IslamicFinance.de

ZamZam Bank has obtained a license from Ethiopia’s banking regulator to carry out Islamic banking activities in the country. In May 2019, Abiy Ahmed, the Ethiopian Prime Minister, expressed his approval in favor of the establishment of financial institutions entirely dedicated to Islamic finance. Several institutions have expressed interest in the activity, including ZamZam Bank which filed its application with the Central Bank. The bank was authorized to open its capital to investors to raise funds for its plan. As part of this process, ZamZam sold $18.3 million worth of shares. According to the National Bank of Ethiopia, the presence of institutions entirely dedicated to Islamic finance will improve financial inclusion in the country.

Morocco will issue its first bonds on Islamic market this year. According to Hicham Talby, head of the finance ministry’s treasury department, the country plans to issue four dirham-denominated sovereign sukuk. While the first issuance would take much time due to the implementation of a legal framework for the operation, authorities expect the process to be faster for the three other issuances. Mali has already launched its first sukuk issuance for 2018. Likewise, South Africa and Sudan have recently announced their intention to follow the move in 2018. The Moroccan government also wants to establish a sovereign sukuk fund, ahead of an increase in dirham-dominated Islamic bonds, over the coming years.

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has decided to sell its 21% share in Zitouna Bank’s capital. The origin of this decision is supposedly a disagreement of specifications. The withdrawal could benefit Triki Group, which could disburse 80-90 million Tunisian dinars for this acquisition. IDB entered in Zitouna Bank’s capital in 2014, with TND37.5 million. Since its inception in 2009, Zitouna Bank has become a leading Islamic financial instituion in the local market.

In Algeria, three public lending institutions will start offering Islamic finance services before the end of the year. They are the Banque de l’agriculture et du développement Rural (BADR), the Caisse Nationale d’Epargne et de Prévoyance (CNEP) and the Banque de Développement Local (BDL). Currently, in Algeria only Al Baraka Bank and Salam Bank are allowed to offer participative finance products to their clients. They are in fact competing in this sector with private lenders that offer both traditional and Islamic banking services. Boualem Djebbar, president of Algerian banks and financial institutions’ association, said a democratization of Islamic finance by 2018 should be expected in the country.

Nigeria's Debt Management Office (DMO) announced the sale of its initial $328 million sovereign sukuk in the local market. The proceeds will be used to finance road projects in the country. The bond will be traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and also on the FMDQ over the counter platform. The sale will be managed by First Bank and Islamic wealth manager, Lotus Capital, and will aim for retail and institutional investors. Africa’s second largest economy intends to borrow about $10 billion from debt markets to fund a budget deficit aggravated by lower oil prices. It also targets concessionary sources to clear its funding needs and expects to issue N20 billion ($62million) green bond after raising a $1.5 billion Eurobond in the first quarter.