IslamicFinance.de

One of the challenges of developing Islamic banking in the Philippines is that there are not enough Shari’ah scholars or Islamic finance experts. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) also noted the lack of tax neutrality as a challenge. In order to have a clear information campaign, the BSP issued the latest FAQs or "Frequently Asked Questions". The BSP also issued "Simplified and concise discussions on lslamic banking fundamentals" that cover the following major points: core features of the lslamic banking law; accessibility of lslamic banking to both Muslims and non-Muslims; key distinctions between conventional and lslamic banking; and requirements for establishing lslamic banks or lslamic banking units (IBUs) in the Philippines.

In the #Philippines Golden Haven Memorial Park and Cemex Philippines are now among the Shariah-compliant securities listed locally. Golden Haven and Cemex were among the 56 listed securities that made it to the Shariah list. Chief Operating Officer of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), Roel A. Refran, said the PSE continues to provide a list of Shariah-compliant securities to cater to the needs of Islamic investors. He noted that by highlighting listed firms that adhere to the standards of Shariah law, PSE hopes to open investment opportunities in the country to Islamic funds.

Executives of Indonesian and Malaysian stock markets signed on Tuesday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of a World Sharia Stock Market Center. Signing of the document was conducted by Indonesia Stock Exchange President Director Tito Sulistio and his Malaysian counterpart Tajuddin Bin Atan. The planned center aims to develop Sharia products and portfolios for stock markets, but also to train human resources to become competent, professional and skillful persons in the industry. Global Sharia financial market was estimated to expand to USD 3.24 trillion by 2020.