IslamicFinance.de

Dubai-based bank Emirates NDB has expressed interest in spending $300 million to establish Islamic banks in Indonesia as it seeks to tap into the archipelago's underdeveloped financial sector. Emirates NDB would join Middle Eastern banking rivals Qatar's Masraf al Rayan and Dubai Islamic Bank in its quest to set up shop in the nation. Emirates NDB will have to team up with local partners in order to fulfill its aim of establishing a new bank as a current government regulation limits foreign ownership to 40 percent, said Dhani Gunawan, OJK director of Islamic banking research and development, supervision and licensing. Meanwhile, Al Rayan seeks to acquire shares in existing Islamic banks, he added.