IslamicFinance.de

The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) launched its annual Survey on the Implementation of IFSB Standards. The Survey is directed to the member regulatory and supervisory authorities (RSAs) to assess their progress in implementing the IFSB Standards. According to Jaseem Ahmed, Secretary-General of the IFSB, the Survey is useful in providing feedback on the progress and major constrains faced by the authorities. In 2015 a total of 39 RSAs from 27 countries responded and overall 18 RSAs have implemented at least one IFSB standard. In the banking sector, nine RSAs have already implemented more than 50% of the standards. The results of the Implementation Survey 2016 are planned to be presented to the IFSB Technical Committee and Council in early 2017.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) and Thomson Reuters have announced the three finalists for their Ethical Finance and Innovation Challenge and Awards (EFICA). The three finalists will present their entries at the fourth edition of the awards ceremony that will take place on 26th of October, 2016 in Dubai. The Ethical Finance Initiative Award carries a $100,000 prize, and is for innovative solutions or initiatives that promote ethical practice in the financial services industry. The three finalists are: EthisCrowd, as the world’s first Islamic Real Estate Crowdfunding platform, LaunchGood, as the world’s leading crowdfunding site for Islamic Finance and the Islamic Finance Institute of Southern Africa’s micro finance initiative in Indonesia. The EFICA Lifetime Achievement Award will also be presented at the event.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), Aktif Bank and Ijarah Management Company (IMC) have signed a Shareholders Agreement for Joint Strategic Collaboration. Aktif Bank has entered into the Turkish leasing sector by acquiring 32% shares of Haliç Finansal Kiralama (Haliç Leasing) and is planning to primarily fund the growth of SMEs in Turkey. Haliç Leasing will be able to raise the long term funds locally and internationally via Sukuk issuances thanks to extensive knowledge of Aktif Bank on capital markets. CEO of Aktif Bank, Serdar Sümer, said that instead of increasing the number of branches, the bank focuses on diversifying its products and alternative distribution channels. CEO of ICD, Khaled Al Aboodi, said that Haliç Leasing will be the eleventh Islamic leasing company that ICD has invested.

The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD) and Afriland First Bank have signed an agreement in which both parties will cooperate to establish an Islamic Window in Ivory Coast. The cooperation reflects ICD's ambition to promote Islamic Finance in its member countries and support its growing presence and activities in Africa. The agreement was signed by Khaled Mohammed Al-Aboodi, CEO and Managing Director of ICD and Olivier Dadjeu Kengne, CEO and Managing Director of Afriland First Bank Ivory Coast. Both directors expressed their strong support for the partnership. The partnership with ICD aims to diversify Afriland First Bank's activities and meet the needs its customers, particularly the needs of a large Muslim community, which is actively involved in trades.

The Dubai Center for Islamic Banking and Finance (DCIBF), a joint initiative of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) and the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre, has formally released its second annual report on Islamic economy. The report titled 'Islamic Banking: Growth, Efficiency and Stability' focuses on the efficiency performance of 131 Islamic banks operating globally and other key aspects of Islamic banking. The Kuwait Finance House (KFH) received the highest efficiency score, followed by Al Inma Bank from Saudi Arabia, which obtained the top score in terms of the most cost-efficient Islamic bank in the world. The top 20 most efficient Islamic banks come from seven countries, including the UAE, Qatar, Malaysia, and Bahrain in addition to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Outside the GCC region, it is only Malaysia that made it to the top 20 list. Mansoor Al Awar, HBMSU Chancellor, said the results would positively impact the entire global Islamic economy, as more essential reforms will be implemented to improve competitiveness.

As part of its strategy to facilitate private sector investment, the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), has acquired Capitas Group International and has changed its name to Catalyst Group. The existing Catalyst Group management team is extending market interventions in real estate development and advisory services. Khalid Al Aboodi, CEO of ICD stated that the acquisition of Catalyst Group was strategically important as it will act as a facilitator for business. CEO of Catalyst Group, Nazih Al Naser added that the group was looking forward to improving access to capital for small-to-medium enterprises.

Noor Bank has committed its support to the art and design exhibition at the Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES 2016). GIES 2016 is scheduled between 11-12 October at the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai and is under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The summit is anticipated to convene more than 2,000 policymakers to discuss key developments of the Islamic economy sector. Speaking on the bank’s participation in GIES 2016, Hussain Al Qemzi, CEO of Noor Bank, said that this event deeply resonated with Noor Bank’s core values. Noor Bank is looking forward to showcasing the exhibition which features signature art works of this year’s emerging artists alongside established names in the field.

National Bonds Corporation, a Shari'ah-compliant savings and investment company in the #UAE, announced the results of its financial health check for Q3 2016. The survey found that the majority of the UAE’s residents are yet to sign up for Takaful coverage while only a minority is covered by traditional insurance. Within the UAE national pool of respondents, 89% admitted to not being insured against disabilities through Takaful in contrast to 11% that have traditional coverage against disabilities. The financial health check also charted the financial stability of participants. The results of the present survey are encouraging and indicate that 67% of UAE nationals and 72% of expat residents plan to pay off their liabilities and become debt free by end of this year.

The Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), Thomson Reuters and the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) launched the Pakistan Islamic Finance Report titled "Innovation at Asia’s Crossroads". The ceremony, which took place in Karachi, was attended by senior government officials, market executives and industry professionals. The report highlights that the Islamic capital market sector registered a double-digit growth rate in the past decade, recorded mostly by Islamic mutual funds. In all Islamic finance industry segments, finance professionals and investors maintain a positive economic outlook, and Islamic finance institutions have built strong fundamentals.

According to Group CEO Mazin Saad Al-Nahedh, the market share of Kuwait Finance House-Turkey (KFH-Turkey) accounts for 37% of the participation banking in Turkey. The total assets of participation banks as percentage of the total assets of banks in Turkey account for 5-6% and is expected to surge. Growth rates in KFH-Turkey have outpaced the rates in Kuwait, Bahrain and Malaysia. Noting that all Kuwaiti banks were strongly capitalised, Al-Nahedh mentioned that KFH Group’s own capital adequacy ratio surpassed 17% as of end Q1. Commenting on Kuwaiti sovereign debt issuances to Islamic banks, he said that KFH’s share of the debt was 50 per cent, mirroring its market share among Islamic banks in Kuwait.

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.

Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) closed an approximately AED 3.2 bn ($860 mn) rights issue, thereby increasing the bank’s share capital to AED 4.9 bn from AED 3.9 bn as of March 2016. According to Moody's this capital increase is credit positive for DIB because it replenishes reserves and enhances loss-absorption. Moody’s estimates that DIB’s consolidated tangible common equity to risk-weighed-assets ratio will improve to around 12.3% from 9.8% as of March 2016. The new capital will also increase the bank’s reported Tier 1 capital ratio to 18.1% from 15.6%. The additional capital will support the bank’s solvency in the context of continued balance sheet expansion.

A few weeks ago we saw the launch of a Sharia-compliant mobile phone-based loan service. The new service, called Trust Network Finance was rolled out by Allianz in Indonesia. TNF reflects the big opportunities in Indonesia for mobile money and for Sharia-compliant services.
Although roughly 60% of Indonesians have a mobile phone, only 3% of the population is reportedly aware of mobile money. Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, and Sharia-compliant finance has grown over the past few decades in the country; however by the end of 2016 Islamic financial institutions in Indonesia are only expected to hold 5% of the nation’s total banking assets.
Of the country’s roughly 250 million citizens, 60% are unbanked. It’s estimated that there are 50 million MSMEs in Indonesia, which make up about 97% of the country’s enterprises.

RAM Ratings has collaborated with Saturna Sdn Bhd to examine the similarities and explore the potential convergence between Islamic finance and sustainable and responsible investing. SRI has become increasingly more important in line with rising awareness about the environment, social and governance issues among regulators and investors.
The growth of SRI assets has been gathering momentum, having expanded from $13.3 trillion in 2012 to $21.4 trillion in 2014 and outpacing the growth of global professionally managed assets with a record expansion of 61 per cent.
The embodiment of SRI with the principles of fairness, equality and ethics reflects the same philosophies as those of Islamic finance, said RAM Ratings. In fact, the overlapping core values between Islamic finance and SRI could offer a solution vis-a-vis penetrating the conventional market and providing the impetus to mainstream Islamic finance. Furthermore, linkages with the Sukuk market may effectively build up a sustainable sukuk supply base, which will have a tremendous multiplier effect on staging Islamic finance’s next phase of growth.

In a statement to the Tadawul, Saudi International Petrochemical Company announced the successful completion of a Shari’ah-compliant Sukuk issuance amounting to SAR 1.0 bn on 16 June 2016.
The Sukuk was priced at 235 bps over six-month SAIBOR for a tenor of five years maturing on June 16, 2021.
Eng. Ahmad Al-Ohali, Chief Executive Officer of Sipchem, commented that the successful completion of its second Sukuk offering will provide funding for general corporate purposes (including, without limitation, the repayment of any financial obligations). He expressed his appreciation to all who participated in the success of the Sukuk offering especially Riyad Capital and NCB Capital for their efforts in successfully managing the private issuance.
In a separate statement to the Tadawul, Sipchem also reported that with reference to the announcement to the market dated 12 May 2016 regarding the company’s intention to exercise its right of early redemption of its Mudaraba Sukuk with an aggregate amount of SAR 1.8 billion maturing on 6 July 2016, Sipchem successfully completed the early redemption of the Sukuk in full on 15 June 2016.

The bidding process for Asya Katilim Bankasi A.S. - with a June 23 deadline - will end uncertainty over the future of the bank, but creditors face either its successful sale or its liquidation, says Moody's Investors Service in a report published today.
Bank Asya's creditors face two outcomes -- either a transfer of ownership to a successful bidder or the bank is liquidated and its banking license withdrawn," says Irakli Pipia, a VP - Senior Credit Officer at Moody's.
Moody's notes that the bidding process is nevertheless a positivedevelopment for creditors, as it provides a potential upside scenario.In the event of a winning bid by a new owner committed to recapitalizingthe bank, the rating agency would expect a rapid recovery in its credit profile.
"An acquisition of Bank Asya by a well-established player is likely to restore customer confidence in the bank and turn around the outflow of deposits," explains Mr. Pipia. "However, the likelihood of such an outcome is impossible to assess given the limited information about potential interest from bidders."

Abu Dhabi's Al Hilal Bank acquired $225MM RegS floating rate note Sukuk at 3mL+160bps under its $2.5 billion existing Trust Certificate Issuance Program. This trade marks the return to senior unsecured dollar Sukuk market since 2013 by an Abu Dhabi financial institution. CEO of Al Hilal Bank, Khaled Abdulla Alkhoori, said this was the first Islamic private placement in the UAE. The bank aims to work towards raising funding for medium term to enhance its funding profile.

Al Baraka Bank Egypt announced that the net income of the bank jumped by 101% for the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. Total assets also increased by 4%, financing and investments portfolio by 4%, deposits by 5% and equity by 6% at the end of March 2016. Chairman Adnan Ahmed Yousif said the bank has an ambitious branch expansion and geographical spread plans. It is on track to complete its new headquarters building in the New Cairo area. The bank's rolling expansion programme envisages a network of 42 branches by 2020.

Ibdar Bank recently concluded its Annual General Meeting for the fiscal year 2015 and appointed a new Board of Directors. For fiscal year 2015, the Bank reported $14.5 million loss attributable to shareholders. Total revenue for 2015 was $25.6 million compared to $13.6 million for 2014 an increase of 88% over the last year. The improved operating performance in 2015 was overshadowed by impairment and negative fair value changes of $23.8 million. In addition, shareholders elected a new Board of Directors for a three year period. Mr. Tareq Sadeq was appointed as the Bank’s Chairman and Mr. Abdulkarim Ahmed Bucheery as Vice Chairman.

Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (EIBFS) hosted a workshop on the current and future landscape of the Shari’ah-compliant asset management sector for the UAE’s senior-level bankers and financial experts. The workshop invited Islamic finance specialists from EIBFS, Dubai Islamic Bank, Noor Bank and Mashreq Capital. Asset management has evolved significantly over the last few years. In 2015, Assets under Management (AUM) of total global Islamic funds grew 5.3% from the previous year while the number of funds increased by 11%.