IslamicFinance.de

The Egyptian Islamic Finance Association (EIFA) obtained the licence from Bahrain-based Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), EIFA's Chairman Mohamed Al-Beltagy said. By this licence, the association is capable of conducting accreditation tests for bankers and auditors of Islamic banking on behalf of AAOIFI in Egypt, the chairman stated. A number of bankers have already applied to conduct the accreditation tests, he added. The Bahraini organization will provide the necessary training for the bankers and auditors before conducting the test. Passing the accreditation tests is considered as an international accreditation for those who work in the field of Islamic banking.

Head of the Egyptian Islamic Finance Association (EIFA), Mohamed El-Beltagy, said that Islamic banking clients in Egypt estimated approximately 2.5 million, constitute about 20% of the Egyptian banks clients. After the 2008 global financial crisis, international interest in the Islamic banking and finance industry increased. With the Muslim Brotherhood coming to power in 2012, Islamic banking’s importance grew once more. The move towards Islamic banking encouraged some conventional global and local commercial banks into setting up branches offering Islamic banking services. El-Beltagy said that the size of Islamic deposits as of 30 June 2014, about EGP 115.8bn, accounting for 8.3% of the Egyptian banking market size.

The economic committee of the Shura Council prepared a draft law for sukuk, which differs from the Ministry of Finance’s current project regarding sukuk. According to Saeed Aref, a member of the council’s economic committee, the draft law grants foreigners the right to invest in sukuk usufruct for a maximum duration of 40 years, saying there will be no maximum percentage of ownership. Al-Azhar will be consulted to see the compatibility of the law with Sharia before the end of dialogue sessions, he added.