IslamicFinance.de

Head of the Egyptian Islamic Finance Association (EIFA), Mohamed El-Beltagy, said that Islamic banking clients in Egypt estimated approximately 2.5 million, constitute about 20% of the Egyptian banks clients. After the 2008 global financial crisis, international interest in the Islamic banking and finance industry increased. With the Muslim Brotherhood coming to power in 2012, Islamic banking’s importance grew once more. The move towards Islamic banking encouraged some conventional global and local commercial banks into setting up branches offering Islamic banking services. El-Beltagy said that the size of Islamic deposits as of 30 June 2014, about EGP 115.8bn, accounting for 8.3% of the Egyptian banking market size.

Tunisia will delay its planned issue of $500 million in Islamic bonds until the third quarter of the year to allow parliament time to rectify a law concerning the sale, Finance Minister Hakim Ben Hamouda said on Monday. Tunisia had initially said it would issue the Sukuk by the end of last year.

La compagnie d’assurance, Salama Assurances Algérie, devra clôturer l’année 2014 avec un chiffre d’affaires en progression de 4,6 milliards de dinars, a révélé son directeur général, Hadjou Abdelhakim. L’assurance automobile représente environ 72% du portefeuille de la compagnie, soit 4% de parts de marché. L’année 2015 sera donc riche, pour Salama Assurances qui compte non seulement de lancer un nouveau produit dédié aux agriculteurs, mais aussi ouvrir avec un partenaire local une nouvelle filiale d’assurance de personnes.

The Weekly Number's analysis of a new Pew Research Center report - a study based on methodology developed by Brian J. Grim - finds that the 12 countries identified in the study as having very high religious diversity each outpaced the world's economic growth between 2008 and 2012.

Full Report: http://www.pewforum.org/2014/04/04/global-religious-diversity/

Tokio Marine Family Takaful’s newly appointed Managing Director Masaya Inagaki comes to Egypt with great expectations for the Egyptian insurance market. Inagaki said that providing a service with high quality at a reasonable price for customers is a core concept in Japanese culture, and that he is determined to apply that in Egypt. His goal is to make Tokio Marine Family Takaful the number one Takaful company in the country, he added. The company also intends to cooperate with banks in light of the new regulations issued lately by the Central Bank to activate banking insurance.

Amen Bank, Tunisia’s second-largest private sector bank, launched two Islamic mutual funds this week, managed by Tunis-based United Gulf Financial Services-North Africa. In October, El Wifack Leasing said it had received central bank approval to become the country’s third full-fledged Islamic bank, with 150mn dinars ($80mn) in capital, adding the firm would bring international shareholders to the venture. These are welcome steps for the Islamic finance industry which has been waiting for the government to issue a debut Islamic bond. Earlier this year the private sector arm of the Islamic Development Bank teamed up with Tunisia’s newly created sovereign wealth fund, Caisse de Depot de Tunisie, to set up a $30mn fund to support local businesses.

Tunisia's Amen Bank launched two Islamic mutual funds this week, managed by Tunis-based United Gulf Financial Services-North Africa. Moreover, El Wifack Leasing said it had received central bank approval to become the country's third full-fledged Islamic bank, with 150 million dinars ($80 million) in capital, adding the firm would bring international shareholders to the venture. These are welcome steps for the industry which has been waiting for the government to issue a debut Islamic bond. Meanwhile, the Islamic Development Bank teamed up with Tunisia's newly created sovereign wealth fund, Caisse de Depot de Tunisie, to set up a $30 million fund to support local businesses.

Bahrain-based Gulf Finance House has signed a joint venture with France's Alliance International Holding which is likely to kick-start the Tunis Bay project. Tunis Bay is part of the overall $3 billion Tunis Financial Harbour project. Alliance International Holding is a French consortium which specialises in the building of golf course projects and new community developments. It said it has signed a deal with the GFH-owned Tunis Bay Project Company which will see more than 800,000 sq m of land developed into a golf course with surrounding villas and apartments. Construction work by the joint venture will start next year as part of the first phase of the Tunis Bay development.

Despite the rapid economic and social development in countries across North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, many companies may be wary of exploring new business opportunities in these jurisdictions due to the complexities with local laws governing foreign businesses and taxation. To respond to this, KPMG has launched a new guide – the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) Tax Guide 2014-15. The guide is available online, free of cost and provides a quick and easy summary of the main regulations affecting foreign companies in 19 countries across the region.

Owned by the Ben Yedder family, the Amen Bank is due to start raising subscriptions on Dec. 11 for two new Sharia-compliant property funds, UFGS Islamic Fund and CEA Islamic Fund. Amen Bank is starting out modestly for what is a first-ever move on its part. Each fund will have an initial value of 100,000 dinars.

Bahrain-based Al Baraka Banking Group plans to set up an Islamic bank in Morocco next year with a capital of USD 50 million, CEO Adnan Ahmed Yousif said. Last month, Morocco's parliament gave final approval to an Islamic finance bill that allows foreign banks and local lenders to set up Islamic banks in the North African country. Yousif declined to name the potential partners, but said the new bank would be established in 2015 with a plan to open 10 branches in the first year of operations. He said Al Baraka expected to record growth of 12% in assets, of 11% in deposits and of 10% in income during 2015.

BMCE bank is reportedly planning to create a new subsidiary specializing in Islamic finance. The group owned by the Othman Benjelloun, Morocco’s richest man, will embark on a joint venture with Saudi Arabia’s Al Baraka Banking Group to create a new subsidiary specializing in Islamic finance. Al Baraka Banking Group will reportedly hold 51% of the new subsidiary while the Moroccan bank BMCE will hold the remaining 49%. Several BMCE executives have received training on Islamic finance in Jordan and Turkey. The step follows the adoption of the law authorizing the creation of participatory banking by the parliament.

Le 25 novembre dernier, après plus de deux années d’attente, le projet de loi n° 103.12 relatif aux établissements de crédit et organismes assimilés a été adopté à Rabat. Il définit le statut des banques islamiques au Maroc et précise les produits qui pourront y être commercialisés. La loi va permettre non seulement la création d’institutions dites "participatives" mais aussi aux entreprises marocaines qui le souhaitent de se financer via des émissions de sukuk. En faisant le choix d’offrir un cadre législatif adapté aux spécificités de la finance participative, le Maroc met tout en œuvre pour assurer un développement pérenne sur son sol.

Over 150 young leaders, innovators, thought leaders and decision makers representing over 30 countries participated in the annual two-day Shape MENA conference which was held December 3-4 at the Qatar National Convention Centre. This year’s Shape MENA event addressed the theme of “Economic Growth and Job Creation in the MENA Region,” and over the course of two days participants examined such issues as the changing nature of work, current and future workplace skills gaps, technology and philanthropy, Islamic finance, and social entrepreneurship. Shape MENA 2014 was supported by a number of local organizations.

The 2015 outlook for GCC banks is stable, but it is negative for those in the rest of the MENA region, says Moody's Investors Service. The stable outlook for GCC banks is driven by strong operating conditions coupled with expansionary fiscal policies and continued infrastructure spending, which remain supportive of credit growth. However, declining oil prices if prolonged at these levels will reduce fiscal surpluses, affect economic confidence and moderate growth expectations. The negative outlook for the rest of the MENA region reflects more subdued credit growth and unsettled domestic environments, which translate into high credit risks. In addition the high exposure to low-rated government securities links non-GCC banks' credit profiles to their respective sovereigns.

Turkey is going to establish an organized industrial zone in the Palestinian city of Jenin in the West Bank, according to a memorandum of understanding co-signed on Wednesday. The memorandum was signed by Turkey's Science, Industry and Technology Minister Fikri Isik, and Palestine's Deputy Prime Minister and National Economy Minister, Mohammed Mostafa. Investors will not pay any taxes. The goods produced in the zone will be able to be exported to world markets including Germany, France, Saudi Arabia and the US without any duties or quotas. Moreover, the businesses will be insured by the World Bank. The goal is to bring the legal framework and corporate capacity in Palestine to international standards.

"The Morocco Islamic Finance 2014: Unlocking The kingdom's Potential" is written and produced by Thomson Reuters, Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), and the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (CIBAFI). The report provides substantive due diligence on the opportunities for Islamic financial services in Morocco. There are a lot of expectations of Islamic finance in the Kingdom of Morocco, and the Morocco report breaks these down and presents a forward-looking analysis of potential Islamic banking assets and investment opportunities. The national retail consumer survey indicates Moroccan Islamic banking assets could potentially reach up to 5% of total banking assets by 2018.

After months of delays, the Moroccan parliament finally approved the Islamic financial bill that will regulate Islamic banks and sukuk issues in the kingdom. This new bill will pave the way to financial institute to establish full-fledged Islamic banks in Morocco. It will be effective once it is published in Morocco’s official bulletin in coming days. Last month, Brahim Benjelloun Touimi, the CEO of “Banque Marocaine du Commerce Exterieur” (BMCE), said that the bank was preparing to launch an alternative subsidiary as a joint venture with a major Islamic financial institution from the Middle East, without revealing the identity of that financial institution.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urged the country's investors to invest in the economy of Iraq. Davutoglu made this statement at a session of the ruling Justice and Development Party. He said that Turkey must have firms and companies that operate in Iraq. Turkish investments in the territory of Kurdish autonomy of Iraq are estimated at $ 700 million. At present, around 1,500 Turkish companies, as well as the branches of such banks as Ziraat Bankasi, Vakifbank, Is Bankasi, Bank Asya and Albaraka operate in the territory of Kurdish autonomy of Iraq.

Abu Dhabi-based Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development will provide $200 million in loans for microfinance projects in Egypt, a move it said would create more than 120,000 jobs by 2020. The UAE state investment fund has signed the loan agreement with the Egyptian government in Cairo. The loan will be directed towards microfinance development in remote and disadvantaged areas and pockets of poverty throughout Egypt. It will also help Egyptian women in rural areas find work. Egypt issued its first law regulating microfinance services last week, seeing the provision of extremely small loans could help to create jobs by giving individual entrepreneurs a start.