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Kuwait Finance House (KFH), the Gulf nations' biggest Islamic lender, may sell some of its investments including KFH Malaysia and has picked Credit Suisse to advise it on the matter, KFH said on Wednesday. It did not provide any details such as a timeline or a potential sale price of the unit.

The tenth edition of Euromoney Saudi Arabia conference concluded on Wednesday with a firm belief that multisectoral reforms to diversify the Kingdom's economy an approach to look beyond the oil sector will add value to the local market with financial dynamism. Experts in the first session of the concluding day on sovereign bonds and sukuk referred to the intersection of ethical investment and Islamic finance in the wake of the Tadawul opening up to foreign investors for the first time. The panelists observed that in the context of the global financial crisis Islamic finance is seen as a significant option in international market which is good for the Kingdom that plays a leadership role.

Saudi Arabia will remain a favoured destination for private equity investment in the coming years in spite of volatile oil prices and instability in neighbouring Yemen, investment professionals said. Lower oil prices in the past year are unlikely to affect the growth in consumer-facing sectors such as health care and retail, making companies operating in such sectors attractive targets, according to Huda Al Lawati, a partner with Abraaj Capital in Dubai. But sustained lower oil prices may have an impact on deals in infrastructure and construction sectors, according to Sameer Nawaz, the managing director and co-head of investment banking at Saudi Fransi Capital in Riyadh.

The CMA announced on Monday rules allowing foreign institutions to begin investing directly in the stock market, subject to restrictions such as a 10 percent cap on combined foreign ownership of the market. On the other hand, foreigners will be allowed to buy directly into initial public offers of shares in Saudi Arabian companies on a case-by-case basis. IPOs are a special matter because they are usually priced in Saudi Arabia well below market value, as a way to spread the kingdom's oil wealth among its citizens. Letting foreign investors buy directly into the offers could be politically sensitive.

Fajr Capital has been recognised as the Middle East's "Private Equity Firm of the Year" at the Global M&A Network's Atlas EMEA Awards 2015. The company also collected the "Middle East Deal of the Year" award for leading a consortium of investors to acquire the Dubai-based oilfield services company, National Petroleum Services. Headquartered in the Dubai International Financial Centre, Fajr Capital has a portfolio consisting of companies operating across a range of demographic-driven sectors, including: financial services, infrastructure, education, manufacturing and renewable energy, among others.

As part of the initiatives of the Dispute Resolution Authority (DRA), the DIFC has launched the DIFC Wills and Probate Registry, established by Resolution No. 4 of 2014. The new service aims to provide non-Muslim expatriates the ability to register English language wills that will allow their assets to be transferred upon death according to their wishes. The new rules have been drafted on the basis of Common Law principles from the Estates Act and Probate Rules of the UK, and legislation of other leading common law jurisdictions such as Singapore and Malaysia. While the rules are comprehensive, they are also easily accessible to legal professionals in the UAE.

Tumbling oil prices may have dented Gulf investors’ surplus reserves, but their appetite for high-yield overseas-based assets remains robust, says Korosh Farazad, Chairman and CEO of Boutique Investment Bank Farazad Investments Inc. (FII). Middle East investors, particularly those from the Gulf countries such as UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, are attracted to trophy assets that could yield a minimum of 8% return on their investments, he says. These assets are typically located in Europe, Turkey and North America, where a transparent legal system, relatively stable political and security environment, and strong macroeconomic fundamentals have proven to be appealing to overseas investors.

Fatima Qasimi has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Aseel Islamic Finance. Ms. Fatima joins Aseel Islamic Finance with almost 20 years of experience in consumer, corporate and Islamic banking. She joined the FGB group in 2008 as Head of Corporate Banking. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Strayer University, Washington, USA and an MBA in Financial Management from South Eastern University, London, UK. In her new position as CEO of Aseel, Fatima’s focus is on developing two business models for the company to cater to the Islamic financing needs of UAE consumers and corporates, particularly SME and mid-market businesses.

The Arabia CSR Network (ACSRN) trains organisations from all sectors, public and private, to use the GRI framework, a set of guidelines on sustainability reporting. The training course, which took place on April 28-30, taught participants how to create sustainability reports using the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) recently launched G4 framework. The framework enables them to compile well-balanced, accurate and reliable reports that help them better assess the impact of their operations on the environment, said Habiba Al Marashi, Founder, President and CEO, Arabia CSR Network.

A number of Saudi insurance firms have been loss-making for years because of severe competition in the market, where large companies with capital of some SR1 billion ($267 million) dominate small firms capitalized at around SR200-SR400 million, which find it hard to compete. That's why Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) would welcome mergers among local insurance companies as long as they were positive for all parties, said Governor Fahad Al-Mubarak. He said SAMA was working hard with the managements of insurance firms to study their internal situations and develop restructuring plans so they could return to profitability.

Bahrain’s central bank said on Thursday it had placed two Iran-linked companies, Future Bank and Iran Insurance Co, into administration to protect the rights of depositors and policyholders. In a brief statement, the central bank did not elaborate on why it took the action or give any information about the two companies. Future Bank, based in Manama, is a commercial bank which was founded in 2004 as a joint venture between two Iranian banks - Bank Saderat and Bank Melli - and Bahrain’s Ahli United Bank. Iran Insurance Co is the Bahrain branch of an Iranian government-owned insurer. It was not immediately known whether the action against the two companies in Bahrain was related to international sanctions against Iranian institutions.

Bill Gross, well known fixed income fund manager twittered (https://twitter.com/januscapital/status/590519759797530624) and moved markets with his idea to sell German sovereign bonds short (selling without having them) to buy them back later cheaper. He called it "The Short of a lifetime"; the only issue would be the "timing"...

Interest rates will be once raising again but will short seller stay solvent long enough to benefit? The German economy is doing fine, but other EURO zone countries do not perform as well and need low interest rates for a prolonged period of time. Japan has so far not convincingly ended their easy money policy.

The Gulf Bond and Sukuk Association (GBSA), the trade association representing the Arabian Gulf fixed income market, moderated a panel at the World Green Energy Summit in Dubai titled 'The Race for Green Finance/Green Funds and Bonds.' The session connected senior figures from government institutions with global energy players and highlighted the need for financial innovation in green energy funding. Panelists included Abdul Nasser Abbas, Senior Director of Treasury at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Annette Eberhard, CEO of Denmark's Export Credit Fund, Sean Kidney, CEO of Climate Bonds, Jarett Carson, Managing Director of EnerTech Capital, and Ben Cotton, Partner at Earth Capital Partners.

The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) in cooperation with the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) hosted a roundtable discussion on the "Challenges Facing Women in Reaching Positions of Authority in the Financial Sector" on the 29th of April 2015. The session brought together leading female figures from the industry to share their experiences and insights into the obstacles that remain for women in climbing the corporate ladder. The roundtable was the first in a series campaign of activities to celebrate and promote the role of "Women in the Financial and Banking Sector" which leads to the main conference on November 30th 2015 under the theme ‘Women in Finance and Banking’.

Abdulaziz al-Ghurair, one of the United Arab Emirates’ most prominent businessmen, is leading calls for regulations across the Gulf Arab region to smooth the transfer of ownership of family businesses after the death of the founder. Ghurair, the billionaire chief executive of Dubai-based lender Mashreq and chairman of conglomerate Al Ghurair Investment, among his titles, would like to see the introduction of wills and trusts that are compliant with Islamic principles to allow the passing of control to future generations. A draft law will be submitted to Gulf policymakers this year that will include rules governing concepts such as Islamic family trusts and family ownership.

It seems to be getting harder and harder to find a news story about the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) that doesn’t fall within the narrow narrative of disorder and political violence. From state collapse in Libya and the tragic conflict in Syria to the geopolitical flashpoint in Yemen, the headlines from the broader region make for bleak reading indeed. These challenges are real and they are significant, but there is another story about the region that remains under-reported. It is a story of dynamism and entrepreneurship, and it’s one of how private capital is playing a critical role in creating new realities for the region and its people.

European Islamic Investment Bank plc ('EIIB-Rasmala'), the London-listed asset management and financing group focused on the growth markets of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has announced its full year financial results for the year ended 31 December 2014. The total operating income was US$16.4 million compared to US$15.4 million a year before. Profit before tax from continuing operations was US$2.3 million (2013: US$2.23 million). Total assets under management (AUM) stood at US$1.11 billion. EIIB-Rasmala expects to invest about US$1 billion in broad mix of property transactions and grow the leasing and alternatives business to over US$1.5 billion in the next 24 months.

Banks are tightening lending conditions for small, private companies in the Gulf - a sign that the region's economies are not escaping damage from the plunge of oil prices. Heavy state spending is keeping economies growing strongly. Rather than borrow domestically or run down their deposits at local banks, governments of GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia are covering much of the budget deficits due to cheap oil by bringing home some funds stored abroad. So for many companies in the Gulf, it's still a borrowers' market for loans - credit is easily available at rock-bottom rates. The exception is small firms that do not have the advantage of shareholding links to governments.

The Islamic banking industry in Saudi Arabia is set to achieve $683 billion of Shariah-compliant assets by 2019, according to EY’s World Islamic Banking Competitiveness report. A strong demand from customers, both retail and corporate, has led to significant growth in Islamic banking in Saudi Arabia resulting in 54 percent of all financing being Shariah-compliant in 2013. Overall, the size of Islamic banking assets in Saudi Arabia has nearly doubled from 2009-2013. One in three of the positive sentiments analyzed in the kingdom were about branch experience, indicating that customers were generally satisfied in this area of service. While online and mobile banking services has taken off well in Saudi Arabia, it’s sustainability remains a cause of concern.

The number of family offices in Asia and the Middle East will more than double to about 400 over the next eight years as the ranks of wealthy individuals swell, Michael Prahl of Insead business school said. Driven by the region's economic expansion, the number of wealthy individuals is expected to rise 40 percent by 2023. Family offices manage assets as well as provide tax, legal, accounting and philanthropy services to the wealthy. In the average Asian family office, just three investment professionals manage about US$400 million of assets, according to Insead. That compares with five to six professionals managing between US$300 million and US$1 billion in Europe or the US.