IslamicFinance.de

Retail-focused Islamic banks in GCC countries have strong liquidity coverage ratios (LCRs) due to their large base of core retail customer deposits and low reliance on market-sensitive wholesale funding. According to Moody’s, retail deposits in 2015 comprised around 67% of Islamic banks’ customer deposits for the three GCC countries, compared to 40 for conventional banks. Islamic banks in GCC countries have become systemically important and continue to increase their market penetration, outpacing conventional banks. Sustained lower oil prices continue to reduce the flow of deposits and could lead to a gradual weakening of the LCR metrics for both Islamic and conventional banks.

Launched by Al Mal Investment Company (KPSC), Takharoj is the region's first web-based application that connects minority investors in Unlisted Securities to offer them big investment privileges. A variety of functions are covered, such as management, representation, policy-making and selling shares. Commenting on the launch of Takharoj, Abdul Wahab Al Mutawa, CEO of Al Mal Investment said Takharoj's objective is to group like-minded minority shareholders to negotiate optimal outcomes. Clients only need to upload their basic investment information on the web-portal so that Takharoj can act on their behalf and in their best interest.

Qatari Islamic banks’ short-term high quality liquidity assets to cover monthly net cash outflow is comparable to those of their conventional peers and their funding pressures are to some extent mitigated by frequent bonds and sukuks issuance by the government, according to Moody’s, a global credit rating agency.

“In Qatar, the LCRs (liquidity coverage ratios) of Islamic banks are comparable to those of their conventional peers. This situation reflects the absence of sizable retail deposit franchises among the Qatari banks, coupled with heightened systemic liquidity pressures that had led to banks relying more heavily on market funding,” Moody’s said in a report. The funding pressures are mitigated somewhat by the frequent issuance of bonds and sukuk by the Qatari sovereign, a situation, which provides local Islamic banks with the same good access to HQLAs (high quality liquid assets) as their conventional peers, it said.
The rating agency found that five of the six GCC countries are Basel III compliant and have introduced LCRs, namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman; only the UAE has yet to adopt a LCR framework for its banks.

Emaar Properties and Kuwait’s Burgan Bank raised $1.25 billion (Dh4.59 billion) from bond sales. Emaar sold $750 million of 10-year Islamic securities, pricing them at 225 basis points over the benchmark midswap rate. Burgan Bank raised $500 million from a sale of five-year dollar securities that will carry a spread of 215 basis points over midswaps. Corporate bond sales are picking up amid a rush of sovereign issuance in the oil-exporting region. Saudi Arabia is expected to raise at least $10 billion in October from its first offering of international securities.

Ahli United Bank Kuwait has obtained approval from Kuwait's central bank to issue capital-boosting sukuk worth up to $200 million. The bank did not give a time frame for the issue but said it could include foreign and domestic currency tranches. The proceeds would be used to enhance the bank's capital base in line with Basel III global banking standards. Last year Kuwait's Capital Markets Authority released rules providing a legal basis for issuance of Islamic bonds, which is helping boost sales of sukuk. Kuwait's Gulf Bank and Boubyan Bank have both completed sukuk issues this year.

In #Kuwait the Court of Appeal has set a new date for the case against Islamic finance group The Investment Dar (TID). The case was brought by Noor Investments of Kuwait and aims to have TID declared bankrupt. A date of 26 October has been set for the court’s committee of experts to report back. The Investment Dar said it would continue to defend the company’s assets from attacks. In their opinion, these court cases are brought by a small number of creditors who wish to put themselves in a preferential position.

Kuwait's Boubyan Bank issued $250 million Perpetual Tier 1 Capital Certificates, completed May 16, the first public sukuk from a Kuwaiti bank, the first public sukuk out of Kuwait since 2007 and the world’s first public fully Basel III-compliant Tier 1 sukuk. The certificates were made available on the Irish Stock Exchange and NASDAQ Dubai. The issuance was advised by Dentons. Joint coordinators included Standard Chartered, HSBC and Boubyan, Emirates NBD Capital, Dubai Islamic Bank, KFH Capital and National Bank of Kuwait. Co-managers of the transaction were Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Ajman Bank and Noor Bank.

Dentons advised #Kuwait's Boubyan Bank on its issuance of $250 million Perpetual Tier one Capital Certificates, which completed on 16 May 2016. The transaction represents the world's first public fully Basel III-compliant Tier one Sukuk, while also being the first ever public Sukuk from a Kuwaiti bank, and the first public Sukuk out of Kuwait since 2007. Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC and Boubyan Capital acted as joint global co-ordinators, together with Emirates NBD Capital, Dubai Islamic Bank, KFH Capital and National Bank of Kuwait as joint lead managers on the issuance of the Capital Certificates. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Ajman Bank and Noor Bank acted as co-managers.

Kuwait’s Investment Dar has offered to hand assets to creditors immediately in order to win them over to its latest plan to restructure debts of KD 813m ($2.7bn). Investment Dar has had mixed success in restructuring its debts since getting into trouble during the financial crisis. Its latest attempt, called Al Sharq, promises to immediately hand over control of assets in the company to creditors, while also guaranteeing that shareholders will not get paid until all creditors are paid.

Boubyan Bank’s CEO Adel Abdul Wahab Al-Majed said the bank succeeded in covering its capital enhancement sukuk which was oversubscribed by more than 5 times the targeted amount, reaching US$ 1.3 bn. This was achieved during a marketing period of two weeks from the date of obtaining the regulatory approvals from the Capital Markets Authority and the Central Bank of Kuwait. Boubyan Bank issued US$ 250 million sukuk, priced at 100%, which will bear profit at a rate of 6.75%.

According to Kuwait Finance Centre Markaz the Middle East will see $58 billion in bond and Sukuk issuance in 2016 and $385 to $390 billion through 2020. The excess allocation towards real estate has been exasperated by the shortage of Shari'ah-compliant fixed income. The next few years may be challenging for the GCC and its Takaful companies if energy prices stay low because the low penetration rate of insurance and Takaful has led to an extremely competitive market. A pipeline of around $60 billion per year for the next five years will support banks and Takaful operators to manage their balance sheets and support growth.

Warba Bank's financing portfolio grew by 40 percent to KD 543.8 million at the end of 2015, compared with KD 388.2 at the end of 2014. The bank's total assets reached KD 776.1 million at the end of 2015, compared with KD 594.8 million in 2014 with a growth rate of 30 percent, Vice Chairman and CEO Al Jassar Dakheel Al-Jassar added during the bank's general assembly on Wednesday. In 2015, the bank achieved significant growth in its operating income, which rose by about KD 7.7 million and amounted to KD 26.3 million, marking a growth of 42 percent compared with KD 18.5 million in 2014, Al Jassar stated.

Kuwait Finance House (KFH) has received an offer from investors to buy its stake in affiliate Aref Investment Group, the country's biggest Islamic lender said in a bourse statement on Monday. Aref is a diversified investment firm which is 53 percent owned by KFH and has share capital of $400 million, according to information on the companies' websites. This offer is currently under study and no decision has been taken as yet, the statement said. KFH will disclose this offer in the event that they have reached and signed a preliminary agreement, and cannot currently determine any financial impact on its statements in the absence of an agreement as yet.

Kuwaiti financial firm Investment Dar has begun talks with creditors about a new 813 million dinar ($2.7 billion) debt restructuring plan after a court threw out an earlier attempt. Investment Dar, whose main assets are in finance and property, has made several efforts to pay off creditors after getting heavily indebted during the financial crisis. Its most recent plan, dubbed Dasman, failed last month when Kuwait's Court of Appeal rejected an application under the country's financial stability law to impose it on all creditors. This resulted in a company-organised creditor meeting on Tuesday, attended by around half of its roughly 80 creditors. It was reported that both sides agreed to discuss a fresh restructuring deal, which could be proposed to creditors in the coming weeks.

Kuwait's Boubyan Bank aims to issue sukuk worth $250 million before the end of April, the lender's chief executive said on Monday. Adel Abdul Wahab al-Majed told reporters of the plan after the company's annual meeting. Boubyan Bank in January said it had received regulatory approval to issue a capital-boosting sukuk worth $250 million. Majed added that the sukuk would allow the bank to fulfill Basel III requirements and cover its capital needs until 2018.

Kuwait International Bank (KIB) in 1973 started out as a specialised bank in real estate under the name of Kuwait Real Estate Bank. KIB later helped with the constructional evolution of the country and has since expanded to other areas of the economy. In 2007, KIB converted into a fully-fledged bank operating under Islamic sharia provisions and changed its name. KIB sees the drop in oil prices as an opportunity to expedite the implementation of fiscal reform, in order to mitigate pressures on government budget and diversify the sources of income. Doing so will push forward the wheel of economic development and maintain a sustainable economy in the long run.

Fitch Ratings says tougher operating conditions in Kuwait and the region will translate into slower growth for Islamic banks during the year, albeit in line with industry trends. The Islamic Banks Dashboard published today covers Kuwait's Islamic banking sector comprising five banks (out of 10 domestic banks) which hold a total market share of 39% (by assets). Fitch believes that Islamic financing growth will moderate in 2016 due to a sharper-than-expected fall in oil prices and the resulting impact on the economy and business environment. The sector is, however, expected to remain profitable despite weaker operating income and higher impairment charges.

Warba Bank said Tuesday it registered a million Kuwaiti Dinars (KD) (USD 3.3 million), or one fils per share, in profits for the Fiscal Year (FY) ending last December. The bank's 2014 profits were KD 115,000 (USD 383,526). Warba Bank said in a statement on Kuwait Stock Exchange's (KSE) website that its board members did not recommend distribution of profits for shareholders for FY 2015. Total shareholders' equity for last year was around KD 92.2 million against KD 91.8 million the year before. Warba Bank was established in 2010 with a KD 100 million capital, and was listed in KSE in 2013.

Kuwait Finance House (KFH) is studying the issuance of Islamic bonds that would boost its capital reserves. The offering still requires necessary approvals, its chief executive Mazen al-Nahedh said. The firm could issue capital bonds that either enhance its core Tier 1 capital or its supplementary Tier 2 capital. Besides sukuk plans for the parent company, KFH is also planning to issue Tier 2-enhancing sukuk this year for its Turkish subsidiary. The firm expects the issue will happen this year to support its capital situation so it can grow, he added.

According to the official statistics, nearly 85 percent of the Kuwaiti population is still employed by the government. While the last decade has showed a surge in entrepreneurial initiatives, roadblocks and barriers remain. There have been many initiatives for and by entrepreneurs, such as support organizations, bazaars, and farmers markets that were geared toward small businesses and entrepreneurs, many of them just in their first or second year of operation. In 2010, Kuwait passed its first long-term development plan in almost 25 years. The government planned to spend $104 billion over four years to diversify the economy away from oil, and to boost private sector participation in the economy. Young business people are extremely supportive of the government’s initiative and focus on SMEs.