IslamicFinance.de

RAM Rating Services expects new global sukuk issuance to remain fairly resilient in 2015 at around US$100bil to US$120bil when compared with 2014’s US$116.23bil. The rating agency said this was despite the challenging environment for Malaysia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) amid the steep fall in global oil prices since last year. RAM Ratings said geopolitical risks in the GCC, Europe’s quantitative-easing programme and the rate increase by the US Federal Reserve this year have compounded the uncertainties for GCC sukuk issuers and their potential investors. Perhaps the next leap for global sukuk will materialise when GCC sovereign wealth funds reallocate more of their portfolios to invest in sukuk from Asia, Europe, the US and other non-OIC nations.