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The Central Bank of #Kenya (CBK) announced it was in final stages of licensing two banks, DIB Bank Kenya, which is owned by Dubai Islamic Bank, and Mayfair Bank which is owned by Kenyan investors. The two firms had received an "approval in principle" before the indefinite suspension of new banks. CBK suspended the licensing of new banks on November 17, 2015 saying it needed to strengthen oversight. The moratorium stalled entry of international banks into the country, where commercial banks have come under closer scrutiny from the regulator because of increasing bad debts. CBK governor Patrick Njoroge said the local banking sector has made huge improvements over the past year, adding that CBK’s supervision department has improved its monitoring capacity.

The Kenyan capital markets regulatory authority and the Nairobi Securities Exchange today visited the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation between the two exchanges. The two sides will share information and technical assistance in respect of processes and procedures relating to listing, trading, depository operations, clearing and settlement. Mr. Samuel Kimani, Chairman of the Nairobi Stock Exchange, said that his is a young exchange looking for further development and cooperation opportunities. Rashid bin Ali Al-Mansoori, CEO of Qatar Stock Exchange, expressed his happiness and hope that the MOU will help enhance the economic cooperation between the two countries.

Metito is the largest privately held water treatment company in the Middle East. Metito’s African operations account for nearly about a third of its revenues and the current backlog is around $300 million. Metito approached Islamic banks in early 2014 to tap on their resources to support the Group’s growth. As of today, a major of the long-term financing that the group has received in GCC region is comprised mostly of Shari'ah-compliant financing tools. The total size of Islamic financing facilities currently in use stand at around $150 million and the share is expected to increase over the next 12 months. The Group has so far availed three types of Islamic finance financing tools, Musharakah, Ijarah and Murabahah. CFO Wafic Ghanem said Metito has not yet considered tapping into Sukuk issuance for its African business given the infancy of Sukuk market in the continent.

Corrigenda: Wafic Ghanem has been reported being Group CEO before.

Jaiz Bank is now a public quoted company listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. To commemorate the listing, Jaiz Bank’s Executive Management, led by Chairman Dr Umaru Abdul Mutallab, were honoured with a closing gong ceremony to officially close trading on the bourse for the day. Hassan Usman, Jaiz Bank's CEO noted that the listing of the bank’s shares was a fulfillment of an earlier promise made at inception of the Bank. He added that the listing would elicit public confidence that Non-Interest Banking provides alternative model that contributes to the socio-economic development of the country. Oscar Onyema, CEO of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, said this listing would promote liquidity for the bank, enhance its value and increase its transparency.

The Jaiz Foundation has expressed readiness to commence Islamic Takaful Insurance in 3 Nigerian states, Kaduna, Kano and Lagos, with the head office being in Abuja. This was disclosed by the Chairman of Jaiz Takaful Insurance, Dr Umaru Abdul Mutallab, who explained that the insurance products give equal opportunity for customers to be owners of the company as well. Also speaking on the operation of the insurance policy, the Managing Director of Jaiz Islamic Takaful Insurance, Momodou Musa Joof, said the company shares profit by 80% to its participants who have not suffered losses. In the meantime, those who suffer losses would have been paid first before the distribution of profit. The element which goes to the needy called Zakat is also distributed before profit is shared. Joof noted that the good thing in Takaful is that, if no loss occurs, the customer's contribution becomes an automatic investment.

The Jaiz Foundation is set to kick start Islamic ‘Takaful’ Insurance in Kaduna, Kano, Lagos with head office in Abuja. As part of the final preparation, the Foundation held a week induction training for the staff of the organization. The chairman of Jaiz Takaful Insurance advised Nigerians to take advantage of the new insurance concept. According to Mananging Director of Jaiz Islamic Takaful Insurance, Momodou Musa Joof, the company shares profit by 80% to its participants who have not suffered losses. In the meantime, those who suffer losses would have been paid first before the distribution of profit. The elements which goes to the needy, which is called Zakat is also distributed before profit is shared. Prominent scholars like Prof Muhammed Nasirudeen Maiturare, the Vice Chancellor of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University, also participated in the induction training for the staff of Jaiz Takaful Insurance.

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has carried out a 150 million US dollar Islamic financing transaction on the Murabaha platform of Nasdaq Dubai. Following high levels of investor interest, the initial target of 100 million US dollars was more than twice oversubscribed, resulting in a final order book of approximately 230 million US dollars. Banji Fehintola, Corporate Treasurer of AFC, expressed his gratitude to Nasdaq Dubai whose Murabaha platform greatly facilitated the issuance. AFC’s Sukuk, issued on January 24, 2017, is the highest rated USD Sukuk issuance from an African entity. The privately placed Murabaha Sukuk was awarded an A3 senior unsecured rating by Moody's Investors Service.

Jaiz Bank added N36 billion to the total market capitalisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). The bank announced the official listing of its ordinary shares of N29.4 billion of 50kobo each at N1.25. The chairman of Jaiz Bank, Alhaji Umaru Abdul Mutallab, debunked insinuation that the bank was designed to only service the Islamic community, saying it was a bank for all Nigerians interested in doing ethical business. Jaiz Bank commenced operations in 2012 with a N3 billion deposit base. Since then it had a growth rate of 30%, with a current workforce of 600 staff across 30 branches across the country. On the future outlook of the bank, CEO Hassan Usman said Jaiz Bank’s prospects are bright, adding that the projection for the next five years indicated a gross revenue of N16 billion by 2021.

The first workshop on the Sukuk Model Law was held in Dakar, Senegal. The event was organzied by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), in partnership with the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO). A number of experts and finance officials from the eight BCEAO member countries participated in the event. The project aimed to create a model Sukuk law and guidelines that leverage global best practices. Subsequent regional consultations are planned for South East Asia, Central Asia and the MENA regions. Speaking on the occasion, IRTI Director Mohamed Azmi Omar said the workshop reaffirmed the importance of Sukuk as an increasingly significant instrument of resource mobilization.

The Emir of Gwandu Muhammad Iliyasu Bashar has commended Jaiz Bank for its banking policies and principles of making life better for people. The royal father made the commendation at his palace when the Managing Director of the bank, Malan Hassan Usman, the Regional Manager, Dr. Nurudeen Liman and Habibu Isa Muhammad, the branch Manager of Birnin Kebbi paid him a courtesy call. Malan Hassan Usman expressed his appreciation of the support rendered by the Emir towards the establishment of the bank. He said the bank started operation 5 years ago with provisional approval to open three branches in Abuja, Kaduna and Kano but now the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has given full approval to the bank to open its branches nationwide. Currently the bank has 27 branches with 3 new ones coming next week.

The Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) have organised a regional consultation workshop on the Sukuk Model Law Project. Partner of the workshop was the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO). The workshop was held at the BCEAO headquarters in Dakar, Senegal from 23-24 January 2017. The objective of the Project is to create a model Sukuk law and guidelines that leverage global best practises for creating a legal framework for Sukuk issuance and regulation. Subsequent regional consultations are planned for South East Asia, Central Asia and the MENA regions. IRTI Director General, Prof. Mohamed Azmi Omar, said the workshop reaffirmed the importance of Sukuk as an emerging instrument of resource mobilisation.

Yinson Holdings' subsidiary Yinson Production (West Africa) has converted its existing US$780mil conventional loan to an Islamic Murabahah term financing facility. Group executive chairman Lim Han Weng said this was the largest Islamic facility for floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) financing to-date. Maybank Investment Bank acted as the coordinating bank for the conversion while Maybank Islamic acted as the syariah adviser. Upon completion of the conversion, Yinson is expected to meet the debt over total assets financial ratio benchmark required by the Securities Commission for a syariah-compliant security.

Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), a pan-African development finance institution, has issued its maiden Sukuk as the first Sukuk to be issued by an African supranational entity. The initial target of US$100 million was more than twice oversubscribed, resulting in the transaction being upsized to US$150 million and a final order book of approximately US$230 million. The privately placed Murabaha Sukuk has a three year tenor and will mature on 24 January 2020. Emirates NBD Capital, MUFG and RMB acted as Joint Bookrunners and Joint Lead Managers with Emirates NBD Capital also acting as the Sole Global Coordinator. Andrew Alli, President and CEO of AFC, said this Sukuk represents a milestone for AFC and helps to diversify its portfolio to continue delivering real impact across the continent.

Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi II is expected to speak at an Islamic finance conference organized by the International Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance (IIIBF) at Bayero University, Kano. The Director of the institute, Binta Tijjani Jibril, said the conference would draw participants from within Nigeria as well as other countries such as the United States, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Indonesia and Egypt. She added that when the mayor of London came to Nigeria, he advised the government to embrace Islamic finance because of its benefits. Britain is competing with Malaysia to be the hub of Islamic finance in the world because they see it as good business not a religious issue.

Two Takaful insurance companies have commenced operations in the country, thus, becoming the first set of fully-fledged Takaful Insurance companies in Nigeria. The two companies are Jaiz Takaful Insurance Company, with head office in Abuja, and Noor Takaful Insurance Company based in Lagos State. Although there is still a misconception about Takaful Insurance that it is a scheme for the Muslims, the two operators believe that with increased awareness and education they will correct this misconception. The chairman of Noor Takaful Insurance, Ambassador Shuaibu Ahmed, said Takaful is about joint guarantee, whereby individuals jointly guarantee themselves against any loss or damage. The CEO of Jaiz Takaful Insurance, Momodu Musa Joof, said his company’s products are inspired by the need for customers to benefit from the contributions they pay as policyholders.

Jaiz Takaful has unveiled its profit sharing insurance concept to the Nigerian public. The CEO of Jaiz Takaful Insurance, Momodu Musa Joof, said that their products are inspired by the need for customers to benefit from the contributions they pay as policyholders. He added that the concept is very transparent and practical. Jaiz Takaful Insurance is a public limited liability company registered with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and regulated by National Insurance Commission (NAICOM). It is among the first full-fledged Takaful insurance providers in Nigeria which are shariah compliant and it is now open for business to Muslims and non-Muslims across Nigeria and beyond.

Africa Finance Corp (AFC), a pan-African multilateral institution based in Nigeria, is likely to make a debut U.S. dollar sukuk issue by early February. If AFC makes a final decision to go ahead with the proposed debt sale over coming days, the sukuk will be issued in two or three weeks through a private sale. The sukuk would be structured with a murabaha format and use Nasdaq Dubai's platform for murabaha transactions. Mohamed Damak, global head of Islamic finance at S&P Global Ratings, said more sukuk issuance will come from Africa-based issuers over the next few years as borrowers seek to expand their investor bases. Another reason for issuers in Africa is that sometimes sukuk can be cheaper than conventional bonds, especially when it attracts significant interest from the market.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange is set to list Nigeria’s first non-interest commercial bank, Jaiz Bank. The council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has approved the bank’s listing of its entire issued share capital on the exchange. Jaiz Bank will be listing a total of 29.46 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at 1.25 naira, indicating a start-off market capitalisation of 36.83 billion naira. The bank has more than 20,000 shareholders, including shareholders such as the former Chairman of First Bank, Umaru Mutallab, industrialist Aminu Dantata, and development finance institution- Islamic Development Bank. The listing will be executed by way of an introduction, however, the company has indicated its interest in an Initial Public Offering.

The Insurance (Amendment) Act 2016 signed into law by President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to enhance Kenya's position as the premier Islamic financial hub in Africa. The move came a week after the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) was admitted by the Council of the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) as an associate member of the board. The new law provides for the licensing and regulation of Takaful insurance business in Kenya in order to encourage international investment in this sector. The decision to admit CMA was made at the 29th IFSB Council meeting held in Cairo, Egypt on December 14. In October, the government launched the Islamic Finance Project Management Office (PMO). CMA's Chief Executive Paul Muthaura said the authority membership in IFSB is a key step towards the development of Kenya as an Islamic finance hub. The Insurance (Amendment) Act 2016 now enables the operationalisation of risk-based solvency requirements for insurers that were introduced in the Finance Act 2013. Among those proposals is a requirement that an insurer should maintain a 100% capital adequacy ratio at all times.

Nigeria is looking for financial and legal advisers and trustee firms to organise its first Islamic bond in the domestic market, the country's Debt Management Office (DMO) said on Monday. The Opec member, which is Africa's largest economy, is working on a debut sovereign sukuk but has yet to determine the size of a potential deal. Nigeria, which is in a recession and needs to raise funds to plug a budget deficit, has set up a government committee to advise on the amount to be raised from the Islamic bond sale, the timing and jurisdiction of the issue. Issuance of a sovereign sukuk is part of a plan by Nigeria's debt office to develop alternative sources of funding and to establish a benchmark curve.