IslamicFinance.de

The International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) has decided to liquidate the Islamic financing department, head of the liquidated department Behnam Gurbanzade said. The bank's portfolio in Islamic financing amounts to nearly $526 million. By the end of the year, the department was planning to introduce new products and services. It was also planned to allocate long-term loans designed for each industry and to pay particular attention to agriculture. In addition, it was planned to introduce certain forms of financing for the construction, light and food industries. However, the decision on liquidation of the department was made last week.

The International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA), the country's largest and the only state-owned bank, has closed its Islamic banking department. Behnam Gurbanzade, IBA's director of Islamic banking, said the department was closed last week, but did not give the reasons. The department started the service in April 2013. The decision was reportedly linked to structural changes in the bank.The bank's Islamic assets rose to $526 million at the end of 2014 from $160 million a year earlier. "The agreements signed with international financial institutions within the framework of Islamic banking, as well as the bank's liabilities in this area will remain in force.

Russia hopes to learn from the experience of Azerbaijan in the field of Islamic banking, said Sergey Drobyshevsky, the scientific director of the Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy in Baku. He said the presence of IBA Moscow, a Russian subsidiary of the International Bank of Azerbaijan, must contribute to this. Drobyshevsky believes it will be easier for the Azerbaijani banks and businessmen to work in Russia than the Malaysian specialists of that sphere. Behnam Gurbanzada, the director of Islamic banking at the IBA, earlier called Russia a "promising" platform to further the development of Islamic finance.

Warba Bank has announced that it successfully arranged $150 million Shariah-compliant one - year receivable backed syndicated financing facility for the International Bank of Azerbaijan. The Bank reported that it participated with a stake of $20 million in this transaction along with J.P. Morgan Bank, Citigroup, Barwa Bank, Al Hilal Bank, Noor Bank and Dubai Islamic Bank. he IBA concluded last year with $526 million sharia compliant assets compared to the Islamic Banking assets at the level of $220 million at the beginning of 2014. Behnam Gurbanzade, Director of the Islamic Banking Department of the IBA, recently said that the Bank is planning to increase the amount of Islamic financing in Azerbaijan in 2015.

According to Behnam Gurbanzadeh, IBA Islamic Finance Department Manager, the idea to establish the CIS Islamic Development Bank, proposed by IBA several years ago, has become attractive for their Russian colleagues. The interest of Russian banks for instruments like Islamic financing has suddenly increased. Russian banks have problems with funding and are actively looking for alternative sources of financing, Gurbanzadeh said. Last November he revived the idea of the CIS Islamic Development Bank and Russia together with Kazakhstan. IBA agreed to work on the establishment of a Working Group on Islamic financing under the CIS Financial and Banking Council.

International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) plans to target the UAE and other Gulf investors as it plans to issue $200-$300 million debut sukuk this year, its senior manager Behnam Gurbanzade said. He further said the bank would issue sukuk in the second half of this year in order to widen its credit policy, develop business and attract alternative sources of financing. The bank, 50.2 percent owned by the Ministry of Finance, holds 40 percent of banking assets in the country. In 2014, IBA raised $252 million through an Islamic syndicated loan from UAE-based Al Hilal Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank and Noor Bank.

Baku will become the regional Islamic financial center and has a potential to press internationally recognized centers. According to Behnam Gurbanzadeh, IBA (International Bank of Azerbaijan OJSC) Islamic Financing Department Manager, the idea to establish the CIS Islamic Development Bank proposed several years ago has become very attractive for the countries of the Commonwealth. In addition to Azerbaijan, Russia and Kazakhstan are very interested in establishing such a bank, Gurbanzadeh said. Today there are up to 700 million users of Islamic financial services in the world.

International Bank of Azerbaijan OJSC will provide services on Islamic financing in Russia, the director of the Department of Islamic Banking of the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) Behnam Gurbanzade said.

The International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBAR), the biggest bank in Azerbaijan managing more than 35% of total banking assets in the country, has announced the signing of a Shari'a Supervisory agreement with Shariyah Review Bureau (SRB). IBAR hopes that SRB and its experience will help the bank to build the Shari'a Complaint business and lift its Islamic financial sector to a successful future. Shariyah Review Bureau is today recognized globally for its iconic Shari'a Compliance services. With more than 37 Shari'a scholars, the company's growth includes recently doubling Shari'a review and Certification capacity in the GCC. As the pace of change in the Islamic financial industry accelerates at an international level, institutionalized services of Shari'a Advisory firms like SRB has become increasingly evident.

International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA), 50.2% owned by Ministry of Finance, is preparing to launch a separate sharia-compliant banking unit as the former Soviet state prepares an Islamic banking law slated for next spring. A stand-alone unit would allow IBA to more than quadruple its Islamic financing business in the country. IBA has thus far extended $180 million of Islamic financing in the country; after legislation is passed, this could increase to as much as $750 million within a year. IBA also wants to create a strong domestic Islamic banking platform for use with its subsidiaries in Russia, Georgia and Qatar. IBA has hired Bahrain-based consultancy Shariyah Review Bureau to help in the design of several projects.

International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) is the first European bank to present the Qibla card, which corresponds to the rules of Islamic banking. IBA Islamic Banking Department head Behnam Gurbanzade said the card will be released into circulation in the near future. The cost of the card is 40 manats. The debit card was issued in conjunction with MasterCard Platinum. It is equipped with an electronic compass indicating the direction of Mecca. With the help of this card, the card holder will be able to cash funds in the account, as well as pay for the purchase of various goods and services. Qibla card will be issued as a debit card, but can also be used with a limit of debt, issued by the bank.

The International Bank of Azerbaijan has announced provision of new services to clients through the first and so far only "Islamic window" in Azerbaijan. A range of services offered by the bank includes such products of Islamic banking as Ijara, Vakala deposit, Islamic bank cards, and opening of Gard Hassan accounts. All procedures and documentation on these types of services meet the standards assigned by the Islamic financial regulator AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions).It is planned to introduce in the banking legislation the concept of Islamic banking.

International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) considers to raise $150m using an Islamic syndicated loan at the beginning of 2013. Thus, the bank intends to double its Islamic banking assets by the end of next year. According to the bank's director of Islamic banking - Behnam Gurbanzada - signing a mandate in January and closing the deal in April is planned. The deal will be a one-year private syndication. It will contribute to IBA's intention to cater to the estimated 93% Muslims of its 9 million population.

Four out of seven tenders submitted to the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) came through stage one of the competition to land a consultancy contract on the provision of Islamic banking and financial services.
Among the finalists are: Ekvita & Islamic Finance Advisory Assurance Services, Ernst & Young with Baker McKenzie, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and consortium consisting of Salans, Pinsent Masons and KPMG.

Azerbaijan, the oil-rich Caspian country with a population of about 9 million and a member of the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB), is reaching out to Islamic finance. Faig Mammdov, special adviser to the chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA), Jahangir Hajiyev, focuses on the current developments and future prospects for Islamic finance in the country and region and gave an interview to Mushtak Parker, Arab News. Currently there is no specific regulation and no stand alone Islamic banks, but some products, as well as Islamic microfinance.