Al Hilal Bank has announced the dividend payout of the Al Hilal Global Sukuk Fund. The Fund, which was launched in March 2012, distributed a 3.93% dividend to all registered unit holders. Al Hilal Bank CEO Alex Coelho said the Fund had registered excellent cumulative total returns since its inception in 2012. Al Hilal Bank currently offers 3 open-ended mutual funds inclusive of the Global Sukuk Fund. In 2017, Al Hilal Global Sukuk Fund was awarded the title "Best Fund over 3 years", while the GCC Equity Fund received the "Best Islamic Fund" award in 2013 and 2014. The bank plans to continue launching investment products as part of its ongoing efforts to create value and increase diversification for its clients.
#Indonesia became the first Asian sovereign to sell green sukuk, raising $1.25 billion via a five-year deal, alongside a $1.75 billion 10-year sukuk. Proceeds will be used on eligible projects, ranging from renewable energy to waste management. Indonesia’s sukuk was based on an agency contract known as wakala and also incorporated a green framework assessed by the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research (CICERO). Such a convergence of investment principles could widen the appeal of sukuk beyond Asia and the Middle East to include ethical investors in Western countries. More transactions might be needed to fully test the appetite of green investors for sukuk, as Indonesia’s green sukuk saw stronger takeup from regional investors.
In September 2017, the Federal Government of Nigeria raised N105bN to fund the construction of roads in the country. Soon after that, finance minister Mrs. Kemi Adeosun began the disbursement of the fund to commence work on the twenty five key economic roads in the six geo-political zones. The reconstruction of the outstanding sections of Benin to Ofusu to Ore to Ajebandele to Shagamu Expressway had been completed. At the other sites the construction work is on with massive presence of construction machineries and materials.
Indonesia raised $1.25bn as the world’s first sovereign green sukuk. The country's latest sukuk was priced at a yield of 3.75% and has a tenure of 5 years. Non-Sovereign Malaysian organisations have previously issued green sukuk, most recently with two issuances in 2017. Indonesia also raised US$1.75 billion via a 10-year sukuk sold at the same time as the green issuance. The non-green sukuk was sold at a coupon rate of 4.4%. Globally, $155.5 billion of green bonds were sold last year, according to the London-based Climate Bonds Initiative.
Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) is celebrating the listing of a $1 billion Sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai. The listing is the first benchmark dollar-denominated sukuk from a GCC issuer in 2018. DIB's Group CEO Dr Adnan Chilwan said the bank's master plan was developed a decade ago and has yielded solid results so far. He added that the strong demand for the credit continues to grow across a diverse global investor base. This issuance is DIB’s sixth sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai, making the bank the largest UAE debt issuer by value on the exchange with a total of $5.25 billion. The total value of all sukuk listed on Dubai’s exchanges has now reached $53.47 billion, the largest amount of any listing centre in the world.
Indonesia, the world's largest exporter of coal, has become the first country in the world to sell a sovereign green sukuk bond. The country has borrowed $1.25bn with the issuance of a five-year sukuk. Luky Alfirman, head of the Budget Financing at Indonesia's Finance Ministry said the proceeds would be used to finance projects such as renewable energy, green tourism and waste management. The government also said it would take up more projects to address climate change mitigation and adaptation, which requires alternative financing. CIMB, Citigroup, Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC , HSBC and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank were bookrunners on the deal.
#Turkey's Albaraka Turk has raised $205 million via Tier 1 perpetual sukuk. It has a 10% profit rate, is sold as a private placement and issued through an Irish-domiciled special purpose vehicle. Albaraka Turk previously secured a $213 million murabaha-based loan syndication in April of last year. Malek Temsah, assistant general manager of treasury at Albaraka Turk said the latest transaction could serve as an example for other banks, which had previously issued sukuk as Tier 2 capital only. The lender appointed Standard Chartered Bank as global coordinator for the deal with Bank ABC, Emirates NBD, Qinvest and Noor Bank as lead managers.
In 2017 the exceptional performance of sukuk was driven by good liquidity conditions, alongside certain countries’ desire to develop their Islamic finance industries. However, the outlook for sukuk in 2018 is more uncertain. According to Mohamed Damak, S&P Global Ratings’ Head of Islamic Finance, tighter global liquidity conditions, mounting geopolitical risks and slow progress on the standardisation of Islamic finance products will continue to hold the market back from its full potential. While sukuk issuance may decrease in 2018, there are a couple of interesting trends. These include the more stringent application of the profit-and-loss-sharing principle supported by several Sharia scholars. The sukuk investor base is broadening, but there is a lack of a specific regulatory framework to protect retail investors.
Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) has successfully issued a $1bn sukuk with a five-year tenor. It is the first US dollar benchmark sukuk transaction from the GCC in 2018. The issuance emanates from DIB’s $5bn sukuk programme and carries a profit rate of 3.625%. The instrument will carry a dual listing on the Irish Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Dubai.
Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) celebrates the listing of a $1 billion Sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai. The Sukuk is the first benchmark dollar-denominated Sukuk from a GCC issuer in 2018. It is DIB's sixth Sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai, making the bank the largest UAE debt issuer with a total of $5.25 billion. The latest Sukuk carries a profit rate of 3.625% with a five-year tenor. DIB's Group CEO Dr Adnan Chilwan said the master plan developed a decade ago has yielded solid results and the strong demand for the credit continues to grow across a diverse global investor base. He added that Nasdaq Dubai provided high visibility in the marketplace as well as close links to investors in the region and internationally.
Bandar Hajjar, president of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), announced that the bank would soon issue its largest sized Sukuk for $2.5 billion. IDB is a regular issuer of Sukuk having last issued in September 2017 with a $1.25 billion issuance which was priced at 2.261%. The bank has recently partnered with China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and plans to co-finance many projects in Africa. Africa has witnessed a growing share of mostly sovereign Sukuk issuances. Sudan, Gambia, Senegal, South Africa have all issued sovereign sukuk, the latest issuer is Cote d’Ivoire with its inaugural debut in 2015 of USD 260 million.
The burden of financing Africa’s infrastructure projects is shifting away from banks towards the Sukuk market. To date, Africa has witnessed a growing share of sovereign Sukuk issuances. While states such as Sudan and Gambia have issued Sukuk in the past, it was in 2014 that Senegal debuted the region’s largest Sukuk issuance (USD 208 million). Soon South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire followed suit. In June 2016, Senegal launched its second Sukuk issuance, valued at USD 350 million. Togo issued its maiden Sukuk worth USD 277 million with a 10-year maturity and Cote d’Ivoire issued its second sovereign Sukuk valued at USD 263 million in August 2016. Several African countries are in the midst of preparing legislation to facilitate Sukuk issuances and facilitate Islamic finance in their respective financial market.
Al Rayan Bank UK has priced its £250mn Islamic bond "Tolkien Funding Sukuk No 1" at 80 basis points over three-month Libor (London Inter-bank Offered Rate). The transaction is secured by a portfolio of prime UK, first-charge, owner-occupied, home purchase plans, originated by Al Rayan Bank. The sterling-denominated sukuk has an expected called weighted average life of three years. Proceeds raised from the sukuk issuance would be used by Al Rayan Bank to fund further growth in its asset book, which has increased by more than 23% over the last 12 months. Such residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS) are relatively rare in Islamic finance. The bank believes that there would be more opportunities to issue sukuk in the future and a higher potential for other Islamic banks to tap into the RMBS market.
Meezan Bank aims to raise up to 7 billion rupees ($63.34 million) through a Tier 1 sukuk issuance. It could be sold either as a public offering or private placement. The bank did not give a time frame for the sale. Meezan had sold Tier 2 sukuk in 2016, raising 7 billion rupees through a 10-year private placement that used a mudaraba contract. There are five full-fledged Islamic banks and 16 Islamic windows in Pakistan, Meezan Bank being the country's largest sharia-compliant lender. The Islamic banking sector held 11.9% of the country’s total banking assets as of September.
The government of Mali will complete its first sukuk sale using a lease-based structure linked to affordable housing projects. The West African nation aims to raise 150 billion CFA franc ($285 million) via a seven-year deal that carries a profit rate of 6.25%. The sukuk uses an ijara structure that is underpinned by social housing projects in N‘Tabacoro in the southwest of the country. The sale is being arranged by the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), which has advised the governments of Togo, Ivory Coast and Senegal on their own sovereign sukuk. The sukuk assets are managed by Taiba Titrisation, a Senegal-based subsidiary of the ICD.
Saudi developer Salman Abdullah Bin Saedan Real Estate Group is planning a debut sukuk issuance in the coming months. Proceeds from the sukuk would be used for Saedan’s social housing projects, which aim to address a shortage of affordable residential properties in Saudi Arabia. The $1 billion sukuk programme will be set up by Ibdar Bank, which was formed in 2013 through a three-way merger of smaller Islamic lenders. The bank's Director of Capital Markets Ikbal Daredia said the sukuk programme would be listed on the Irish Stock Exchange with a possible listing on Nasdaq Dubai. Ibdar Bank aims to bring on board one or two international banks and regional partners as joint lead managers for the deal.
United Arab Emirates energy producer Dana Gas swung to a net profit of $83 million in 2017 after a $1 billion payment as part of a settlement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). However, Dana posted a net loss of $42 million in the fourth quarter of last year. Profits in the fourth quarter were affected by an impairment charge of $34 million against the Zora gas field in the United Arab Emirates. Dana, which has struggled to collect receivables from Kurdistan and Egypt over the past four years, collected $466 million from the KRG and $164 million from Egypt last year. Dana’s cash balance at the end of 2017 amounted to $608 million, more than double the $302 million it had at the end of 2016. Dana Gas is at the centre of a legal dispute with the holders of a $700 million sukuk that the company refused to redeem on the grounds that the notes were no longer sharia-compliant. Legal proceedings in English and UAE courts are continuing.
UK-based Al-Rayan Bank has issued a £250 million ($347 million) sukuk using a residential mortgage-backed securitisation (RMBS). The financial institution predicts this could be the start of a raft of other Islamic banks entering the RMBS market. Al-Rayan Bank has appointed Standard Chartered to arrange investor meetings ahead of the issue. The sukuk has generated investor interest from asset managers and fund managers all over the world. Early indications put pricing in the area of 80 basis points over the 3 month London interbank offered rate. The issuance is backed by a portfolio of home purchase plans from clients in England and Wales, with loans set to mature in 2052. A special purpose vehicle will issue sukuk certificates backed by these loans.
The Hashoo Group announced the issuance of rated, secured, long-term, privately placed Sukuk of Rs 7 billion by Pakistan Services Limited (PSL). PSL will utilize the Sukuk funds for construction and capital expenditure of new hotels and mixed-use developments in the cities of Multan, Faisalabad, Mirpur Azad Jammu Kashmir, Hayatabad Peshawar, Malam Jaba, Skardu and Gwadar. These properties are expected to open in 2018 and 2019. Present at the signing ceremony event was Murtaza Hashwani, Group Deputy Chairman & CEO, along with senior representatives of Hashoo Group, Yousaf Hussain, President & CEO of Faysal Bank, Fawaz Valiaani, CEO of Elixir Securities Pakistan and Basir Shamsie, Deputy CEO of JS Bank. Murtaza Hashwani said that the focus of Hashoo Group has always been growth of the hospitality industry, inbound tourism and the business events & conferences market in Pakistan. He further added that he was very positive about the future of Pakistan and of the of Hashoo Group.
Emirates airline has mandated eight banks to manage its latest sukuk sale. Among these banks are HSBC, Standard Chartered, Citigroup, BNP Paribas, Emirates NBD, Dubai Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and Noor Bank. The issue will raise about $1 billion in the next few weeks. Emirates will be seeking funding from international bond markets as the US interest rates are expected to increase and with them borrowing costs as well. Emirates usually raises funding each year from diverse sources: commercial loans, operating leases and export credit agency backed facilities. In 2015, the Dubai-based firm sold a bond when it raised $913 million from a 10-year sukuk, guaranteed by the UK’s export-finance agency, to help pay for four Airbus A380-800s.
Al Rayan Bank has started marketing Tolkien Funding Sukuk No. 1, the first UK RMBS issue to be structured on Islamic finance principles. Islamic banks can't access central bank facilities, which means the wholesale markets are fuelling the firm's ambitious expansion plans.