both energy and water inputs and waste outputs. In addition, ADIB Future’s Champions League was a recipient of the Gold Prize for the Best Sports CSR Initiative, and Bronze winner in the Youth Development Project of the Year at the 2017 Sports Industry Awards. ADIB also maintained its commitment to recruit, develop and promote local talent through its youth development programme.

The Capital Market Authority (CMA) authorised Moody's Investors Service to conduct credit rating activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Managing Director Monica Merli welcomed the announcement, emphasizing the Kingdom's increasing prominence in the debt capital markets. Saudi Arabia is a key market for Islamic finance, an area in which Moody's is recognised as a global thought leader through ratings, research and speaking engagements at leading conferences. The Kingdom completed the world's largest ever inaugural Sukuk issuance at $9 billion in April 2017, a transaction rated A1 by Moody's. Moody's currently rates 140 issuers and 92 debt programmes across the Middle East, including leading coverage in rating Islamic financial institutions and Sukuk.

The Qatar Islamic Bank aims to boost its deposit base by offering certificates of deposit in Qatari riyals and US$, after it was hit by an outflow of money due to sanctions against Qatar by its neighbouring Gulf countries. The bank said this weekend, that it was offering 1 and 2 year CDs in its 2nd series of such papers. Its first series was launched End of 2015. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar beginning of June this year, accusing the country of supporting terrorism. This prompted some firms and individuals from those states to pull money out of the Qatari banks. As a result, deposits in the Qatari banks shrank 1.8 % from the previous month in June. Qatar Islamic Bank was particularly hard hit, with its customer deposits falling to US$26.6 billion at end of June, according to its financial statements.

Malam Hassan Usman, CEO of JAIZ Bank, perfected a partnership with Borno State government on the reconstruction of the state economy.
Usman said, that the fourth branch of JAIZ Bank had been opened in Nigerias Maiduguri about five years ago. And it has so far been getting the strong support of the state government since the branch was opened. So he was in Nigeria to explore the ways and means to reciprocate this kind gesture by the state government. His bank wants to help Governor Kashim Shettima in all his efforts to turn things around, especially now that peace and normalcy are gradually being restored in Maiduguri and the entire state.
JAIZ bank has launched a programme, which is being implemented since the beginning of the rainy season, to provide small-holder farmers with inputs. It is working with the coordinator as well as the private sector partner for the state to provide the seeds, fertilizer and other inputs to the partner. The idea of the state government is to start with 5,000 farmers, which it wants to empower at this initial phase of the programme.

The ratings on Kuveyt Turk Participation Bank continue to reflect its overall sound risk profile. IIRA’s assessment on Kuveyt Turk Participation Bank encompasses sponsor support from its key shareholders that include Kuwait Finance House, Islamic Development Bank and other quasi-sovereign entities such as the General Directorate of Foundations – Turkey and Kuwait Public Institution for Social Security.

Oman‘s Bank Nizwa just launched its new wealth management services in order to provide high net worth clients with the most effective Islamic financial solutions to grow funds. The banks customers will have access to a full range of tailored products and services to cater to their exclusive needs, amongst them direct access to a relationship manager, Mudaraba Investment Options, and other value-added benefits.

Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd is aiming to grow its mobile banking customer base from currently 900,000 users to two million by the year 2019. This is part of the bank’s strategic collaboration with US-based global business and technology consulting company Cognizant to develop fintech products within the network of Bank Islam’s. The banks digital banking segment accounts for less than 5% of its non-fund based income and the bank plans to increase this figure to 10%.
Bank Islam chief executive officer Khairul Kamarudin said the bank expected to roll out at least one fintech product related to retail banking by the second quarter of 2018. The bank planned to develop fintech products targeted at the retail banking and small and medium enterprise segments. “Together with Cognizant, we shall identify suitable fintech products that allow better customer engagement, to be submitted to Bank Negara’s regulatory sandbox,” he said.

Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) has plans to solidify its foundations in the East African Islamic banking sector. Chairman Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani confirmed confirmed the information last weeek. DIB was granted permission to enter the market by the Central Bank of Kenya in May 2017. The regulator used the new entry to highlight Kenya’s growing status as a regional finance hub. Until the DIB entry, Kenya had only two full-fledged Islamic institutions: Gulf African Bank and First Community Bank. The country also has one takaful Islamic insurance firm, a Shari’ah-compliant mutual fund and two cooperatives. Kenya's treasury ministry recently unveiled new plans to make mainstream Islamic finance a major part of the country's growth strategy. Finance minister Henry Rotich said in March that the government would propose alterations to financial law and issue new regulations to facilitate Shari’ah finance.

Kuwait Finance House (KFH) is considering expanding into China and Egypt as the region’s banking sector nears saturation. According to bank's CEO, Mazin Saad al-Nahedh, there are opportunities for a Kuwaiti bank to operate in China. He added that the bank was looking at options to buy a license to operate in Egypt as well. KFH is cautiously optimistic about its operations in Turkey. Its subsidiary Kuveyt Turk contributes 22% to the group’s bottom line as of the end of June. The bank expects credit growth of no less than 20% to 25% over the next three to four years as long as base rates remain where they are. As KFH continues its restructuring and sale of non-core assets, the bank is studying offers for its stake in Aref Investment Group, which it aims to sell by the end of the year. KFH is also planning to buy Bahrain’s Ahli United Bank, but hasn't started negotiations yet.

Gatehouse Bank has appointed former Shawbrook Bank director Tim Blease as its new chief operating officer (COO). Tim Blease’s previous roles include new business strategy and innovation director at Shawbrook and head of retail credit risk at Metro Bank. The bank has also appointed Sharron Harvey as its executive vice-president head of HR. Sharron has previously worked for Habib Bank Zurich and has 20 years of HR experience, mainly in the financial sector. Both Tim and Sharron will report to Charles Haresnape, CEO of Gatehouse Bank. The appointments come after Gatehouse revealed a number of changes to its board last week.

#Nigeria's Jaiz Bank has grown its capital base in five years from the initial N5 billion to over N15 billion. The bank disclosed that it is growing at an annual rate of 30% which makes it one of the strong players in Nigeria’s banking industry. CEO Hassan Usman said the management of the Bank grew Deposit Base from Zero to over N60 billion, and Asset Base increased from zero% to N40 billion. He added that the bank plans to grow its network through opening of additional new branches across the country. Jaiz Bank currently has a staff of 500 and has concluded plans to open new branches in Jos, Nassarawa, and Minna, as well as additional branches in Lagos. Commenting on the plan by the Debt Management Office (DMO) to float Sukuk, Usman described the move as a welcome development which is expected to go a long way in boosting the operations of the bank.

Kuwait Finance House (KFH) disclosed that it is studying a merger with Bahrain-based Ahli United Bank. Although the merger would present significant integration challenges owing to the banks’ geographically dispersed asset bases, it would be credit positive for KFH. If successfully completed, the transaction would create the sixth-largest bank in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with approximately $85 billion in total assets as of year-end 2016. The merger is at an early stage of evaluation, with financial analysis underway. The merger would expand KFH’s banking operations, which are primarily focused in Kuwait and Turkey, and include relatively small operations in Malaysia and Bahrain. In addition to Bahrain, AUB has principal subsidiaries in the UK, Kuwait, Iraq, and Egypt, and has an associate in Oman.

Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) has signalled intention to enter the budding East African Islamic market. DIB chairman, Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, said that the lender would expand and consolidate its reach in East Africa after solidifying its Kenya base. The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) in May opened the door for Dubai Islamic Bank to enter the local market after more than a year of waiting. DIB intends to exclusively offer Shariah-compliant banking services in the country. Kenya has recently unveiled a package of initiatives aimed at developing a policy framework for Islamic finance in the country. Authorities intend to make Kenya a hub for Islamic finance in Africa with ongoing reforms expected to drive the growth of Islamic-finance operations.

Hong Leong Islamic Bank (HLISB) has appointed Jasani Abdullah as chief executive office. HLISB said Jasani has been acting CEO since December 2016. He has been in the financial industry for more than 30 years and his contribution towards the Islamic banking sector is very much valued. Jasani has been with HLISB since 2007 when he first joined as the head of shariah and product development. Jasani graduated with a Diploma in Public Administration from MARA Institute of Technology Malaysia, Bachelor in Business Administration from Ohio University, USA and has a Post Graduate Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance from International Islamic University Malaysia.

Qatari banks may need more cash injections from the state because of the risk of investor withdrawals. Banks have been feeling the fallout of the feud with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, which cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar on June 5 and imposed economic sanctions. They accuse Qatar of financing Islamist militant groups and allying with their regional adversary Iran. Because of the sanctions, several Qatar banks have seen an outflow of deposits. Fitch Ratings estimates that the majority of deposits in Qatar from other Gulf Cooperation Council countries are Saudi and United Arab Emirates' deposits, and that they are being withdrawn as they mature. Analysts expect funding challenges for the Qatari banks, considering the government would still intend to continue their project plans for FIFA 2022.

In this interview Abdulmohsen Al-Fares, CEO of Alinma Bank, discusses the growth in the company's balance sheet, credit growth, their Sukuk issuance and competition from other banks. Alinma Bank has maintained its growth pace and Al-Fares is optimistic about the upcoming Saudi Arabian government sukuk. It is an opportunity not only for companies and banks, but also for the secondary markets. Timing and size of the sukuk has not been decided yet. In his opinion, competition from other banks will not affect Alinma Bank, as they will compete only in very small segments, not in retail. He added that the stand-off with Qatar would not have a negative impact on the Saudi economy, as the kingdom's economy is strong and the economic relationship with Qatar is small in size.

The government of Bosnia's Una-Sana Canton said it has signed a deal with Bosna Bank International (BBI) to fund business entities in the area. Under the deal BBI will provide financing to businesses in the canton under favourable conditions at a subsidized rate of 2.3%. BBI has secured 12.49 million marka ($7.4 million/6.4 million euro) for the project. The maximum amount that can be approved per business is 1 million marka, with a repayment period of three to seven years depending on the size of the loan.