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The Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) has issued a new set of regulations for the bonds and sukuk market cutting the minimum value of issuance from Dh50 million to Dh10 million. The regulations include a shortened approval time of five days, and the removal of the requirement to obtain a credit rating. Additionally, bond issuers are no longer required to provide a quarterly report as they may only provide an audited annual financial statement within 180 days of the year-end. The new set of regulations aims to give momentum to the market, and strengthen the UAE’s role as a financial hub for global Islamic economy. However, the regulations do not apply to government entities and companies wholly owned by the government.

In its 'Standpoint Commentary' Malaysian Insurance and Takaful: Stable Fundamentals Amid Evolving Dynamics, RAM Ratings highlights the high growth prospects for Takaful in Malaysia. Under the new Acts, i.e. the Financial Services Act 2013 (FSA) and the Islamic Financial Services Act 2013 (IFSA), composite insurers and Takaful operators (TOs) are required to legally separate their general and life/family businesses by 2018. While RAM Ratings believes this would strengthen regulatory oversight of the sector, the additional capital and resource requirements could be significant for smaller players. RAM Ratings believes that the consensus medium-term forecast of 7-10 per cent growth for general and life insurance and double-digit growth for Takaful is largely achievable.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) is offering investors low-risk exposure to global sharia-compliant stocks through a new 100% capital-protected note that tracks the Dow Jones Islamic Market Titans 100 index. The launch of the note is part of ADIB's growing wealth management offering and helps investors in the region to diversify their portfolio. The Dow Jones Islamic Market Titans 100 Index, which includes the largest 100 sharia-compliant stocks traded globally, has given an annualized return of 6.01 percent over the last 10 years, and just over 21 percent in 2013. The note provides 100 percent capital protection at maturity to minimize risk for a minimum investment of US $30,000. The notes are open for subscription until 24th September 2014.

Bahrain-based Ibdar Bank has announced the appointment of Mr. Basel Al-Haj-Issa as the Bank's new Chief Executive Officer, with effect from 1 September 2014. Mr. Al-haj-Issa is a senior banker with over 20 years of international exposure in Islamic Investment and Commercial Banking in the GCC and MENA, CIS and South East Asia. Prior to joining Ibdar Bank, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Saba Islamic Bank - Republic of Yemen. Prior to that, he was the Director of Financial Institutions Development Dept. at the ICD - managing a portfolio of 25 financial institutions in over 20 countries. Mr. Al-Haj-Issa holds a Master degree in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) from Marshall University, USA.

Standard & Poor's (S&P), one of the world's leading rating agencies, has reaffirmed the Islamic Development Bank 's ( IDB ) 'AAA' rating with a stable outlook. The first AAA rating report on IDB was issued in 2002. S&P recognized IDB as having an extremely strong financial profile underpinned by robust capitalization and high liquidity levels; as well as a very strong business profile emanating from the Bank's important policy role in promoting social and economic development across member countries and Muslim communities in non-member countries. The report emphasized the strong relationship, extraordinary support and preferred creditor treatment which IDB enjoys from its member countries.

As the hard currency denominated sukuk issuance gains momentum, analysts expect more new Islamic and non-Islamic sovereign issuers to enter the market. Since 2001, governments of South Africa and Sharjah, and at least eight other governments - Luxembourg, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Bangladesh and Kenya - have expressed firm intentions and are likely to issue sukuk in the next two years. The United Kingdom issued its inaugural sukuk, while Hong Kong and South Africa are expected to conclude sales in September 2014. Various other countries such as Australia, the Philippines, South Korea, Russia and Azerbaijan have shown moderate interest in the sector.

Volumes of sovereign sukuk have increased significantly over the last three years as governments in Asia, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Europe and now Africa seek to tap increased demand for Sharia-compliant financial assets. However a large portion of these issuance is denominated in local currencies, according to Moody’s. In the medium term, these international issuances will remain driven by sovereign and government-related issuers from the GCC countries because of their US dollar currency pegs. According to Moody’s estimates global sukuk issuance this year will exceed the 2013 level to reach around $70 billion, with sovereign issuance increasing to around $30 billion this year.

Global sukuk issuance is expected to reach around $70 billion in 2014, largely driven by increased issuance from governments. Moody's expects sovereigns to issue approximately $30 billion of sukuk in 2014, increasing the size of the sovereign market to around $115 billion by year-end 2014. The ratings agency forecasts this momentum to be sustained as both Islamic and non-Islamic governments increasingly tap or newly enter the market. Investors’ growing comfort with relatively complex Islamic instruments, the increasing financing needs and leverage appetites of some Muslim countries, as well as a desire for stronger investment links with the faster growing economies in the Gulf and Asia are driving this growth.

SWIFT, in collaboration with The Association of Islamic Banking Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM) and the Malaysian Islamic financial community, has announced that it will launch a new rulebook for the usage of SWIFT MT messages for Islamic finance. This rulebook will provide greater clarity around SWIFT MT message usage based on Islamic principles in order to enable straight-through processing (STP), thereby improving efficiency as well as reducing risk and cost. It will provide an efficient platform for exchanging Islamic finance messages and further promote the usage of message standards. The SWIFT Islamic Finance Rulebook will be available to the Message User Group (MUG) by the end of 2014.

Morocco's Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) weighed in on the Islamic bank bill on August 28th, proposing two changes. Two negative remarks were made by the CESE. The first related to a lack of consumer information necessary to avoid unfair marketing by Islamic banks. The second dealt with the need to clarify the roles of the National Council of Ulema and the central bank in the oversight of the sector. However, civil society activist and CESE member Hakima Naji opposed the intervention of the High Council of Ulema in the financial sector. She criticised the idea of religious management of finance and said that the central bank had the necessary ability to both traditional and Islamic banks.

IdealRatings Inc. has announced the launch of the first ever Sukuk Shariah Screening Solution. The research-based online screening service is designed to serve Islamic investors and treasuries aiming to balance their portfolios with low risk fixed income instruments yet conform to the mandates defined by their Shariah boards. The Sukuk Screening Solution enables investors to screen Sukuk against different Shariah guidelines in the market such as AAOIFI, OIC, Malaysia Securities Commission (SC) as well as defining their own custom composite Shariah guidelines. IdealRatings has also designed and launched a series of Sukuk indexes, to empower the Sukuk service clients with benchmarks essential for Islamic fixed income portfolio management. The Index Family constitutes Five US Dollar indices with different segmentations.

Islamic banks can offer customers spot value date transactions, which are for settlement in two working days, or at a pre-agreed date and price in the future, which would be covered under the "foreign exchange wa'ad". Islamic foreign exchange swap is a contract that is designed as a hedging mechanism to minimise market participants' exposure to volatile and fluctuating market of currency exchange rates. The FX swap involves two stages of exchange at the beginning when the first currency exchange takes place and the dollar or other currency is converted to the other currency based on the spot rate. On the same day, both sides will sell a forward contract to other currency back to the dollar or other exchanged foreign currency at a forward rate.

Construction Week's Leaders in Construction Summit is set to take place on September 3 in Dubai. IHCC, a turnkey solutions provider that specializes in healthcare, education and mixed-use projects, will participate in the Summit by organizing a panel discussion on designing and managing diverse social infrastructure projects including hospitals, schools and universities. IHCC's CEO Sultan Sobhi Batterjee will share insights at a panel discussion that will mull diverse emerging issues in the real estate sector such as the rise in spending on social infrastructure across the GCC, how contractors can win work in this area, what special capabilities are required and best ways to partner with leading international education and healthcare providers.

Managing Director of Egyptian Takaful Company (Life) GIG Hisham Abdel Shakour revealed that the company plans activating marketing its products through Audi and Abu Dhabi Islamic banks by October. Abdel Shakour explained that GIG obtained the initial approval of Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority ( EFSA ) to start activating its various products via the two banks' branches along with obtaining the approval of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE). GIG is still waiting EFSA 's final approval to activate this new marketing activity in Egypt, Abdel Shakour added. The company is planning promoting new five products according to the new marketing system as it contributes to facilitate for the customer to obtain automatically policies with high speed.

Malaysian property developer Sunway will raise up to 2 billion ringgit ($633 million) by issuing sukuk mudharaba, it said in August; short-term commercial paper under the programme will have maturities of between a month and a year, while medium-term notes will have maturities of one to seven years. Sunway will make its first issuance within two years. Turkey's Treasury said it plans to issue lira-denominated sukuk worth 1.5 billion lira ($705 million) in October. Tunisia will sell its first sovereign Islamic bond in September after months of delays, raising $140 million. The Islamic Development Bank plans to issue a benchmark-sized sukuk around May next year, close in size to a $1.5 billion, five-year sukuk which it issued in February this year, among others.

The attempts to offer conventional financial products in Afghanistan are perceived as yet another foreign attempt to challenge basic tenets of the Afghan society. This perception - shared not only in the countryside but also by sectors of urban society - is fuelling resentment and distrust among people. As a consequence, the already meager financing in the rural areas, where 75% of the population lives, is drying up and almost non-existent. This is undermining any meaningful economic and social take-off. Within this landscape, Islamic finance and takaful represent a necessary tool to address the population's discomfort with the conventional approach, ease cultural tensions and creatively mend social relations.

The International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBAR), the biggest bank in Azerbaijan managing more than 35% of total banking assets in the country, has announced the signing of a Shari'a Supervisory agreement with Shariyah Review Bureau (SRB). IBAR hopes that SRB and its experience will help the bank to build the Shari'a Complaint business and lift its Islamic financial sector to a successful future. Shariyah Review Bureau is today recognized globally for its iconic Shari'a Compliance services. With more than 37 Shari'a scholars, the company's growth includes recently doubling Shari'a review and Certification capacity in the GCC. As the pace of change in the Islamic financial industry accelerates at an international level, institutionalized services of Shari'a Advisory firms like SRB has become increasingly evident.

A consortium comprising a reputable bank, royal families, and a group of leading businessmen in the GCC, has announced that an agreement to set up the first Islamic bank in the eurozone has now been concluded.
Eurisbank will have a start-up capital totalling Euro 60m, branches in Paris, Brussels, The Netherlands and Frankfurt are planned. Set to be headquartered in Luxembourg, the founders, promoters and Deloitte have concluded a meeting with the CSSF (Luxembourg's Supervisory Authority), which has welcomed the idea. Deloitte has completed a feasibility study for the bank, which is said to demonstrate high return on investment, taking advantage of being the first of its kind to operate from the eurozone countries.

The DIFC Laws Amendment Law 2014, which amends the Regulatory Law 2004 and various other laws related to the Dubai International Financial Centre, is expected to give a new boost the financial services business from DIFC. The Amendments that will come to effect on August 21 makes a number of significant changes to the Dubai Financial Services Authority’s (DFSA’s) regulatory regime and investment laws. They are an important step in simplifying and improving the structure and procedures for decision making and review of DFSA decisions. They will also strengthen DFSA supervisory and enforcement powers, and improve the supervisory oversight of auditors.

London-based Gatehouse Bank has purchased the leasehold interest in the Marriott Residence Inn ("Residence Inn"), Manhattan, New York for an undisclosed amount. The Bank, assisted by Arch Street Capital Advisors, LLC, has acquired the property in partnership with a US-based hotel operator. The Residence Inn is a 17-storey, recently redeveloped building located on 48th Street in Midtown East, Manhattan. The property features 211 guestrooms of multiple room configurations including studios, suites and a penthouse. All rooms include a fully equipped kitchen. The Residence Inn is an extended stay, select service brand of Marriott International that is among the strongest performing brands under the Marriott umbrella.