IslamicFinance.de

The role and status of cryptocurrencies remains a hotly disputed issue in the Muslim world. While entrepreneurs and Islamic finance startups openly encourage the use of digital currencies, others keep thinking otherwise. The latest escalation in the dispute was a fatwa against all cryptocurrencies issued by the Egyptian Grand Mufti Shawki Allam. He said that since trading of cryptocurrencies was similar to gambling, it was forbidden in Islam. His fatwa came after Bitcoin in mid-December soared to almost $20,000 per token but then lost one third of its value in just 24 hours. In addition, Egypt’s legitimate bodies also do not consider trading a virtual currency to be acceptable. However, nations that play a substantial role in Islamic finance, namely Malaysia, Indonesia, UAE, Turkey and even Saudi Arabia have no problem to accept cryptocurrencies. In Dubai, OneGram was the first company to set up the Shariah-compliant cryptocurrency called OneGramCoin. There are already two real estate developers in Dubai, which accept payments in digital currencies.

According to Qatar Central Bank (QCB) Governor Sheikh Abdulla bin Saoud al-Thani, Qatar is witnessing a robust momentum in fintech. The country is opening up increasing opportunities for digital payments, money management, lending, loyalty and rewards, remittances, investments and advisory services. Sheik Abdulla said the QCB’s recently launched new strategy would need to ensure that fintech firms are enhancing the financial system. Although there have been some success stories, he said banks and insurance companies in the region have been slow to embrace innovation. The fintech industry in Qatar remains very small, but it has seen a few startups such as Hasalty. As a mobile application, Hasalty improves financial literacy for children supported by the Qatar Business Incubation Centre.

i-VCAP Management is expecting US$50 million (RM198 million) to be subscribed upon its initial subscription period via an initial public offering on Feb 9. The MyETF-US50 will be the first US dollar-denominated Syariah-compliant security to be listed on Bursa Malaysia. i-VCAP CEO Khairi Shahrin Arief Baki said ETFs are one of the fastest growing investment products in the world. The MyETF-US50 is aimed at providing investment results that closely correspond to the performance of the benchmark index, the Dow Jones Islamic market US Titans 50. According to i-VCAP chairman Tuan Haji Rosli Abdullah, the MyETF-US50 enables investors to access the US equity market in US dollars, marking a new chapter in the Malaysian capital market.

The Securities Commission Malaysia recently issued its 'Guidelines on Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) Funds' to promote the growth of such funds in Malaysia. Often termed as ethical investments, SRI investments not only provide benefits to society, but also encourage corporate practices that embrace environmental stewardship, consumer protection, human rights and diversity. The new guidelines, which enable market funds to be designated as SRI funds, will widen the range of SRI products. According to the new guidelines, the policies and strategies of SRI funds must adopt one or more sustainability considerations such as the UN Global Compact Principles, the Sustainable Development Goals and other environmental, social or governance factors. The Guidelines also introduce additional disclosure and reporting requirements to encourage more transparency.

The CEO of The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) will be on an official visit to The Gambia on 16th January 2018. A new agreement will be signed by Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO of ITFC and H.E. Hon. Mrs. Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, Vice President and Minister for Women’s Affairs. Since its inception in 2008, ITFC has approved a total of 30 financing operations for The Gambia for a total of US$437 million. Hani Salem Sonbol will be available for face to face interviews. Only registered journalists will have access to the signing ceremony.

In Iran more than a dozen people have been killed and thousands have been arrested in demonstrations over the last few weeks. Massive numbers of Iranians say their savings have been lost because of the collapse of poorly regulated or fraudulent institutions. According to Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution, banks are shutting down without any kind of notice. The Iranian President’s recent budget proposal decreases subsidies to the poor at a time when the spending power of Iranians is also declining. Not being able to meet day-to-day expenses, respond to emergencies or take advantage of opportunities are a significant source of stress. The client protection principles, Smart Certification and the tools developed by the Smart Campaign offer resources for stakeholders in any country. They can ensure responsible treatment of clients and thus long-term sustainability. Iran's case shows the importance of quality financial products as a part of broader financial, economic, and social development.

Affin Hwang Asset Management has launched the TradePlus Shariah Gold Tracker (GOLDETF MK) on Bursa Malaysia, the first commodity-tracking ETF listed in Malaysia. The fund provides investors with exposure to gold through a shariah-compliant investment structure. The fund tracks the LBMA Gold Price AM Index by investing in physical gold bars purchased from London Bullion Market Association-accredited refineries. Datuk Seri Tajuddin Atan, CEO of Bursa Malaysia, said this ETF would allow investors to buy and sell gold in the same manner as trading shares on Bursa Malaysia. The government of Malaysia has also announced that ETFs traded on Bursa Malaysia will be exempted from stamp duty starting from 1 January 2018. GOLDETF’s annual fees (including management, trustee and custody fees) is 0.76%.

2018 may prove to be a pivotal year for Islamic finance stakeholders and their approach to developments in FinTech. Potential areas for FinTech are remittances, insurance, investment advisory services and online trading. In the coming years, demand from consumers is expected to give rise to the faster adoption of these technologies. Instead of mirroring conventional financial products, commentators see the opportunity to provide genuine Islamic-compliant alternatives to the traditional banking model. In December 2017, KFH Bahrain, Al Baraka Banking Group and Bahrain Development Bank announced the establishment of ALGO Bahrain. It will be dedicated to research and development in the Islamic-compliant FinTech sector. In addition, the largest FinTech hub in the Middle East and Africa will open in February 2018. The new hub named Bahrain FinTech Bay is operated by Singapore-based fintech incubator FinTech Consortium.

President Nicolas Maduro announced that Venezuela would issue 100 million units of an oil-backed cryptocurrency known as the petro. Maduro said that the petro would be backed by 5 billion barrels in the Ayacucho block of the Orinoco Oil Belt. Based on the latest price of the country’s oil basket, the total issue would be worth about $5.9 billion. Maduro believes the cryptocurrency will help the South American country challenge the tyranny of the dollar, economic war and US-led financial persecution. Over the past year, the US Treasury Department has blacklisted numerous top-ranking officials, including Maduro and many of his ministers. Home to the world’s largest crude reserves, Venezuelan oil output fell to a 14-year low last July. Maduro didn’t comment on whether Venezuela bondholders would be paid with petros. At the start, the petro will be obtained through auctions or direct allocation by the country’s Cryptocurrency Superintendent.

Qatar's Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs provided zakat to the needy families, the zakat totalled QR13,624,806 last December. The aid was distributed to the beneficiaries, including the permanent aid provided monthly and the irregular aid, which is related to specific needs and emergency conditions. The funds were distributed according to Shariah and after comprehensively researching each beneficiary case and undergoing a social and field research. The cases are then presented to specialised committees, who meet daily and assess the cases, guaranteeing the delivery of assistance to beneficiaries in need.

The Royal Award for Islamic Finance is on a global search for an exceptional individual in the field of Islamic finance. The biennial award is spearheaded by Bank Negara Malaysia and the Securities Commission Malaysia. It recognises Islamic finance visionaries who contribute significantly to the growth of Islamic finance. The award recipient is selected by an independent seven-member international jury chaired by Tun Musa Hitam. The most recent recipient of the Royal Award for Islamic Finance in 2016 was Prof Datuk Dr Rifaat Ahmed Abdel Karim. He was instrumental in founding the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB). The closing date for nominations is March 31, 2018, and interested persons can submit their nominations online.

The Middle East faces a very tricky 2018. War rages in Yemen. Qatar and its neighbours are at loggerheads, in an inter-Gulf feud without precedent. Saudi Arabia is purging its princes. But bond and loan markets are placid. Overall borrowing in the region in 2017 came in at a much higher level than before the oil price fell in 2014. The feeling across the capital markets is firmly that although the region poses risks, it is also rife with opportunities for 2018. One country where that optimism might not be so high is Qatar. The political turmoil in the region has reined in debt capital market bankers’ enthusiasm about Qatar, once the jewel of the Middle East capital markets. On June 5 last year, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt and Libya cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and installed sanctions over allegations of the emirate’s links to terrorist groups. In December 2017, Qatar National Bank and Commercial Bank of Qatar approached the international loan market. Now banks are brushing their concerns aside and bankers are more optimistic about Qatar’s funding capability.

BEP Systems has added Gatehouse Bank to its roster of financiers using their customisable Apprivo2 system. Gatehouse Bank will use the new system to help make their business more efficient. For Gatehouse Bank, BEP have re-configured their systems to comply with Shariah requirements when dealing with home purchase plans. Charles Haresnape, CEO of Gatehouse Bank, said it was vital that the software house understood Shariah requirements and BEP Systems delivered excellent solutions across home purchase plans and buy-to-let financing. Chris Little, managing director of BEP Systems, said Gatehouse Bank had seen the advantages Apprivo2 and strategic advantages would be delivered to fit their business model. He added that Apprivo2 was the fastest growing system in the UK serving specialist finance providers.

The largest seminary in #India, Darul Uloom Deoband, has issued a fatwa asking Muslim women to not marry into a family whose members work in banks. Deoband argued that the income from banking jobs is considered haram (forbidden) earnings. The edict was pronounced after a person asked Darul Ifta if he should marry his daughter to a man whose father worked in a bank. The Islamic scholars have upheld the fatwa, contending that the religious body’s stand was in line with the Islamic law. Islamic researcher Maulana Nadimul Vajdi said that if a person, knowingly or unknowingly, has indulged in haram earning, the person concerned should quit the job and find another one in which the income was not considered forbidden under the Islamic law.

The Grand Mufti of Egypt has explicitly prohibited trading in Bitcoin, explaining that it is forbidden in Islamic Sharia for the risks it holds, and its been used to fund terrorists. A Fatwa has been issued that the virtual currency should not be used to make financial transactions because it has no monetary cover by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE). Mufti Allam remarked that Bitcoins undermine the legal system, as companies can evade taxes and not disclose their profits due to the fact that Bitcoins are untraceable. Furthermore, companies turn their attention to crypto currencies as it allows them to launder money or finance terrorist activities and engage in other fraudulent behaviors. The Mufti concluded that Bitcoin does not have a physical form and leads to fraud, therefore prohibited its use as it leads to more corruption.

Turkish authorities have issued detention warrants for 68 shareholders of Bank Asya. The police operation targeted the network of the cleric accused for orchestrating last year’s failed coup attempt. The targeted shareholders all had voting rights to determine the bank’s administrative board. So far 49 of the 68 suspects had been detained. Bank Asya was founded by followers of the U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and was seized by the state in 2015. According to the Turkish government, Gulen masterminded the 2016 attempted coup, in which more than 240 people were killed by rogue soldiers. Gulen has denied the charges and condemned the coup. Since the abortive putsch, more than 50,000 people, including civil servants and security personnel, have been jailed pending trial and some 150,000 suspended or dismissed from their jobs.

From January 1, Indonesia is introducing a ban on crypto coins as payment options. The Indonesian government wants to ban forms of payment processing and make payment processing available only by owning a banking license. Such moves show how governments could crack down on crypto coins, while being generally accepting of fintech payment systems, even going as far as licensing them. Indonesia recognizes fintech firms as those providing payment systems, market support, investment management or risk management, P2P lending, financing providers and other financial services. All new fintech products in Indonesia would be tested in a sandbox environment before receiving a license.

Waqf have played an important role in the social and economic development of Muslim societies. However, many waqf properties in Indonesia suffer from abuse and neglect. Chairman of the Indonesian Waqf Board (BWI) Mohammad Nuh urged the transformation of the great potential of waqf into a real force to support the national economy. Current development of waqf is hindered by five core issues: misperception, legislation, governance, professionalism and the availability of funding. Important issues such as the provisions of a survey or census on waqf and tax incentives are lacking in the current legislation. A survey on waqf is crucial in mapping the current problems and status of waqf assets. In Indonesia waqf institutions are largely not bankable and hardly have a channel to financial institutions in financing the development of their properties. The newly appointed Indonesian waqf board may revive waqf institutions by identifying priorities, careful implementation and better administration.

In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the financial technology sector is coming of age. According to the State of Fintech report, fintech startups in the region have raised over $100 million over the past decade and investment is predicted to double by 2020. Disclosed investment in fintech had jumped 100% to over $35 million by October 2017. The number of fintech startups also increased from 46 in 2013 to 105 in 2015. It is estimated that it will more than double again to 250 by 2020. Despite the ubiquity of smartphones and internet connectivity, 86% of the adult population in the region is unbanked, while three in four GCC bank customers are ready to switch banks for a better digital experience. According to Abdulaziz Fahad Al Jouf, CEO of PayTabs, fintech could become as great a force in the Middle East as oil. In this environment, the region’s financial institutions are compelled to keep pace with the rapidly evolving fintech industry.

Affin Hwang Asset Management (Affin Hwang AM) has launched its first Shariah-compliant exchange traded fund (ETF) with investment results that closely track the performance of gold prices. The new TradePlus Shariah Gold Tracker will invest a minimum of 95% of its net asset value in physical gold bars purchased from the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA). The remaining balance is invested in Islamic money market instruments and Islamic deposits for liquidity purposes. Affin Hwang AM managing director Teng Chee Wai said the fund provides an efficient entry point to gain exposure to gold by tracking the LBMA Gold Price AM index. Certified by advisory firm Amanie Advisors, each unit of the fund is physically-backed in a secure vault. Investors are provided with an option for physical redemption, for a minimum redemption unit block of 500,000 units, which is equivalent to an estimated 5kg of gold.