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According to Muhammad Jidda, Head Shari’ah Audit and Product Development, SunTrust Bank Nigeria, Fintech is a viable platform that can be leveraged to boost Islamic Finance in Nigeria. According to him, the pathway is harnessing the various spheres of Fintech and Digital banking to grow the market with innovative products and offerings. Providing further insight he said the Covid 19 pandemic made it imperative to deploy a digital technology strategy for financial services, and fintech was the way to go. He noted that through Fintech a lot of awareness and sensitization can be created on Islamic Finance, through the digital and mobile platforms across the country, which could have a wider reach to people in the rural communities.

Nigeria’s first non-interest bank has moved from being a regional bank to a national bank, with several branches and customers. JAIZ International was established on 11th of November 2011, and began the long walk to the actualization of their dreams. On 6 January 2012, operations commenced at the branches in Abuja, Kaduna and Kano. In 2013 it was permitted to increase shareholding capital to $92.3 million (NGN14.3 billion), and subsequently applied for a national banking license which it received in 2016. Audited financials from the company show that the company is fast growing to make up for the early years of little or no profit. Total assets grew 54% YOY, from N108.4 billion in 2019 to N167 billion in 2019, while deposits rose 50% to N127 billion, from the N85 billion recorded in 2018. The recently reported Q2 2020 unaudited reports show that the bank had a fair outing in the second quarter of the year, with a clear improvement across all indicators in comparison to Q2 2019.

Jaiz Bank has projected that the flagship non-interest bank will post a gross income of N5.41 billion in the fourth quarter with average pre-tax profit per average sales expected at 13.03%. The bank predicted that profit before tax will be N705.37 million while profit after tax is expected to close the three-month period at N634.83 million. Jaiz Bank Managing Director Hassan Usman said overall vision of the bank was to become the leading non-interest financial institution in Sub-Saharan Africa. The bank wants to develop small and medium enterprises (SMEs), grow with them and support them not only for profit making but to ensure the country achieves real growth. He noted that while the bank would continue to expand its operations across the country by opening more branches, it will significantly leverage on technology and bring the semi-banked and unbanked population into the formal economy.

Noor Takaful has announced the distribution of surplus (cashback) payment worth over fifteen million Naira to participants who did not make claims. The company has also announced the launch of its mobile app to make its products and services more accessible to the retail market. This second batch of payment is an increase from 12 million naira distributed in 2019 to policyholders who did not make claim in that pertaining year. Acting Managing Director of the company, Aminu Tukur stated that the distribution of surplus to policyholders has continued to serve as a big pull for the Takaful insurance market with interested participants joining daily.

Dr. Umar Oseni said that the collaboration between Islamic finance practitioners and academia will be vital to the development of Islamic Finance Law in Nigeria. Dr. Umar Oseni also said that western models dominate financial markets and that conventional banking has existed for over 200 years, while the Islamic finance reemerged towards the end of the last century with Tabung Hajji, West African Muslim Bank, and IsDB which was established in 1975 and this has brought improvement in the Islamic finance industry.

WebTV's Islamic Finance Weekly will be featuring a robust conversation with Abdulkader Thomas on Islamic Trade Finance, Challenges and Opportunities in Nigeria and Africa. Key discussion points include: understanding the concept of "Islamic Trade Finance"; how the Islamic Trade Finance Framework is helping to boost Intra-African trade; challenges and opportunities for integrating Islamic Trade Financing to support African businesses and SMEs; how Islamic Finance can be adopted to support the development of the economy and lift millions of people from poverty.

Le vétéran de la banque et ancien ministre Umaru Mutallab s'est reconverti dans la finance islamique avec d'autres notables et magnats du nord du pays, tels qu'Aminu Dantata, Aliko Dangote et Muhammed Indimi. Ils sont soutenus par la banque publique saoudienne Islamic Development Bank.

The Nigerian Debt Management Office has reminded the general public that the offer for subscription to the N150 billion FGN Ijara Sukuk Bond will close on Tuesday June 2nd, 2020. Proceeds from the Ijara Sukuk Bond auction will be used solely for the construction and rehabilitation of key roads across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

Nigerian TAJBank has announced a N150 billion Sukuk Bond of the Federal Government. The FGN Sukuk 2020 is open to investors, which include retail investors, high networth individuals, institutional investors such as commercial banks, insurance/takaful companies, pension fund administrators, asset managers, ethically inclined investors, cooperative societies, religious bodies as well as state investment firms. Considering the state of the economy and as several countries grapple with the economic impact of COVID-19, Sukuk is a tool to help countries and businesses develop sources of long-term, stable financing. Book building commenced on May 21 while funding would be on June 2.

According to Imam Abdul-Wahab Saadudeen, the Banking and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) should be reviewed to enhance Nigeria's Islamic banking industry. He believes the regulatory bodies must take into cognizance the principles of Islamic Finance to create an enabling environment for its growth in Nigeria. The Islamic scholar noted that over the years, the Islamic Banking legal framework has not been reviewed to reflect the developments taking place now. He made a strong call for a competent Sharia Advisory Board to ensure that Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions are not exposed to avoidable systemic risks. He also called for more clarity in Islamic Banking because it seeks to boost financial inclusion, achieve sustainable development and economic prosperity for all Nigerians.

Despite its growing acceptability around the world, there are untapped opportunities that can be accessed through Islamic finance in Nigeria. When the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) granted approval to the defunct Habib Bank to operate an Islamic banking service window, the attempt did not register a significant success but it kickstarted Islamic banking in the country. The Securities and Exchange Commission has issued Rules on Islamic Fund Management and Sukuk Issuance. Similarly, the Nigerian Stock Exchange and Lotus Capital have developed an Islamic capital market Index. The National Pension Commission had in 2019 issued Regulation on Investment of Pension Fund Assets which recognised Government Sukuk as one of the accepted classes of assets for pension funds investment. In all, the Nigeria Islamic Finance Industry is fairly backed by regulations, sound supervisory structure and fragmented legal framework.

Nigeria’s Jaiz Bank has been assigned positive rating by the Islamic International Rating Agency (IIRA). This is the first rating for the bank as the first Sharia compliant bank in the country. The Bank gets an investment grade rating of BBB (Triple B) for the medium to long-term and A2 in the short-term (A Two) on the national scale. The IIRA also assigned it a foreign currency rating of B-/B (Single B Minus/B) and local currency rating of B/B (Single B/B) on the international scale with a ‘Stable’ outlook. The agency affirmed that when compared, Jaiz Bank fares well in terms of risk exposure with its gross non-performance falling below 10%.

The International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM) has announced on monday that Dr. Umar Aimhanosi Oseni is their new CEO. (IILM) is an international consortium that issues short-term Shariah-compliant financial instruments to facilitate cross-border liquidity management for institutions that offer Islamic financial services.

The Senior Director of the African Finance Corporation (AFC) Mr. Banji Fehintola spoke on the Proshare WebTV programme "Islamic Finance Weekly". He emphasised the need for Nigerians to understand the value of Islamic banking, which is geared towards deepening financial inclusion and driving economic prosperity. He commended the Federal Government for taking the lead in adopting the Islamic Finance product in the country. He said that Nigeria has taken a great step in terms of issuing Sukuk, and they are planning to issue the third one. He also added that with time the country will see corporate issuances in the Sukuk space.

The Emir of Kano HRH Muhammad Sanusi II has called for robust regulatory and legal framework to deepen non-interest finance in Nigeria. He made this assertion as keynote speaker at the 4th African International Conference on Islamic Conference hosted in Lagos. As Africa faces a $360bn infrastructure gap, Sanusi was of the view that Islamic Finance offered an opportunity for addressing the deficit. Since the blueprint for Islamic Finance was rolled out in the country in 2013 it took 4 years for the issuance of first set of Sukuk bonds in 2017 and 2018 respectively. He commended the organizers of the conference and believed that it served as a platform for creating awareness on Islamic Finance as a vehicle for driving Alternative Financing in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

#Nigeria's Jaiz Bank has recorded an impressive performance in the first half of this year. Gross earnings rose by 41% while pre and post-tax profits increased by 292% and 295% respectively. The half year report indicated that Profit Before Tax increased to N907 million from N231 million, while Net Profit after tax rose to N816 million from N207 million. The bank also grew its total income by 41% from N4.47 billion as at June 2018 to N6.31 billion at June 30th 2019. The balance sheet was further strengthened during the period with Total Assets rising by 33% from previous year end position of N108.46 billion to N144 billion. The above results further consolidated the growth trajectory of Jaiz Bank with a promise to end the year positively.

Experts from the private and public sectors are meeting today in Lagos to discuss the progress of Islamic finance in Nigeria. The inaugural edition of the IFN Nigeria Forum "Harnessing the Islamic Finance Sector for Infrastructure Development and Economic Growth" takes place on June 18th. The IFN Nigeria Forum 2019 features a mix of panel sessions, onstage interviews and interactive sessions on a number of themes in Islamic finance, including Corporate Financing and Capital Raising in Nigeria. Speakers include Director-General, Debt Management Office of Nigeria, Ms Patience Oniha; Acting Director-General, National Pension Commission, Hajia Aisha Dahir-Umar; Divisional Head, Trading Business, NSE, Mr Jude Chiemeka; Managing Director, Lotus Capital, Hajara Adeola; Partner, Udo Udoma & Belo Osagie, Adeola Sunmola, and Head, Debt Capital Markets, FBNQuest Merchant Bank, Oluseun Olatidoye.

In this interview FBNQuest Trustees managing director Kunle Awojobi speaks about the benefits of Islamic Estate Planning. Islamic Estate Planning is considered an act of purifying or cleansing the individual, which involves voluntary and compulsory distributions made after death. Islamic Estate Planning is a relatively new area in Islamic Finance in Nigeria. In 2017, FBNQuest Trustees began educating Muslims through its flagship programme the Legacy Series, both on radio and in press. They also established partnerships with key players in the Islamic Finance space. FBNQuest Trustees helps with the management of Islamic Wills, but also other instruments like Zakat, Wakaf, Hibah, etc.

At the Islamic Estate Clinic held on April 28, 2019 in Abuja, different speakers highlighted how Nigerians, both Muslims and non-Muslims can benefit from the Islamic Estate Planning system. The event was put together by FBNQuest Trustees, with Managing Director, Adekunle Awojobi, hosting it. The clinic featured sessions facilitated by Dr. Bashir Umar, a renowned Islamic Financial Scholar. The sessions covered Waqaf, Wasiyyah, Zakat, Hibah and Takaful, among other asset preservation and wealth transfer principles. FBNQuest Trustees said it remains committed to pioneering critical conversations such as this and helping Nigerians make sense of assets accrued in the course of their lives, without compromising their faith or values.

FBNQuest Trustees is set to host an Islamic Estate Planning Clinic, on the 28th of April, 2019 in Abuja, Nigeria. This forum aims to educate Muslims about the importance of Estate Planning in line with Islamic laws. The Islamic Estate Planning Clinic will be hosted by Mr. Adekunle Awojobi, Managing Director FBNQuest Trustees and facilitated by the renowned Islamic financial Scholar, Dr. Bashir Umar, Imam at Al- Furqan Mosque in Kano. The session will address topics on Islamic Trust (Waqaf), Islamic Will (Wasiyyah), Zakat, Hibah, Takaful, and Sukuk; underscoring the importance of an Islamic plan to Muslims, as highlighted from the Qur’an and its interpretations in the Sunnah and Hadith. FBNQuest Trustees will also share insights on managing conventional Estate Plans, which is targeted at ensuring the preservation of legacies.