IslamicFinance.de

Turkiye Finans announced plans for a EURO denominated Sukuk. This represents the first Euro denominated Sukuk in Turkey, though a number of US Dollar Sukuk have been issued previously, most recently by Turkish subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House (Kuveyt Turk) which issued a $350 million Sukuk in February 2016. Kuveyt Turk also recently issued an innovative CPI linked Sukuk, which illustrates a maturing market in Turkey.

Gatehouse Bank’s head of real estate David Swan has left the company.

#Malaysian fund Lembaga Tabung Haji has hired broker Savills to find a buyer for its London office building at 10 Queen Street Place. The building was purchased by Tabung Haji in 2012 for £165 mn and is now expected to sell for about £200 million. Malaysia’s state investment funds have been selling UK real estate as the government called on them to help the country’s stock and currency markets.

After a three-year pause The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) plans to sell ringgit-denominated sukuk in the Malaysian market. The IDB board has approved the issuance of up to 400 mn ringgit ($99.9 mn) in sukuk in 2016. IDB president Ahmad Mohamed Ali said it could be both private and public placement, but the specific size and timing of the deal depend on market conditions.

On 27 April 2016 Ziraat Participation Bank closed its first Syndicated Murabaha Financing Facility. The debut transaction received a strong response from the market. Due to the significant oversubscription, Ziraat Participation Bank increased the facility size to US$155 mn. CEO Osman Arslan said the proceeds from the facility will be used to support the funding requirements of SMEs and the financing of trade related businesses.

Maritime art has been drawing on the history and destiny of thousands of men and women since the 16th century. Today, maritime installations tell us something more about what we are prepared to do to survive and of the price of indifference.

Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) holds on 4 May 2016 its International Conference, marking its 25th anniversary. Dr. Hamed Hassan Merah, Secretary General of AAOIFI said time is proper to revisit the 40 years history of the Islamic finance industry to evaluate its experience and contemplate the way forward.

La Finance Islamique, c’est plus de $2.000 ms et 35% de taux de croissance. Une manne financière qui doit être saisie par le gouvernement du Sénégal pour le financement du Plan Sénégal émergent (Pse). Oulimata Diop, Directrice de la Monnaie et du Crédit au Ministère de l’Economie des Finances, a dit l'financement du Pse qui doit être pris en charge par le secteur privé à hauteur de 60%, c’est pourquoi le gouvernement compte mettre en place des stratégies pour capter l’investissement Islamique.

The Islamic finance industry has set sight on the gold market as initiatives are underway to establish a new standard to make the metal tradable under Shariah finance rules. World Gold Council (WGC) together with Amanie Advisors and the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions in Bahrain are now developing the standard to increase transparency and harmonisation of the use of gold investments. The Islamic finance entry could shake the gold market as Islamic financial institutions hold around $2tn in assets and are expected to double that asset base up to 2020.

On the annual distribution of Zakat by the Elders Consultative Forum of Supreme Council for Shariah in #Nigeria Abiola Ajimobi called on the Muslims to address the effective, efficient collection and management of Zakat fund. One of the beneficiaries of the Zakat distribution, Ridwan Olalekan, who spoke on behalf of others, promised to make judicious use of the items.

#SouthKorea’s Woori Bank has launched a Korea Desk in Iran to help Korean companies with their business activities in the Islamic Republic. Central Bank of Iran's deputy Gholam-Ali Kamyab said this move could prepare the ground for the opening of Woori branches in Iran. Korean companies will be able to use Woori Bank’s service in the Iranian bank or the Korean bank’s outlets in neighboring cities of Bahrain and Dubai for their businesses in Iran.

The General Council of Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions launched its Global Forum 'Rethinking Values for Sustainable Growth' in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. The Forum was attended by delegates from more than 28 countries. Special keynote guest Dr. Mark Mobius covered expert views on MENA and emerging markets including the impact of oil prices on economies, as well as what structural reforms are required for sustainable growth.

Hong Kong bank accounts belonging to several unnamed individuals have been frozen amid global investigations into the finances of the Malaysian state fund 1MDB. Owners are being probed by authorities in countries outside of Malaysia. Authorities in Singapore charged two men following investigations into their dealings with the fund. A Malaysian parliamentary committee had identified at least US$4.2 billion of irregular transactions by the fund.

Alif Capital has been approved by the National Bank of Tajikistan to provide banking services in both hard currency and somoni, the currency of Tajikistan. Alif Capital is marketed as the first regulated microfinance institution in Tajikistan that offers Sharia-compliant finance. Its loan terms vary from four to six months, with an average size of $4,000 as of 2015.

The Middle East remains the most financially excluded region in the world despite being a middle income region. When the World Bank conducted its first Global Findex survey in 2011, the Middle East had the lowest bank account ownership rate of the six developing regions. In the Middle East only about 14% of adults have an account, virtually unchanged from 2011. The World Bank has made substantial efforts to ensure that SMEs obtain access to finance over the past six years – with large line of credit operations in Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco.

#Debt continues to be a major source of instability for the global economy. Since 2007, global debt has grown by $57trillion or 17 % of GDP. Since 2007, no major economies and only five developing economies have reduced the ratio of debt to GDP in the real economy. In contrast, 14 countries have increased their total debt-to-GDP ratios by more than 50 percentage points. Over 20 countries now have debt-to-GDP ratios above 200 per cent, led by Japan (400 %).

In response to fears of being fined for compliance failings banks are making blanket exits from certain businesses or closing clients' accounts on a large scale. Regulators disagree with such wholesale withdrawal from certain areas of business, even if it is done in the name of de-risking. Such de-risking moves are being carried out mostly at the large international banks, however Asia has seen very little de-risking so far.

In Iraq the private sector is primarily cash-based. Bank financing is unavailable for all but the largest companies and even then is limited mainly to overdraft facilities. Private banks are subject to large and unpredictable demands for cash from depositors, while money transfer companies do not take deposits at all. The majority of households do not have a bank account, those with savings often hold them in the form of US dollar hoards in private safes.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud Al Thani, the governor of the Qatar Central Bank (QCB), issued operating instructions and governance principals for insurers operating in Qatar. The instructions relate to licensing, regulations and controls, risk management, accounting and actuaries reports. The new law stipulates that listed insurance companies must have capital greater than QAR100 mn or their risk-based capital requirement, while unlisted insurance companies must have capital higher than the figure set by the QCB.

#Malaysia’s #takaful industry is set to double its growth rate this year as companies focus on selling cheaper policies in rural areas. Malaysian Takaful Association's chairman Ahmad Rizlan Azman said the number of policies would rise 10% to 5.05 million in 2016, compared with 4.3% growth in 2015. Insurers entering the micro-takaful market and the liberalisation of commission structures are the biggest drivers.