IslamicFinance.de

Nasdaq Dubai said on Wednesday flydubai listed its $500 million (Dh1.8 billion) sukuk on its exchange. This is the 18th Sukuk to have listed on Nasdaq Dubai since the beginning of 2014. The emirate is one of the three largest venues in the world for Sukuk listings, with current nominal value on its two exchanges totalling $24.05 billion. The sukuk saw a geographic distribution of 64 per cent to Middle East accounts, 25 per cent to European accounts, 7 per cent to Asia, and 4 per cent to US offshore.

FlyDubai's debut Islamic bonds are signalling growing appetite for sukuk from aviation companies in the Gulf as they spend on airports and fleet expansion. The budget carrier raised $500 million this month in the first sale of the debt by a regional airline after Emirates. The issue received bids for more than six times the amount offered. Boeing forecasts Middle East airlines will need more than 2,600 new aircraft over the next 20 years, worth $550 billion. Sukuk is exptected to be part of the financing mix. FlyDubai's five-year sukuk pays a profit rate of 3.776 per cent, or 200 basis points above the five-year mid swap rate.