IslamicFinance.de

After the huge success and high demand to the first car manufacturing note, the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank launched a new capital-protected note earlier this year. It matures in 18 months, provides 100 per cent capital protection at maturity to minimize risk, with an expected return of up to 10 per cent. The note is currently open for subscription with a minimum amount of US$30,000. It offers the opportunity to invest in the world's leading car manufacturers. These include Toyota Motors, Hyundai, KIA Motors, BMW and TATA Motors Ltd.

The UAB has launched a summer promotion on personal loans which runs until July 31. In the so-called 5-in-1 promotion, customers can make use of personal loans starting at a low rate while also enjoying free flights, free credit card, free travel insurance with no processing fees.
Customers receive up to 60,000 UAB Rewards points with the bank’s signature loyalty programme that can be redeemed against airline tickets.

The Islamic Development Bank has launched a programme to loan $180 million to six African countries for the purpose of renewable energy projects. Islamic finance is growing in Africa and mainly used by governments that want to develop infrastructure projects on a large scale. Saudi Arabia-based IDB promotes economic development in 56 countries through Shariah-compliant loans and grants. Just about half of the bank's member countries are in Africa. The continent is home to hundreds of millions of Muslims.

The Islamic Development Bank has launched a programme to loan $180 million to six African countries for the purpose of renewable energy projects. Islamic finance is growing in Africa and mainly used by governments that want to develop infrastructure projects on a large scale. Saudi Arabia-based IDB promotes economic development in 56 countries through Shariah-compliant loans and grants. Just about half of the bank's member countries are in Africa. The continent is home to hundreds of millions of Muslims.

Kuwait stocks pulled higher as the month started on a positive note. The bourse rose to 7321.12 pts. Some mid and small caps shined but heavyweights closed mixed. The market was mainly cautious even when investors looked for direction. The sectors closed mostly positive.

According to the Qatar Islamic Insurance Company (QIIC) the ratings agency Moody's Investors Service has affirmed its insurance financial strength rating (IFSR) 'Baa2'. It changed from “Stable” to “Positive”. This is based on the ongoing strong performance. Moody’s here see the reflection of the very strong capitalization in relation to the insurance risk. A sustained strong profitability on the underwriting average Return on Capital and the average combined Ratio was another reason. QIIC is one of the world’s leading Islamic insurance companies. The company recorded a 3 percent increase in gross contributions in 2013. This was largely driven by an increase in General Accident, Takaful Life and Health business.

Dubai-based Emaar Properties has reportedly secured a $1.5 billion sharia-compliant loan from five local lenders. Emaar, developer of the world's tallest building, has raised the seven-year facility which will pay 175 basis points over the London interbank offered rate (Libor). This is half the rate of the existing loan, which was due to run until 2016 and had an interest rate of 350 bps over Libor. The funds have been provided on an equal basis by three Dubai lenders - Dubai Islamic Bank, Mashreq andNoor Bank - and two from Abu Dhabi - First Gulf Bank and National Bank of Abu Dhabi. The lenders plan to market the transaction to other banks in a syndication phase, which could begin in the next two weeks.

The Bahrain-based Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) said on Thursday secretary general Khaled Al Fakih had left the organisation to pursue other opportunities. Al Fakih, a Lebanese-born commercial banker, had been secretary general since February 2012. Deputy secretary general Khairul Nizam will take over his duties while AAOIFI looks for a new secretary general, the organisation said. Set up in 1990, AAOIFI has issued a total of 88 standards for Islamic finance. Its membership includes more than 200 institutions from 40 countries, including central banks and regulatory agencies.

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QInvest sees Turkey as being a key driver is Islamic finance growth worldwide and will be exploring the opportunity at the 9th Turkish-Arab Economic Forum, takingplace in Istanbul on 28th and 29th May 2014. QInvest has an office in Istanbul and offers cross-border services to clients from its presence in Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.The bank has been involved in a number of high profile sukuk issuances in Turkey. Besides, QInvesthas also been active in other areas of Islamic finance in the country, including Murabaha, and mezzanine and equity finance. The Bank is active in the Turkish asset management industry and is in talks with a leading portfolio management company to advise on sharia'a-compliant asset management.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank PJSC (ADIB), which bought the local retail assets of Barclays Plc (BARC) last month, is weighing whether to change its name as it targets more non-Muslim customers beyond its home market. The lender may change to Abu Dhabi International Bank outside the nation to lure customers drawn to ethical banking, Tirad Mahmoud, chief executive officer of ADIB, said. This could help capture a loan market that’s about 200-times the size of Shariah lending. With 60 percent of U.A.E. residents already holding bank accounts, faster growth opportunities for ADIB may need to come from international markets. The lender’s purchase of the Barclays asset was a rare chance to secure 110,000 new customers at home.

ISFIN has agreed on a MoU partnership with the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC). This Agreement established between ISFIN and the organisation of Islamic countries (OIC), through the ICIEC and the Islamic Development Bank, provides Islamic Insurance and credit risk operating under Shariah principles. The driving ambition behind the Agreement is to strengthen the economic relations between member countries of the OIC. ISFIN professional firms present in some 65 countries will be able to assist ICIEC on legal and accounting issues. ISFIN wants to encourage exports from ICIEC Member Countries to the ISFIN partners countries and to encourage the flow of capital and investments from ISFIN partners countries to the markets where ICIEC is active.

Bahrain-based Gulf International Bank (GIB) has announced the successful completion of a senior unsecured two billion Saudi riyal ($533 million) five-year floating rate notes issuance. The notes were issued at a spread of 72.5 basis points above three-month Saudi Arabia Interbank Offered Rate (SAIBOR). The order book was more than 1.7 times oversubscribed, reaching more than 3.4bn riyals from investors. The joint lead managers and book runners for the offering were GIB Capital, NCB Capital Company, Samba Capital and Investment Management Company and Saudi Fransi Capital. The primary shareholder in GIB is the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) agreed a $2 billion debt overhaul with mortgage company Amlak Finance. ADIB, part of a six-member creditor committee negotiating Amlak's restructuring, signed a tentative agreement that's being considered by the decision-makers on the Amlak side, CEO Tirad Mahmoud said. The prospective accord includes a temporary waiver on a certain part of the principal that you recapture later if Amlak achieves certain targets, he said. Amlak sought an extension on $2 billion of loans after property prices in Dubai slumped during the credit crisis that began in 2008.

Moody's has assigned Bank Al Bilad a long-term credit rating of A2 and short term credit rating of P-1. Moody’s said that the ratings on Bank Al Bilad reflect the banks strong financial position, strong asset quality and coverage metrics, solid capitalisation levels and strong profitability resulting from growing business volume, efficiency gains and the solid contribution of non-funded revenues, in addition to the strong fundamentals of the Saudi economy supporting the growth in the banking sector. Moodys emphasised the importance of Islamic finance and associated opportunities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) will purchase a 25 percent stake in Indonesian Islamic lender Bank Panin Syariah. Under the agreement, DIB will jointly manage and operate Bank Panin Syariah along with parent Bank Pan Indonesia, which will remain a controlling shareholder. No purchase price was given for the deal, which will be subject to regulatory approval. The investment will involve DIB accumulating around a 25 percent stake in Bank Panin Syariah in the initial phase, with a view to subsequently increasing its shareholding in the bank to 40 percent. Bank Panin Syariah has a network of 10 branches and held assets worth 4.3 trillion rupiah ($376.8 million) at March 31.

Saudi Arabia's Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Development Co raised $400 million through an Islamic bond, with strong demand for the paper helping to reduce the cost at which it borrowed. The developer attracted a final order book of more than $1 billion for its five year sukuk. Final pricing came at a profit rate of 6.5 percent. This was tighter than the 6.75 percent earmarked earlier on Wednesday and well inside the high-6s percent given as initial pricing thoughts on Tuesday. Alkhair Capital, Deutsche Bank , Emirates NBD and Goldman Sachs were coordinators and bookrunners of the deal. Abu Dhabi-based Al Hilal Bank, as well as Qatari trio Al Rayan Investment, Barwa Bank and QInvest were also bookrunners.

Bahrain's central bank is finalising rules for the supervision of sharia-compliant advisory firms. The rules will help small Islamic finance institutions and fund managers to outsource the process of reviewing whether their activities are compliant with Islamic principles. This will enhance their operation and reduce the costs of such services. The central bank is also set to release a new regulatory framework for Islamic insurance, and is studying changes to rules for sharia-compliant financing arrangements which can be offered to accredited investors. In December, the central bank formally combined existing rules for issuing and listing financial securities, including sukuk, in an effort to make the process more efficient.

Religious investors, in economic terms the third largest group to invest on the world’s stock markets, can post high placement profits and remain faithful to their religious creed. This is the message of the third biennial world report on religious investors, the only report of its kind.

The report highlights the profile of religious investors who respect this balance and thus can have a major influence on company ethics:
- Their principles of faith can serve as a road map for investment choices;
- By nature, these investors have a long-term view which is key to the notion of responsible investment;
- They can call on the support of what is often a worldwide community;
- They have set up networks that offer the chance to work together on stakeholder actions and therefore increase their impact.

Even though a certain number of religious organisations invest responsibly and use their role as shareholder-activists to promote change this sort of profile is far from the majority.

Dubai Islamic Bank is to purchase a 25 percent stake in Indonesian Islamic lender Bank Panin Syariah, it said in a statement on Monday, adding it could ultimately increase the holding up to 40 percent. No purchase price was given in the statement, which said the transaction was still subject to regulatory approval. Bank Panin Syariah, which was listed in Indonesia in January, is the Islamic subsidiary of Bank Pan Indonesia .