IslamicFinance.de

The United Kingdom government is deciding to issue sukuk which would:

* Diversify its investor base- not a bad prospect for an indebted country- standing a chance to attract further liquidity.

* Show it is not complacent and really means business creating a benchmark in Europe, where no significant sukuk issuance occurred, excluding a 100 million euro issuance in 2004 in German region Sachsen-Anhalt. Pre-crisis rumours had it that the UK would issue sukuk worth £2 billion in short term notes making a real statement about its Islamic finance ambitions.

* Provide help to the five stand alone Islamic banks, which are required by the market regulator to put in place liquidity buffers, consisting of government bonds or cash. Because there is no sovereign sukuk, these shining monuments to London’s superiority in Islamic finance depend on debt issued by the Islamic Development Bank.

* Encourage corporate sukuk issuance, which is not too probable without the government leading by example.

The UK may be proud of its sophisticated Islamic finance sector, but neither Labour or the Conservatives could shed light on an issue casting a long shadow on the sector’s long-term prospects. Neither the Labour or the Convervative have shelved the plan which seems almot to be accomplished.