IslamicFinance.de

According to Moody’s Investor Services, there is stable flow of sovereign sukuk issuance this year, which is set to touch US$28 billion (US$1 = RM4.15) in Southeast Asia. Among the Southeast Asia countries, Malaysia and Indonesia continue to regularly issue long-term sovereign sukuk while Gulf countries favour conventional debt structure to finance their deficit. Moody’s Vice President Gabriel Torres said the governments of Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Sharjah returned to the sovereign sukuk market in 2016, but issuance volumes are primarily supported by more regular issuers, such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey. Sub-Saharan African sovereign sukuk issuance is likely to remain active as governments set up regulatory frameworks for a retail Islamic banking sector and test market appetite.