IslamicFinance.de

Sharif El-Gamal put together one of the most unusual financing packages when he secured a sharia-compliant construction loan four years ago for his Tribeca condo tower. El-Gamal is now claiming that the Malaysian bank that made the loan has violated the sharia terms. El-Gamal argues Maybank violated the terms of their agreement by refusing to release construction funds to complete the project at 45 Park Place. He is seeking damages equal to the projected sellout of the development about $245 million. Maybank claims El-Gamal defaulted on his loan when he failed to repay the $108 million balance when it came due in April.

According to CIMB Islamic Bank CEO Rafe Haneef, Muslim countries and customers with such affinity should tap into the green sukuk market, given the estimated US$45 trillion demand for such assets. He added that green sukuk, was very much part and parcel of shariah compliance, which should be halal and sustainable. In the context of global sukuk, the total size per year is about US$45 billion to US$50 billion, so green bonds are already five times the size of sukuk. RAM Rating Services deputy CEO Promod Dass said there was US$3 trillion worth of green investment needs in Asean from 2015 to 2030. Maybank Group global banking head Datuk Muzaffar Hisham opined Malaysia was in the right direction of participating in the green sukuk sector. He added that appetite for green investment was growing, the only question remaining was how to accelerate it.

Malayan Banking (Maybank) has established a sukuk programme of up to RM10 billion in nominal value under the syariah principle of Murabahah. According to Maybank's announcement, the sukuk programme will provide the bank the flexibility to raise funds for its Islamic financial instruments and its business activities. The sukuk programme has been assigned a long-term rating of 'AAA' for issuances of senior sukuk Murabahah and 'AA1' for issuances of subordinated sukuk Murabahah by RAM Rating Services. Maybank IB is the principal adviser, lead arranger and manager, and book runner for the programme.

The Pan-Borneo Highway in East Malaysia, a jumbo project estimated to cost 27 bin ringgit ($9.16 bn), is finally starting to take shape as the federal government prepares to launch initial funding to start the construction. The selected group of banks includes the four top Malaysian lenders: CIMB, AmInvestment Bank, Maybank and RHB. About 60 per cent of the project will eventually be funded with proceeds from ringgit-denominated Islamic bonds to be issued through federal government funding vehicle DanaInfra Nasional. The first batch of bonds, wrapped with a federal government guarantee, is expected to raise around 10 billion ringgit. The launch is timed for August or September.

ndonesian airline Garuda Indonesia Tbk has secured US$100 million in financing from a unit of Malaysia's Maybank to fund its operations and expansion. The Musyarakah-based loan has a tenure of three years and will be issued through Maybank's Indonesian unit, PT Bank Internasional Indonesia Tbk. Garuda Indonesia posted a net loss of $163.9 million in its first quarter ended March, compared with a loss of $33.75 million in the same period a year earlier, as the airline continued to struggle with rising competition.

The Budget of 2012 will promote furthermore the comprehensive development of conventional and Islamic banking, insurance and takaful, investment banking and other financial services in terms of the range and offerings of products and services.
Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar stated that it showed the Government’s effort to strike a balance between dealing with people, cyclical and structural issues.

Clifford Chance advises on largest dual-tranche global sovereign US dollar sukuk
International law firm Clifford Chance has given advice to CIMB, Citi, HSBC and Maybank as joint lead managers and joint bookrunners on the US$2 billion dual-tranche sukukal- wakala transaction for the Government of Malaysia.
The sukuk certificates have been assigned a rating of A- by Standard and Poor’s and A3 by Moody’s.

Maybank Islamic (MI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bank Syariah Mandiri (BSM), Indonesia, to set up cross border collaboration in all Islamic treasury and trade finance matters.
This collaboration is going to set the terms of cooperation between the two institutions in relation to enhancing cross-border liquidity flows and, as well as, increasing and diversifying the application of Islamic financial solutions.

Malaysian Rating Corp Bhd classified the sukuk AA+IS.
Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar is the president and CEO of Maybank Group. He states that the sukuk was very welcomed by investors.

Young working adults can now buy themselves a new home without having to pay anything in down payment.
The My First Home Scheme is launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and will enable them to buy houses costing between RM100,000 and RM220,000 with a repayment period of up to 30 years. The scheme sees the participation of 25 conventional and Islamic financial institutions including major banks like AmBank, CIMB, Hong Leong, Maybank, Public Bank, RHB and Standard Chartered.

At a macro level, it is needed, beyond short term liquidity and risk management, standardisation, scholars, qualified human capital the following:
First, we need to scientifically establish the size and growth rate of the industry.
Second, we need to establish leading and lagging economic/financial indicators for this geographically fragmented market, some will be same as “conventional”, but others will be different, i.e., more emphasis on applied over academic research.
Third, post crisis, deposit taking Islamic banks need to under go a stress test, as exposure to realty is greater, risk and liquidity management is not as robust, issues with deposit insurance, etc., as a confidence building measure.
Areas that need work are: syariah screening, funds, convergence of IF and halal industry, and venture capital (VC).
Suggestions for Malaysia:
There are five FSA approved Islamic banks in the UK, a G20 country, but not one had a Malaysian founding shareholder, and, now, the European wholesale market may have potential for comparable profits to Indonesian retail.

MAYBANK, Malaysia's biggest lender, has set up a dedicated Islamic banking hub here as part of a concerted push to expand the business beyond its home market, as it strives to gain an edge over rivals vying to stamp their name on South-east Asia. About one-third of the bank's Islamic financing portfolio comprises corporate and business loans, while the rest includes home loans, receivables from car and equipment hire-purchase financing schemes, credit cards and personal loans, he said. In Indonesia, Maybank is converting its subsidiary Bank Maybank Indocorp into a full Islamic bank that will be re-branded Maybank Syariah Indonesia. It will then use the distribution network of Maybank's other subsidiary there, Bank Internasional Indonesia, which has 290 branches, to sell Islamic banking products and services.

Malaysia's largest lender Maybank on Friday announced plans to expand its Islamic finance business in Singapore and Indonesia to tap the markets' demand for such services. In Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, the bank will open at least one new branch a week to increase its network. Maybank chief executive Abdul Wahid Omar is also planning to expand its Islamic services in Singapore, whose population is 13 percent Muslim. Maybank is determined to become the number one Islamic bank in ASEAN. Maybank is aiming to break into the world's top 10 Islamic finance centres, Abdul Wahid said. Bank Melli Iran is the global leader in Islamic finance.