IslamicFinance.de

Noor Islamic Bank has been assigned to arrange and lead manage more than US $1.4 billion Islamic finance capital market deals in Turkey in the last 18 months, making it the most active UAE bank in the republic.
Noor revealed details of its financial dealings in Turkey on the eve of the Islamic Investment and Finance Forum, planed to take place in the Turkish capital Istanbul, from October 24-27.
During the four-day Islamic Investment and Finance Forum, leading regional and international Islamic finance experts will debate a range of key topics for the Islamic finance industry including how to revive the global sukuk markets,following the financial crisis; kick starting sukuk markets in frontier economies; new business opportunities for Islamic syndicated finance and the future of Participation (Islamic) banking in Turkey.

UNESCO works in education, the sciences, culture and communication and information. Recently it lost a substantial portion of funding as the newspapers reported (see for details: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15527534 ). It is worth considering how to support the UNESCO and their goals:

"UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which are at the heart of UNESCO’S mission and activities.

The broad goals and concrete objectives of the international community – as set out in the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – underpin all UNESCO’s strategies and activities. Thus UNESCO’s unique competencies in education, the sciences, culture and communication and information contribute towards the realization of those goals.

A strong demand for a sukuk launched by Turkish bank Kuveyt Turk last month underlines how Turkey has the chance to become a major source of Islamic bonds for Gulf investors who are looking to diversify geographically.
The $350 million sukuk was only the second sukuk issued from Turkey.
Although until now Gulf investors have not focused on bonds from Turkey, the relatively comfortable way in which Turkey's economy is coping with global weakness may change their mind.

Because of the recent global financial crises appetite for Islamic Private Equity has surfaced.
Joined by over 50 expert regional and global speakers, Ihab Asali, QFIB Head of Private Equity embraces the global rise of Islamic Private Equity at the recently concluded Islamic Investment and Finance Forum, in Istanbul, Turkey.
Ihab along with other panellists discussed and investigated the potential of Islamic Private Equity after the economic downturn, ways to increase Islamic funds and its impact on the Private Equity market and where quality Islamic Private Equity opportunities are likely to come out.

Rob Pearce of HSBC analyzes a form of socially reponsible investing based in Shariah.
It seems that the Muslim community currently makes up approximately 4% of the UK population. This is anticipated to double to 8% over the next two decades. But the proportion of the estimated £500bn UK DC assets invested in Islamic funds is a minuscule fraction of this amount. Auto-enrolment carries many challenges and opportunities, as well as an additional five to eight million individuals who will be saving more or joining a pension scheme for the first time. With an average age of only 28, many of these new investors will be Muslims.

Turkye Finans Participation Bank was given $75 million line of finance by Islamic Development Bank (IDB). An agreement was signed by IDB Group President Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali with one of Turkey’s largest Islamic Banks. This proccess took place at the 27th meeting of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, (COMCEC), in Istanbul.
The agreement brings long term financing opportunities to small and medium enterprises in Turkey through Installment Sale, Ijara and Istisna’a modes of Islamic finance.

Global leaders point way to economic recovery at UN summit

Gordon Brown, Mary Robinson and global CEOs call for sustainable financial sector reform

Washington D.C., 20 October 2011 – With economic recovery topping the United States and global political agenda, a group of CEOs, major investors and bankers together with former United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President of Ireland Mary Robinson called for a far-reaching reform of the global financial system at a summit which ended in Washington D.C. today.

Amid a growing wave of protests highlighting economic concerns in countries from the US to the UK, Japan and Greece, more than 500 senior finance executives and policy-makers from around the world met at the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative Global Roundtable (UNEP FI) summit to find sustainable solutions to tackle the drivers of market volatility and address the deepening rift between the rich and the poor.

IdealRatings® Islamic Investor™ is the only iPhone application that tells you if a stock is Shariah compliant or not, gives you a detailed report explaining why, and alerts you if it changes status, it is designed for personal use by individual investors.

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Because of the ongoing unrest in North Africa and the Middle East, many investors from Gulf countries have been directed to Turkey.
Hussain Alqemzi, Noor Islamic Bank’s chief executive officer, stated that the Noor Islamic Bank has been assigned to arrange and manage more than $1.4 billion Islamic finance capital market deals in Turkey in the last 18 months, becoming the most active United Arab Emirate bank in the country.
The total trade volume between Turkey and the six member states of the GCC, Bahrain, Kuwait Oman, Qatar, United Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, reached approximately more than $17 billion last year.

Kuveyt Turk has given a price to its $350m five-year sukuk. It seems that the paper priced at par with an expansion of 447.5 basis points over midswaps and had a profit rate of 5.875 percent.

Noor Islamic Bank has been assigned to put in order and lead manage more than US $1.4 billion Islamic finance capital market deals in Turkey in the last 18 months, making it the most active UAE bank in the republic.
The bank revealed details of its financial dealings in Turkey on the eve of the Islamic Investment and Finance Forum, scheduled to take place in the Turkish capital Istanbul, from October 24-27., where it will be the Sukuk partner for the event.
During the four-day Islamic Investment and Finance Forum, leading regional and international Islamic finance experts will talk about a range of key topics for the Islamic finance industry including how to animate the global sukuk markets, following the financial crisis; kick starting sukuk markets in frontier economies; new business opportunities for Islamic syndicated finance and the future of Participation (Islamic) banking in Turkey.

Klaus Schwab, executive chairman and founder of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has the strong oppinion that it is time for the Middle East to grasp a more holistic, inclusive and qualitative approach to economic development. He stated that the events in this region over the past 10 months have no precedent and have developed a new regional order that is still evolving.

He also reminded that the next World Economic Forum on Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, in June 2012.

Luc Frieden, Luxembourg's Minister of Finance, has underlined the fact that given that financial institutions under Europe have remained stable against the backdrop of the eurozone debt crisis, it can learn and win from Islamic finance.
He added that Asia and Europe must join forces for the development and prosperity of the global economy.

Randall & Quilter has accepted to buy Principle Insurance for £4.275m cash. Principle Insurance was launched and was given Financial Services Authority approval in 2008 with the purpose of meeting the motor and home insurance needs of the country's Muslim population as the only Shariah-compliant insurance provider in Britain at the time.
It has been in run-off since October 2009. Randall & Quilter has a portfolio of nine insurance companies in run-off, from the UK, US and Europe, with net assets £72.2m beginning with 30 June 2011.

In its new publication, Islamic Banking and Finance in North Africa, the African Development Bank assesses the state of Islamic banking in the region and explains why its use has been limited. The report considers the future potential of Islamic finance, including its possible alignment with North Africa’s development goals, particularly its ability to increase the diversification of funding sources.

The report takes into consideration the effect of Islamic banking’s focus on the equitable distribution of risk and returns between suppliers and users of funds. Islamic Banking and Finance in North Africa goes further by exploring whether Islamic-style finance contracts could contribute to the development objectives of North African countries.

full report for free download: http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-Operati...

The Vatican called for an overhaul of the world’s financial systems, and again proposed establishment of a supranational authority, reported the New York Times.

Original in wording in Italian:
http://press.catholica.va/news_services/bulletin/news/28264.php?index=28...

Hansonwade’s Summit on scalable business models for Islamic Microfinance will take place from January 30 to February 1, 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The focal point of the summit will be on identifying the potential business models available and their challenges. At the summit Tijara, USAID, Akhuwat, Al-Amal Microfinance Bank, Tanzania eco-Volunteerism and CWCD will share their projects.

Event Website:
http://islamicmicrofinance-summit.com/

It is possible that the Commonwealth of Independent States will become the next frontier for Islamic finance. At this point, six Muslim republics of the former Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kirgizstan and Tajikistan are members of the CIS. Moreover, Russia has also 20m indigenous Muslims in Russia, mostly concentrated in the semi-autonomous Caucasus provinces of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan.
Although the relationship between Russia and its Muslims wasn't very good, it has started to make concerted efforts to reach out to Turkey, Iran and the Arab nations to the south and Pakistan, Malaysia and the Islamic democracies of South East Asia.

Bank Alkhair is looking for small boutique banks in Malaysia to acquire, so that it can expand its presence in south east Asia and to win ringgit exposure.
The bank operates in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Turkey, primarily in the Islamic investment banking field.
Ikbal Daredia, CEO of its Malaysian operation, stated that Alkhair has put a target on some small institutions as takeovers, but underlined that nothing was going in the near future.

According to sources of the monthly magazin Bilan, a French language business monthly, the 'Islamic Bank of Switzerland' is seeking a license to operate out of Zurich, Switzerland. Investors are supposed to be from Qatar.