IslamicFinance.de

Najd Investments Ltd today announced the opening of its Dubai office following the award of a licence by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to operate from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Ajman Bank, the emirate’s first Islamic commercial bank, has officially announced the appointment of their new Head of Finance Division, Seifeldin Abdelkareem. With a career in the financial field spanning twenty eight years, Abdelkareem has a multitude of experience to contribute as new Head of Finance.

Total investments in the Islamic Banking Institutions (IBIs) swelled to Rs 64.7 billion during the third quarter (July-Sept) of current calendar year 2009 as against Rs 53.5 billion in April-June this year.

Gulf Finance House (GFH), the leading Middle Eastern Islamic investment bank announced Tuesday that it has bought back US$ 9 million of its sukuk during the 4th quarter of the year.

The Investment Dar Co. K.S.C.C. ("TID") and the Coordinating Committee of banks and investors ("Coordinating Committee") of TID and the Investment Dar Bank ("IDB") are pleased to announce that they have received the support of over 2/3 of TID and IDB banks and investors for the restructuring plan presented in Kuwait City and Dubai on November 24 and 25. As a result, TID and the Coordinating Committee are proceeding with the final implementation of the proposed restructuring plan and are aiming to complete this process as quickly as possible.

Methaq Takaful Insurance is planning new Takaful products that will be launched in 2010, Dr Omar Fisher, advisor to the board of the firm said at a meeting of insurance broker partners. The article did not clarify what type of products are foreseen.

Infrastructure spending is still a major growth driver in the Gulf Co-operation Council countries, with current projects valued at a whopping $2.6 trillion, but alternative funding schemes need to be explored as the global economic crisis is stifling commercial lenders, experts said.

Korea's plan to tap into the Islamic finance market faces a setback as a parliamentary committee failed to approve a bill aimed at relieving tax burdens that have virtually blocked local companies from selling Sukuk. It will be discussed, however, in the February session.

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), Generali and Beema have reached an agreement to assess the feasibility of the future launch of a joint venture in the Takaful business. The agreement aims at creating a partnership that will draw upon the insurance technical skills of the Generali Group combined with the market knowledge and distribution capabilities of QIB, together with the skills of Beema in the Takaful business.

In order to standardize and harmonize Shariah compliance mechanism in IBIs, it has been decided that above AAOIFI
Shariah Standards are adopted in Pakistan. In the first phase, AAOIFI’s Shariah Standards No.3 (Default in Payment by a Debtor), No.8 (Murabaha to the Purchase Orderer), No.9 (Ijarah & Ijarah Muntahia Bittamleek) and No.13 (Mudaraba) have been reviewed and are hereby adopted for IBIs in Pakistan. The adoption of these Standards shall, however, be subject to certain clarifications and amendments as given in the attached Appendix- A. IBIs are also advised to be prepared for adoption of other AAOIFI’s Shariah Standards in next phases.

CIMB-Principal Asset Management Bhd today launched it's CIMB Islamic Global Commodities Equity Fund, with a fund size of 600 million units, to tap into the tremendous growth opportunities in the commodities sector.

PRESS RELEASE

Oak Brook, Illinois, January 13, 2010: The World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists (WCMP) expresses its utmost sorrow on the massive devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti, a Caribbean nation suffering with utter poverty. To ensure rapid and effective response to this tragedy, we have established an emergency cell that will closely monitor and assess the situation on ground, and will serve as the bridge between the global community of donors and partner humanitarian agencies. WCMP anticipates working closely with the Organization of Islamic Conference, United Nations, Red Crescent Societies, and other reputable agencies present or familiar with the region.

WCMP urges philanthropists, foundations, and corporations in general and of Muslim world in particular to join us in this multi-partner relief effort. Please direct your communications to the following address:

WCMP- Haiti Emergency Cell
Imtiaz Khan, MD
ikhan@thewcmp.org
+1-630-242-2792

With best regards,

WCMP Secretariat

The GCC Takaful report caters to investors looking for investment opportunities in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Takaful (Islamic Insurance) industry. The focus of the report is on opportunities and challenges for growth of the industry, industry trends, financial performance, valuations, stock liquidity and governance & transparency.

Alpen Capital expects the GCC Takaful industry:

• to grow at a CAGR of approximately 16.1% per annum in 2009 to 2012.

• to continue to grow faster than conventional insurance.

Full details of the findings are in the report for download at the below source.

A leading industry expert has predicted a huge growth potential for Qatar’s Takaful (Islamic insurance) market, estimating its annual growth at 25%.

An online survey by ReadiMinds has revealed that internal frauds in the banking sector remain a major source of concern in the Middle East region.

Turkmenistan, Central Asia's largest gas producer, is getting $1 billion loan from a group of state-run funds from the GCC countries and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), to finance infrastructure projects in the country, Reuters reported.

The Constituent General Meeting of Al Baraka Bank Syria was held in Damascus on 16 December 2009 in the presence of the founding shareholders or their representatives and representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Central Bank of Syria, the Commission for Securities and Financial Markets and other representatives of concerned public authorities and bodies.

NASDAQ Dubai welcomes the announcement made today by Dubai Financial Market (DFM), by which DFM has made an offer to acquire NASDAQ Dubai, subject to regulatory approvals. Under the new ownership structure, DFM and NASDAQ Dubai will develop closer operational links.

The World Bank plans to support standard-setting bodies of the Islamic finance industry in turning their voluntary standards into binding banking regulations, a bank official said.

Tamweel's short-term issuer rating was lowered to Baa3/P-3 from Baa1/P-2; negative outlook.