IslamicFinance.de

Hassan Usman has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Jaiz Bank. The decision of the Board of Directors was reached after a rigorous selection exercise. Hassan Usman takes over from Mahe Abubakar who has acted as MD since December 2015. Mr. Usman had previously acted as Managing Director in 2013. The Bank recently obtained a National Operating License from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This will enable it to spread across all the 36 states of the Federation.

In #Nigeria the emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, has lauded Jaiz Bank for declaring a profit of over N700 million in the four years of its operation. The bank's managing director Mahe Abubakar Mahmoud disclosed that the Bank had a total balance sheet size of N65 billion by May 31, 2016. He explained that customers’ deposit stood at N50 billion, while the shareholders fund stood at N15 billion, making the bank worth N65 billion. Abubakar said the bank was expanding its branches across the nation, with four additional branches in Kano and the neighbouring states.

Nigeria hopes to use a proposed Sukuk issuance programme to help fund big infrastructure needs. The country plans to borrow as much as $10 bn from debt markets to help fund a budget deficit worsened by the slump in oil prices that has slashed revenues and weakened the naira. Secretary of finance Alhaji Mahmoud Isa-Dutse said the federal government is working on a sovereign sukuk with details expected within the year. In 2013, Nigeria's Osun State issued 10 bn naira ($62 mn) of sukuk, but no other sukuk transactions have followed.

Nigeria hopes to use a proposed Sukuk issuance programme to help fund big infrastructure needs. The country plans to borrow as much as $10 bn from debt markets to help fund a budget deficit worsened by the slump in oil prices that has slashed revenues and weakened the naira. Secretary of finance Alhaji Mahmoud Isa-Dutse said the federal government is working on a sovereign sukuk with details expected within the year. In 2013, Nigeria's Osun State issued 10 bn naira ($62 mn) of sukuk, but no other sukuk transactions have followed.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted Jaiz Bank national license to operate Islamic non-interest banking in all the states of the federation. Chairman of Jaiz Bank Alhaji Umaru Abdul Mutallab said the bank intends to roll out in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in two or three months times. Alhaji Sa’ad Abubarkar III, the Sultan of all Muslims in Nigeria, congratulated and warned that Jaiz bank must conform with all rules and regulations of Islam.

The federal government has urged Nigerians to embrace Islamic insurance as it can guarantee economic security in times of economic uncertainties. At the official launch of the book Understanding Takaful, the minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, described takaful insurance as a safety net for the community. The author of the book, Malam Zubairu Sulaiman Darazo, identified the interest rates inherent in conventional financial institutions as responsible for the low level of insurance penetration in Northern Nigeria.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) released guidelines on the regulation and supervision of non-interest microfinance banks (MFBs) in the country. In the document the banking sector regulator placed the NIMFBs into three categories namely Unit, State and National. A Unit NIMFB is required to have a minimum paid-up capital of N20 mn, a State NIMFB is required N100 mn, while a National NIMFB required N2 bn.

On the annual distribution of Zakat by the Elders Consultative Forum of Supreme Council for Shariah in #Nigeria Abiola Ajimobi called on the Muslims to address the effective, efficient collection and management of Zakat fund. One of the beneficiaries of the Zakat distribution, Ridwan Olalekan, who spoke on behalf of others, promised to make judicious use of the items.

Following the approval of the Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund offer by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Lotus Capital Limited held the signing ceremony in respect of the Offer on April 14, 2016. The offer has an initial subscription size of N1,000,000,000.00 consisting of 1,000,000 units at N1,000 per unit. The Fund will be launched upon receipt of final approval from SEC. The primary objective of the fund is to generate returns from investments in Shari’ah compliant fixed income securities and contracts, while ensuring capital preservation. A minimum investment of N5,000 is required.

A group under the auspices of Adamawa State chapter of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) has resolved to pursue wealth creation and provide job opportunities for members of Islamic Youth organisations through Agriculture as a business. In a communique, the association further stated that the move was in line with the policy thrust of the current Buhari Administration in collaborating with NASR of the Central Bank of Nigeria, JAIZ Bank and Standard Micro-Finance Bank. The association produced a 10 point recommendation geared towards developing a framework which will see to the Socio-economic Development of the Muslim Umma in Adamawa State.

“Financing Development Through Islamic Capital Market – a viable Alternative" was the theme of the a recent 2ND regional roundtable on Islamic finance which held on March 14, 2016. This was towards advancing effort by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) at expanding the depth of the Nigerian Capital Market and promoting financial inclusiveness through the Capital Market. This was in line with the SEC’s strategic Ten year Master Plan on Non-Interest Capital Market. The workshop aimed at encouraging states to explore the alternative model for financing infrastructure projects through Islamic Capital Market Products such as Sukuk.

Jaiz Bank, the pioneer Islamic bank in Nigeria, has concluded plans to go national, few months after it received an approval-in-principle from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend its business nationwide. Authorities at the bank said additional branches would soon open in Lagos, Ibadan, Ilorin and Port Harcourt.

Jaiz Bank has concluded plans to go national, few months after it received an approval-in-principle from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend its business nationwide. Authorities at the bank said additional branches would soon open in Lagos, Ibadan, Ilorin and Port Harcourt.

Jaiz Bank Plc has concluded plans to go national, its management has said. Speaking in Kaduna at the just concluded International Trade Fair organised by the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA), the Bank’s Manager in Kaduna Halilu Murtala said additional branches would soon open in Lagos, Ibadan, Ilorin and Port Harcourt. He said that this was in line with the Approval-in-Principle issued to the bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to go national. The bank's plan is to add at least ten more branches to the existing network of 19 branches spread across the country before the end of this year. Arrangements in fulfilment of CBN’s requirements have already been finalised, he said.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, said he welcomed an offer by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to organisze a financing roundtable in Abuja to mobilise more funds for investment and development of infrastructure in Nigeria. The president of the IDB, Dr Ahmed Mohammed Ali made the offer at a meeting with Buhari who is currently on an official visit to Saudi Arabia. Ali assured Buhari that the IDB would work with its traditional partners such as the Saudi Fund, the Kuwait Fund, Arab Bank for Development in Africa and the Abu Dhabi Fund, to increase the quantum of funding available to Nigeria. Buhari welcomed the plan by the IDB to fast track the take-off of the Bilingual Education Programme, aimed at integrating the Almajiri system of education with western education in Nigeria.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Debt Management Office (DMO) have inaugurated a committee for the nation’s first sovereign Sukuk. Mr Mounir Gwarzo, SEC Director-General, who confirmed the committee’s inauguration, said it comprised staff of the commission and DMO, and would set up modalities for the first sovereign bond. He said that Sukuk had not been approved by the commission at the moment. Gwarzo said that recently, the commission was working with the DMO to ensure issuance of the bond in the second quarter of 2016. He said that the commission would support DMO in capacity building to ensure successful issuance of the bond.

Worried by turbulent developmental challenges facing the Northern part of Nigeria, selected Governors from the northeast, northwest and north central, representing the 19 Governors of the region, will on Sunday begin a three day meeting with top executives of Islamic Development Bank (IDB), at the bank’s headquarters in Saudi Arabia. The parley deliberated on ways of tackling challenges of Agriculture, poverty, education, maternal mortality ?and other problems most prevalent in the north than any part of Nigeria. In subsequent days, the Governors will hold different meetings with the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, ITFC and the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment & Export Credit (ICIEC), Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD).

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reached an agreement with the Debt Management Office (DMO) to issue Nigeria’s maiden sovereign Sukuk. The decision by the two government agencies to collaborate to issue the Sukuk was a major outcome of the visit of the Director General of SEC, Mounir Gwarzo to the DMO on Wednesday. The visit was a return gesture to a similar exercise by the Director General of DMO, Abraham Nwankwo, in November last year. Mr. Nwankwo revealed that issuing a sovereign Sukuk has been part of the institution’s strategic plan drawn three years ago, urging Nigerians to support SEC to building capacity in order to realize the goal of issuing Nigeria’s first sovereign Sukuk in 2016.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is hosting two leaders of Africa’s Ieading economies, Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt. These visits are to be viewed within the prism of Uhuru’s broader strategy of economic, trade, and cross-cultural bridgebuilding. They underline his growing clout not just in trade and commerce, but also in the cut-throat arena of global geopolitics and nuanced national interests. The booming African Islamic economy provides an opportune vehicle to ameliorate the deprived conditions and lack of economic opportunity. It is a perfect fit for our infrastructure financing needs. Uhuru signed three agreements and four MoUs to promote trade between Kenya and Nigeria in June 2014 – on Trade and Agricultural cooperation, immigration and drug trafficking. A Joint Business Council was formed.

As the pressure on federal revenue mounts following steady decline in oil revenue, the Federal Government would be resorting to a Sukuk Bond for funding the widening budget deficit. The Debt Management Office, DMO, and Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, are collaborating in an effort to issue the Nigerian sovereign Islamic bonds this year.Details of the expected revenue from the bond is not yet disclosed but officials said they expect significant bridging of the 2016 budget deficit which has exceeded the initial N2.2 trillion estimate. According to DMO issuing a sovereign Sukuk will attract significant amounts of affordable capital from the Gulf countries and other established Islamic markets around the world into Nigeria.